Between Badgers, Broncos, Spartans and Wolverines: Who Should Claim No. 1 at Puck Drop?

Four teams make their case

Michigan is 8-1, with its only loss coming at Ohio State. The Wolverines have three wins over ranked opponents, including a sweep at then-No. 1 Denver and a 3-2 win over then-No. 5 Western Michigan decided with 0.1 seconds left. They have outscored opponents 46-23.

Wisconsin is 6-0 after beating Notre Dame by a combined 16-2. The Badgers also swept then-No. 19 Minnesota State and beat then-No. 5 Western Michigan 4-0 in an exhibition. They have allowed five goals overall, or 0.8 per game, the best rate nationally outside the Ivy League.

Michigan State is 5-1, with a 1-0 loss at New Hampshire. Its wins over then-No. 12 Boston College and No. 8 North Dakota came against ranked teams. Western Michigan has also been strong: its only loss was the late defeat to Michigan, and it has outscored opponents 40-11.

Wisconsin gets the narrow edge

The choice is Wisconsin, though only barely. The Badgers reached last season’s national title game and have paired an undefeated record with the lowest goals-allowed rate among non-Ivy teams.

Denver, the reigning national champion, is 5-2-1. Its losses came against then-No. 2 Michigan, while its tie was against then-No. 18 Boston College. Providence, Augustana and Army are also noted as contenders.

Rankings tell different stories

The men’s top 10 listed Wisconsin first, Michigan second, Denver third, Michigan State fourth and Western Michigan fifth. Quinnipiac, Providence, Augustana, Minnesota Duluth and Boston University rounded out the group.

The NPI rankings instead put Michigan first, followed by Union and Wisconsin. The NPI helps determine the NCAA tournament field and seedings, but parts of its formula, including strength of schedule, take time to develop because teams begin at the same baseline.

Poll changes and other updates

Michigan received all but one first-place vote in the USCHO.com and USA Hockey top-20 rankings last week, making a substantial shift in Monday’s polls likely. The first Michigan-Wisconsin series of the season is about a month away in Ann Arbor.

Elsewhere, Nashville traded forward Matthew Wood to Seattle for center Shane Wright. Anaheim’s Cutter Gauthier scored a hat trick in a 6-3 win over Ottawa, and Montreal goaltender Jacob Fowler was named the NHL’s Rookie of the Month for October after going 7-1-0 with two shutouts.