League Rivals Maintain Presence in National Polls

ALBANY, NY – The top two teams in ECAC Hockey are once again featured in the latest national USCHO.com poll, released Monday, March 7 and the most recent USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll, released Tuesday, March 8. Cornell remains in the No. 2/2 position spot, while Dartmouth comes in at the No. 8/8 slot in the polls.

Cornell remained in the No. 2/2 position with 170 points in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey poll and 134 points in the USCHO.com poll after earning its second consecutive ECAC Hockey women’s tournament title. The Big Red defeated Quinnipiac last week in the semifinals, 4-3 and Dartmouth in the championship game, 3-0. The Big Red will take on a familiar foe in Dartmouth in the quarterfinals of the NCAA Tournament this Saturday at Lynah Rink for a shot at the NCAA Frozen Four berth. Cornell will be making its second appearance in the NCAA tournament, following up on last season's run that culminated in advancing to the national title game, falling in triple overtime to Minnesota-Duluth. Last season, Cornell defeated Harvard in Cambridge, Mass., in the NCAA first-round before beating Mercyhurst in the national semifinals in Minneapolis, Minn.

Dartmouth moved up to the No. 8 spot in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll with 55 points and in the No. 8 position in the USCHO.com poll earning 39 points. The Big Green earned an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, when it earned the seventh spot in the eight-team playoff field. The Big Green will take on the team they just lost to in the ECAC Hockey Championship, Cornell. It will be the ninth time the Big Green have made the NCAA tournament and the fourth time in the past five seasons. Dartmouth last made the tournament in 2009 when it lost at Wisconsin, 7-0, in the first-round.

Quinnipiac received votes in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll this week.

Click here to access complete USCHO.com Poll

Click here to access complete USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

ABOUT THE POLLS:

The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 15 voters, including 12 coaches of Division I programs and three women's hockey writers.  USCHO.com provides in-depth coverage of college sports, including hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and others.

The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.