For the first time in more than six years, the Gophers men's and women's hockey teams both sit atop the U.S. College Hockey Online rankings.
Gophers men, women both ranked No. 1 in national hockey polls
It's the first time both Gophers teams have sat atop the poll since Oct. 27, 2014. The men split with Wisconsin over the weekend while the women won three games against St. Cloud State.
January 11, 2021 at 10:51PM
![Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Grace Zumwinkle (12) was mobbed by Minnesota Golden Gophers forward Taylor Heise (9) after she scored the Gophers third goal of the game in the third period. ] ANTHONY SOUFFLE • anthony.souffle@startribune.com](https://arc.stimg.co/startribunemedia/STJJJYLGQNN4LSBGFCQ2OWYOPY.jpg?&w=712)
Minnesota's men, who suffered their first loss of the season but rebounded for a split at Wisconsin to improve to 11-1, retained the No. 1 ranking, garnering 790 points and 31 of 40 first-place votes. North Dakota (761, eight first-place votes) was No. 2, followed by Boston College, St. Cloud State (one first-place vote) and Minnesota State Mankato.
St. Cloud State (9-4) was a big riser in the polls, jumping two spots after its sweep of Minnesota Duluth in Duluth. The Bulldogs, the two-time defending national champions, fell two spots to No. 7.
The Gophers women (8-1) moved up one spot after defeating St. Cloud State three times last week. Minnesota received 145 points and 12 of 15 first-place votes to supplant Wisconsin as the nation's top-ranked team. The Badgers (4-2) received two first-place votes after splitting a series with Ohio State (5-3), which moved up one spot to No. 3.
The Gophers and Badgers women will face in a No. 1 vs. No. 2 matchup on Friday and Saturday in Madison. It's the start of a key stretch for the Gophers, who travel to Ohio State on Jan. 29-30, then play host to Wisconsin on Feb. 5-6 and the Buckeyes on Feb. 12-13.
The last time Minnesota's men's and women's were both ranked No. 1 in the USCHO poll was Oct. 27, 2014.
On Saturday, the Gophers men's team lost for the first time this season, 3-1 to Wisconsin in a result that ended a 12-game winning streak dating to last season. The Gophers recovered well Sunday, defeating the Badgers 5-3, though Wisconsin's star forward didn't sound impressed.
"We competed with the so-called No. 1 team in the country, so we can't hang our heads over anything,'' Cole Caufield said in a postgame video conference. "We're one, two goals away from getting a sweep there."
The Gophers also remained No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine men's poll. The women's poll will be released Tuesday.
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