With the midseason holiday break now upon us in women’s college hockey, a clear upper crust has formed around Ohio State, Minnesota and Wisconsin, leading the way in NCAA Digital’s Jordan Menard’s latest Power 5 rankings for the third consecutive week.
Here’s a look at Menard’s complete rankings:
1. Ohio State (Previous: 1)
Reeling from just its second loss of the season against St. Cloud State, Ohio State took full advantage of its get-right weekend on Friday and Saturday with a pair of dominant home victories against Minnesota State. The rout began early in the series opener, with Ohio State scoring twice inside the opening 10 minutes, and ultimately opened a 6-0 lead before conceding a consolation goal late in the third period. The Mavericks offered stiffer resistance in the following bout, quickly equalizing a first-period Ohio State goal, but a goal and an assist from Joy Dunne in the third helped OSU cruise 4-1.
P3| BUCKEYE GOAL! 🚨@joyv_dunne with the power play goal!
3-1 Buckeyes with 2:37 to play#GoBucks pic.twitter.com/v0OsQf17qJ
— Ohio State Women’s Hockey (@OhioStateWHKY) December 10, 2023
Ohio State enters the New Year with an 18-2 record, suffering just one conference setback, and will resume play on Jan. 12 with a massive weekend series against the Gophers in Minneapolis.
2. Minnesota (Previous: 2)
Competing for the best of the rest in the WCHA, Minnesota’s meeting with Wisconsin proved little, with each team claiming a decisive victory in a weekend split. The Gophers, undefeated in nine games entering Friday, flexed their muscle first, erasing an early deficit and scoring four unanswered goals in 25 minutes to build a 5-2 lead before conceding a consolation goal. Minnesota’s fine form continued early Saturday, snatching a 1-0 lead to start the second period, but Wisconsin would finally rediscover its early season offensive potency — a Lacey Eden brace sparked five straight for the Badgers, cruising to victory 5-1.
The Gophers enjoy a chance to tune up for the aforementioned bout against Ohio State, hosting Connecticut Jan. 5-6.
3. Wisconsin (Previous: 3)
While Columbus, Ohio proved once again to be a nightmarish road trip for Wisconsin, this time its specter seemed to linger over a once-consummate Badger offense. Averaging more than seven goals per contest entering Columbus, Wisconsin would slump to just 1.8 in its next five matches, a stretch that includes all four UW losses this year. But finally, as noted above, the Badger offense sprung to life late Saturday, scoring five goals in a thrilling 27-minute stretch that crushed the Gophers.
Wisconsin will hope their offensive Renaissance continues into the New Year, hosting Merrimack Jan. 5-6 before returning to WCHA play the following weekend against St. Thomas.
4. Clarkson (Previous: NR)
Quite a fruitful bye week for the Raiders, still managing to total the most wins in women’s college hockey while reentering Menard’s Power 5. Clarkson will resume play after the holiday break with a pair of short road trips, battling Cornell and Colgate on Jan. 5 and Jan. 6 respectively.
5. Colgate (Previous: 4)
Colgate took the ice just once this week on Tuesday, taking full advantage with a 9-0 battering of Syracuse. Neena Brick terrorized Orange defenders early and often, notching a hat trick after just 22 minutes and ultimately finishing with four goals and an assist — Brick is now the only player in the country with multiple four-goal games this season. The Raiders resume play in Pittsburgh on Dec. 29, first taking on Maine in the Battle at the Burgh.