No. 1 LINDENWOOD UNIVERSITY ATOP AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION MEN’S DIVISION I RANKING
Lions Sweep Missouri State on the Road
UNION LAKE, Mich. – (February 16, 2022) – Lindenwood University, undefeated on the season with a record of 15-0-0, holds the top spot in the 2021-2022 American Collegiate Hockey Association Men’s Division 1 Ranking No. 17. The Lions swept its road games against Missouri State University. Friday, Andy Willis potted two goals and Trent Burnham turned aside 37 shots in goal for the 6-1 win, while Bears counterpart Matt Griffin had 55 saves. Saturday, David Gagnon paced the Lions 7-1 victory with the three goal hat trick while goaltender Burnham made another 31 saves.
No. 2 Minot State University (23-2-0) welcomed University of Arizona to Maysa Arena and promptly swept the visiting Wildcats (7-1, 3-1) for its 13th consecutive victory since December 10. Jay Buchholz paced the Beaver attack with three goals and an assist while Carter Barley chipped in two goals and two assists.
No. 3 Liberty University (18-7-1) traveled to Bird Arena in Athens, Ohio, and swept Ohio University. Friday, the Flames came away with a 4-2 win, but Saturday was another story as the Liberty raced to a 3-1 lead heading to the third period only to have the Bobcats score two goals and send the game into overtime. Neither team scored in the extra session forcing a shootout. In the shootout, Brett Gammer beat Bobcat goaltender Jackson Chilberg in the 7th round for the game-winning goal.
No. 4 University of Nevada-Las Vegas (22-4-1) hit the road to take on Arizona State University. The Sun Devils took the opener on Friday night, needing overtime and a shootout before coming away with the win in the shootout as Ryan Edger scored the lone goal in the 5th round. Saturday, the Rebels skated out of town with a 4-3 win and a weekend split, as Bradley Golant and Ezekiel Estrada broke a 2-2 tie in the third period with goals 1:03 apart.
No. 5 Iowa State University (24-4-2) swept a pair of games against visiting University of Jamestown. Friday, the Cyclones needed overtime before Ray Zimmerman ended it for the 2-1 victory, while Saturday’s win had a little more breathing room in the 3-0 final with goals from Jackson Zloty, Ryan Nelson, and Canyon Brown.
Moving into the polls this week is No. 25 Lawrence Tech while Davenport University drops out of the Top 25.
The first five autobids have been clinched by the following teams:
- United States Naval Academy – (ECHA) Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association
- Adrian College – (GLCHL) Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League
- Maryville University – (MCH) Midwest College Hockey
- Niagara University – (NECHL) Northeast Collegiate Hockey League
- University of Central Oklahoma – (WCHL) Western Collegiate Hockey League
The first three conference playoff champions will be crowned this weekend in College Hockey Mid-America (CHMA), Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (ESCHL), and Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (WHAC), with the playoff champions securing the final three autobids to the 2022 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships.
The Central States Collegiate Hockey League leads the way with four (of 5) of its member teams ranked, while the Western Collegiate Hockey League has six (of 10) of its member teams ranked, the Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League has three (of 6) of its member teams ranked, the Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference has three (of 7) of its member teams ranked, and Midwest College Hockey has two (of 6) of its member teams ranked.
The ACHA uses two computer rankings generated by USHSHO.com, Ranking A (Wins with Maximum Goal Differential of 7) and Ranking B (Wins with Maximum Goal Differential of 1), and comes up with an average of the two rankings. The ACHA will then use the list generated from the average for its weekly ranking. Ties will be broken using the higher ranked team from Ranking B until the Top 25 teams are listed. All games that go to overtime will be scored as ties in the computer ranking.
Over the past 18 seasons, 12 different schools have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship: Lindenwood (3), Central Oklahoma (2), Illinois (2), Minot State (2), Adrian (2), Arizona State, Davenport, Delaware, Oakland, Ohio, Penn State, and Rhode Island.
Now in its 31st season of action, there have been a total of 14 schools that have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship:
- Penn State (5 times)
- Ohio (4)
- Lindenwood (3)
- Adrian (2)
- Central Oklahoma (2)
- Illinois (2)
- Minot State (2)
- North Dakota State (2)
- Arizona State
- Davenport
- Delaware
- Iowa State
- Oakland
- Rhode Island
A total of 68 teams will compete in Men’s Division I this season, as four teams have departed Men’s Division I: Cornell University, Penn State Berks, Slippery Rock University, and SUNY Cortland.
The computer ranking will for the eighth time determine the 20 teams that qualify for the 2022 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships, which will include the following eight autobids:
- (CHMA) College Hockey Mid-America (PLAYOFF CHAMPION)
- (ECHA) Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association (United States Naval Academy)
- (ESCHL) Eastern States Collegiate Hockey League (PLAYOFF CHAMPION)
- (GLCHL) Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League (Adrian College)
- (MCH) Midwest College Hockey (Maryville University)
- (NECHL) Northeast Collegiate Hockey League (Niagara University)
- (WCHL) Western Collegiate Hockey League (University of Central Oklahoma)
- (WHAC) Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (PLAYOFF CHAMPION)
The eighteenth ranking of the regular season will be released on Wednesday, February 23, 2022.
The 2022 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships will be hosted March 10-15 for the first time by the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League and the St. Louis Sports Commission, with the event to be contested at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. This will be the tenth year of the 20-team format.
| 2021-2022 ACHA Men’s Division I Ranking #17 | ||||
| Rank | School Name | M1 Record | Previous | Conference |
| 1 | Lindenwood | 15-0-0 | 1 | CSCHL |
| 2 | Minot State | 23-2-0 | 2 | Independent |
| 3 | Liberty | 18-7-1 | 5 | Independent |
| 4 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 22-4-1 | 4 | WCHL |
| 5 | Iowa State | 24-4-2 | 3 | CSCHL |
| 6 | Adrian | 21-4-0 | 8 | GLCHL |
| 7 | Central Oklahoma | 26-4-0 | 6 | WCHL |
| 8 | Stony Brook | 19-6-2 | 7 | ESCHL |
| 9 | Illinois | 18-14-1 | 12 | CSCHL |
| 10 | Indiana Tech | 24-4-2 | 14 | WHAC |
| 11 | Jamestown | 9-10-5 | 11 | Independent |
| 12 | Pittsburgh | 25-3-1 | 13 | CHMA |
| 13 | Missouri State | 17-10-3 | 9 | WCHL |
| 14 | Ohio | 14-12-4 | 15 | CSCHL |
| 15 | Maryville | 18-6-1 | 10 | MCH |
| 16 | Arizona | 14-11-1 | 16 | WCHL |
| 17 | Aquinas | 18-7-1 | 20 | WHAC |
| 18 | Michigan-Dearborn | 20-8-2 | 18 | WHAC |
| 19 | Niagara | 24-4-1 | 19 | NECHL |
| 20 | Utah | 11-7-4 | 17 | WCHL |
| 21 | Arizona State | 11-14-0 | 21 | WCHL |
| 22 | Rhode Island | 18-10-1 | 22 | ESCHL |
| 23 | Delaware | 18-11-2 | 25 | ESCHL |
| 24 | Midland | 13-12-3 | 24 | MCH |
| 25 | Lawrence Tech | 19-11-1 | 26 | WHAC |
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