OHIO UNIVERSITY NO. 1 FOR FIRST TIME SINCE 2024-2025 SEASON IN AMERICAN COLLEGIATE HOCKEY ASSOCIATION RANKING #5
Ranking System Moves to Computer-based Poll
UNION LAKE, Mich. – (November 5, 2025) – Ohio University (11-1-0), takes over the top spot of 2025-2026 ACHA Men’s Division I Ranking #5, as the ranking system switches from a coaches poll to a computer poll. Ranked No. 3 the previous week, the Bobcats stand atop the rankings for the first time since December 11, 2024, when they were the top team in both Ranking #8 and #9. The Bobcats swept Illinois State University (9-1, 11-2) in the friendly confines of Bird Arena by pumping 103 shots on goal and scoring 20 times. The balanced scoring attack was led by Laker Aldridge (two goals, four assists), Hollander Thompson (three goals, two assists), Luc Reeve (two goals, three assists), Nolan Abraham (three goals, assist), Barron Stibbe (two goals, two assists), Will Cohen (two goals, two assists), Noah Holt (goal, three assists), and Blake Dustin (four assists).
No. 2 Niagara University (8-0-0) remained undefeated as they swept Liberty University at Dwyer Arena and achieved their highest ranking in team history. Goaltender Jacob Dubinsky stopped 59 out of 62 shots on goal by the Flames for both wins while Louis Chabot (two goals, two assists), Johny Wescoe (goal, three assists), Cayden Glover (two goals, assist), and Dean Taylor (three assists) provided the offense for the Purple Eagles.
No. 3 Minot State University (7-0-1) won both of its games, defeating University of Nevada-Las Vegas (4-2), formerly undefeated and ranked No. 1, and conference foe University of Mary (5-1) at Maysa Arena in Minot, N.D. The Beavers forged a 2-0 first period lead on goals by Logan Rands and Brett Tataryn before the Rebels, the defending Men’s Division I National Champions of the American Collegiate Hockey Association, cut the lead in half on a goal by Brady Estabrook. Logan Cyca put the Beavers up by two goals after two periods while power play goals by the Beavers’ Colby Joseph and the Rebels’ Caleb Strong finished out the scoring. Saturday against the Marauders, Cyca broke a 1-1 tie in the second period before the Beavers pulled away in the third period on goals by Jay Buchholz, Joseph, and Matthew Yakubowski. Beavers’ goaltender Will Dyke recorded both wins and stopped 52 out of 55 shots on goal.
No. 4 University of Jamestown (9-2-0) split a pair of home games against University of Nevada-Las Vegas (2-6, 4-1) and shutout conference rival University of Mary 4-0 on the road at Starion Sports Complex in Mandan, N.D. On Wednesday, the Jimmies staked the Rebels to a 4-0 lead midway through the game before Carter Johnson and Raymond Warrack cut the lead in half with 6:22 remaining in the third period. However, goals by Luke Backel and Tristan Rand dowsed any comeback attempt as the Jimmies lost 6-2. On Thursday, after watching Caleb Strong put the Rebels up 1-0 after one period, the Jimmies scored four unanswered goals to skate away with a 4-1 victory. Carson Brown had a pair of goals while Kaleb Percival got the game-winning goal and goaltender Brandon Weare stopped 25 out of 26 shots on goal. Saturday against the Marauders, Cai Robinson broke a scoreless tie in the second period, while goals by James Hooten, Matthew McIntrye, and Brad Fortin salted the game away. Weare was a brick wall again, stopping all 22 shots to record the shutout.
Rounding out the Top 5 is Calvin University (5-1-1), which split a pair of games against conference rival Hope College as each team won at home. Friday night at Eagles Ice Center, the Knights jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two periods as Daniel Siso, Krzysztof Petryla, Marshall Beaker, and Steven Ickes lit the lamp for the Knights. Knights’ goaltender Aidan Feddema stopped 32 out of 33 Flying Dutchmen shots to record the 4-1 win. Saturday night, the Flying Dutchmen jumped out to a 3-0 lead before goals by Beaker and Petryla cut it to 3-2 with 5:41 remaining in the second period. However, a high sticking penalty to the Knights led to a power play goal by Gerdas Paulauskas to make it 4-2 after the second period. Flying Dutchmen goaltender Sebastian Wigfield shut the door the rest of the way by turning aside 48 out of 50 shots for the 5-2 victory
Moving into the polls this week is No. 20 Stony Brook University, No. 21 Cleary University, No. 22 Davenport University, No. 23 Indiana University of Pennsylvania, and No. 24 Missouri State University.
Dropping out of the Top 25 are Grand Valley State University, University of Delaware, University of Rhode Island, Oswego State University, and University of Oklahoma.
The Great Lakes 6 Hockey Conference leads the way with five (of 7) of its member teams ranked, while Midwest College Hockey has three (of 7) of its member teams ranked, Western Collegiate Hockey League has four (of 11) of its member teams ranked, Wolverine Hoosier Athletic Conference has two (of 6) of its member teams ranked, and College Hockey Mid-America has two (of 7) its member teams ranked.
With the ACHA switching to a computer-based ranking from a coaches poll, the ACHA will use the 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 come 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 22 seasons, 13 different schools have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship: Lindenwood (4), Minot State (3), Adrian (3), Central Oklahoma (2), Illinois (2), Arizona State, Davenport, Delaware, Nevada-Las Vegas, Oakland, Ohio, Penn State, and Rhode Island.
Now in its 35th season of action, there have been a total of 15 schools that have won the ACHA Men’s Division I National Championship:
- Penn State University (5 times)
- Lindenwood University (4)
- Ohio University (4)
- Adrian College (3)
- Minot State University (3)
- North Dakota State University (2)
- University of Central Oklahoma (2)
- University of Illinois (2)
- Arizona State University
- Davenport University
- Iowa State University
- Oakland University
- University of Delaware
- University of Nevada-Las Vegas
- University of Rhode Island
A total of 81 teams will compete in Men’s Division I this season, including former Men’s Division II members Central Michigan University, North Carolina State University, University of Cincinnati, University of Kentucky, University of Louisville, and University of North Carolina, along with former Men’s Division III members Hope College, the reigning ACHA Men’s Division III National Champions, and University of Michigan-Flint. The Concordia University Ann Arbor program, which made the announcement to relocate to Siena Heights University back in April, folded in July before getting to play a game as the Saints.
The computer ranking will for the twelfth time determine the 24 teams that qualify for the 2026 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships, which will include the following six auto bids:
- (CHMA) College Hockey Mid-America
- (ECHA) Eastern Collegiate Hockey Association
- (GLCHL) Great Lakes Collegiate Hockey League
- (MCH) Midwest College Hockey
- (WCHL) Western Collegiate Hockey League
- (WHAC) Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference
The sixth ranking of the regular season will be released on Wednesday, November 12, 2025.
The 2026 ACHA Men’s Division I National Championships presented by FloHockey will be hosted March 12-17 for the fourth time at the Centene Community Ice Center in Maryland Heights, Mo. This will be the third year of the 24-team format.
| 2025-2026 ACHA Men’s Division I Ranking #5 | |||||
| Rank | School Name | M1 Record | Previous | Trend | Conference |
| 1 | Ohio | 11-1-0 | 3 | ↑2 | INDEP |
| 2 | Niagara | 8-0-0 | 8 | ↑6 | INDEP |
| 3 | Minot State | 7-0-1 | 2 | ↓1 | MCH |
| 4 | Jamestown | 9-2-0 | 6 | ↑2 | MCH |
| 5 | Calvin | 5-1-1 | 10 | ↑5 | GL6 |
| 6 | Liberty | 10-3-0 | 5 | ↓1 | INDEP |
| 7 | Adrian | 9-2-1 | 4 | ↓3 | GL6 |
| 8 | Nevada-Las Vegas | 7-2-0 | 1 | ↓7 | WCHL |
| 9 | Drury | 12-0-0 | 7 | ↓2 | INDEP |
| 10 | Maryville | 5-4-0 | 9 | ↓1 | INDEP |
| 11 | Hope | 10-2-0 | 19 | ↑8 | GL6 |
| 12 | Mary | 8-5-0 | 12 | MCH | |
| 13 | Utah | 5-4-1 | 13 | WCHL | |
| 14 | Purdue Northwest | 7-4-0 | 17 | ↑3 | GL6 |
| 15 | Pittsburgh | 6-2-2 | 14 | ↓1 | ACCHL |
| 16 | Arizona | 5-2-0 | 15 | ↓1 | WCHL |
| 17 | Indiana Tech | 5-2-3 | 20 | ↑3 | WHAC |
| 18 | West Chester | 8-2-0 | 18 | ECHA | |
| 19 | Grand Canyon | 7-4-0 | 11 | ↓8 | WCHL |
| 20 | Stony Brook | 5-3-1 | NR | ↑6 | ACCHL |
| 21 | Cleary | 9-1-0 | NR | ↑5 | WHAC |
| 22 | Davenport | 7-5-2 | NR | ↑4 | GL6 |
| 23 | Indiana Pennsylvania | 11-2-1 | NR | ↑3 | CHMA |
| 24 | Missouri State | 6-2-2 | NR | ↑2 | WCHL |
| 25 | Midland | 2-7-3 | 25 | MCH | |
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About American Collegiate Hockey Association
The American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) was founded in 1991 and is the national association for Non-NCAA Collegiate Hockey throughout the United States. Our organization of more than 560 colleges and university-affiliated teams representing 48 states provides structure, regulates operations, and promotes the sport of Hockey nationwide. With approximately 16,000 players and coaches as well as countless volunteers and game officials, the ACHA has experienced tremendous growth over the past decade and continues to be a viable option for college-bound student-athletes to continue playing competitive hockey nationwide. Headquartered in Troy, Michigan, the ACHA’s primary mission is to support the growth of Collegiate Hockey while emphasizing academic performance, personal development, and opportunities for regional, national, and international competition. The ACHA identifies standards which serve to unite and regulate teams at the collegiate level and entered its 35th season in September 2025. For more information, visit achahockey.org.
