Weekly rankings, and a bit about UMass-Lowell
Maine closes the regular season this weekend with a two-game series at UMass-Lowell, which is fifth in the eight-team Hockey East standings. UMass-Lowell boasts an NHL name: Craig MacTavish, who played at UML from 1977-1979. MacTavish helped the Oilers win three Stanley Cups as a center (1986, 1987 and 1989) and is in his eighth season as coach of the Oilers. You might remember MacTavish as one of the last helmetless players in the NHL.
MacTavish also helped the RiverHawks - then the Chiefs - win the 1979 Division II national championship, scoring a goal and three assists in a 6-4 win over Mankato State (now known as Minnesota State).
However, MacTavish's career also serves as a cautionary tale. He did not play during the 1984-1985 season as he served a jail term for vehicular manslaughter and driving under the influence.
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Boston University is the outright No. 1 team in the nation this week, a week after being No. 1 in one of the national polls and No. 2 in the other, behind Notre Dame.
The Terriers are No. 1 in the USCHO.com top 20 and No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey top 15 poll.
Despite qualifying for the Hockey East playoffs, Maine did not receive any votes in this week's polls.
Posted at 03:20 PM
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