USCHO Division III poll
MINNEAPOLIS – A dominating weekend by the St. Scholastica hockey team propelled the Saints to their highest ranking of the season at No. 4 in this week's U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) Division III poll that was released today.
The Saints swept 14th-ranked University of Wisconsin-River Falls on Friday and the University of Wisconsin-Stout on Saturday. The Saints did not allow a goal each night, defeating the Falcons 6-0 and the Blue Devils 3-0. In two prior meetings against both teams this season, the Saints had been 0-1-3.
The Saints have been ranked in the USCHO Division III poll for 25 straight weeks and have been in the top 10 for 23 of those 25 weeks. The only time CSS has been ranked outside of the top 10 this season was in the preseason poll. Prior to this run, the Saints had only been ranked in the top 10 on two occasions in a NCAA Division III poll.
CSS's opponent on Friday night will be third-ranked St. Norbert College. The contest could ultimately decide the Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) regular season championship. The Green Knights currently hold a three-point lead over the Saints with four games to play. A St. Norbert win would almost guarantee a regular season title. If the Saints prevail, they would be just one point back and hold the tiebreaker.
Both teams split earlier this season in Green Bay, Wis. with the Saints winning game one in overtime, 4-3, and St. Norbert taking game two, 4-2.
On Saturday night the Saints will face the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point at Mars Lakeview Arena. The Pointers have been playing better in the second half of the season and defeated the Saints at Mars at the end of the year last season. The Saints will also be celebrating the 1975 NAIA National Championship team on Saturday and a lot of players from that team will be on hand.
Both games will begin at 7:05 p.m. at Mars Lakeview Arena. You can listen live on ESPN Radio 560-WEBC. You can view the game live online, courtesy of the iFan Sports Network, at csssaints.com. Saturday's game will also be televised live on My 9.
