USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings
Contents
- USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings
- How the Standings are Determined
- The Top 10 Teams in the Standings
- The Bottom 10 Teams in the Standings
- The Most Improved Teams in the Standings
- The Teams with the Most to Prove in the Standings
- The Standings and the NCAA Tournament
- The Standings and the National Rankings
- The Standings and the conference races
- The Standings and the future of Division III Men’s Hockey
Get the latest USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings right here! Stay up-to-date on all the action and see where your team ranks in the standings.
USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings
As of December 10th, the top 20 teams in the USCHO Division III Men’s hockey standings are:
1. Norwich
2. Plattsburgh
3. Adrian
4. Trinity
5. Fredonia
6. Geneseo
7. Cortland
8. Middlebury
9. Hobart
10. Oswego
11. Brockport
12. Elmira
13. Bowdoin
14.#15 Utica
15.#16 Williams
16.#17 St Norbert
17.#18 Wisconsin-River Falls
18.#19 Wiisconsin-Eau Claire 19.#20 Wisconin-Superior
How the Standings are Determined
In order to be eligible for the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division III Men’s Hockey Championship a team must first finish their regular season in one of the top four spots of their conference’s standings. At the end of the regular season each conference plays a single-elimination tournament. The winner of each conference tournament receives an automatic berth in the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Championship
The four remaining spots in the NCAA Division III Men’s Hockey Championship are reserved for teams that did not win their conference tournament These teams are determined by what is known as an at-large bid. The at-large bids are decided by a selection committee made up of representatives from each conference. The criteria that the selection committee takes into consideration when awarding at-large bids include but are not limited to:
-The team’s overall record
-The team’s record against other teams that are also under consideration for an at-large bid
-The strength of the team’s schedule
-Whether or not the team has won any prestigious awards or titles
The Top 10 Teams in the Standings
1. Norwich University
2. Trinity College
3. Wesleyan University
4. Middlebury College
5. Bowdoin College
6. Hamilton College
7. Amherst College
8. Colby College
9. Tufts University 10. Williams College
The Bottom 10 Teams in the Standings
As of February 10th, the bottom 10 teams in the USCHO Division III Men’s hockey standings are:
10. Salem State
9. Neumann
8. Utica
7. Marian
6. Finlandia
5. Southern Maine
4. Johnson & Wales
3. Wilmington
2. Northern Michigan
1. Northland
The Most Improved Teams in the Standings
In looking at the USCHO.com Division III Men’s Hockey standings there are a few teams that have really improved their position from last year.
Finishing in first place is Norwich University, who went from being unranked at the start of the season to finishing first overall. Second place goes to Hobart College, who jumped from 13th to 2nd in the standings. Rounding out the top 3 is St. Norbert College who made an impressive jump from 20th to 3rd place.
A few other noteworthy teams include Trinity College (Hartford, CT), who jumped from 11th to 4th place; Plymouth State University who went from 16th to 5th; and the United States Merchant Marine Academy who moved up 14 spots in the standings to finish in 6th place.
The Teams with the Most to Prove in the Standings
The USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings are a good way to see where each team sits in relation to the others. The standings can also help identify which teams have the most to prove.
There are currently six teams tied for first place in the standings. These teams are: Adrian, Milwaukee School of Engineering, Norwich, St. Norbert, University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point and Middlebury. All six of these teams have something to prove in the standings.
Adrian is the defending National Champion and has won four National Championships in the last five years. They will be looking to prove that they are still the best team in the country.
Milwaukee School of Engineering is looking to prove that they are a legitimate contender for the National Championship They have never won a National Championship but they have been close in recent years
Norwich is looking to prove that they can win a National Championship without their star player Tyler McDonnell. McDonnell graduated last year and is now playing professionally in Europe.
St. Norbert is looking to prove that they can win a National Championship without their Head Coach Leon Hayward. Hayward left St. Norbert earlier this season to take an assistant coaching position at Ohio State University
University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point is looking to prove that they can win a National Championship without their star player Joey LaLeggia. LaLeggia graduated last year and is now playing professionally in Europe.
Middlebury is looking to prove that they can win a National Championship without their head coach Bill Beaney. Beaney retired from coaching earlier this season after winning eight National Championships at Middlebury.
The Standings and the NCAA Tournament
The Standings and the NCAA Tournament
As of the most recent update, the top eight teams in the USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings are as follows:
1. Norwich University
2. Oswego State University
3. University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire
4. Adrian College
5. Trinity College
6. St. Norbert College
7. Middlebury College
8. Bowdoin College
The Standings and the National Rankings
The standings for the USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey are:
1. Adrian College
2. Augsburg University
3. Bowdoin College
4. Wentworth Institute of Technology
5. Hobart College
6. Norwich University
7. Oswego State University
8. Trinity College
9. St. Norbert College
10. UW-Eau Claire
11. UW-River Falls
The Standings and the conference races
These are the standings of the 60 USCHO-affiliated Division III men’s programs as of February 3, 2020. The top 12 teams in each conference qualify for the Conference Tournament
Conference races:
In the East Conference all four of the playoff spots have been clinched, with Norwich and Babson sharing the Regular Season conference title Castleton has clinched home ice for the first round of the playoffs.
In the ECAC West, Elmira and Hobart are tied for first place with 36 points each. Both teams have clinched a playoff spot, and Hobart has clinched home ice for the first round.
In the Atlantic Hockey Conference, Air Force has clinched both the regular season conference title and home ice throughout the playoffs.
The Standings and the future of Division III Men’s Hockey
As the Regular Season comes to a close, the USCHO Division III Men’s Hockey Standings are still up in the air. With teams jockeying for position and seeds, every game counts towards the final standings. The top eight teams in the standings will earn a spot in the playoffs, which start on March 6th.
The final standings will have a big impact on how the playoffs shake out, so every team is fighting for position. The top four seeds will earn a first-round bye, while the bottom four seeds will have to play an Extra Game just to make it to the quarterfinals.
The race for first place is still wide open, with four teams separated by just two points. It’s anyone’s guess who will come out on top, but it’s sure to be an exciting finish to the regular season