Jarod Palmer and Miami won twice at Michigan

Top-ranked Miami made a strong case that it is the top team in college hockey early in this season with a road sweep of No. 4 Michigan. The RedHawks - now 8-1-1 on the season - got a pair of goals from senior forward Jarod Palmer on Friday in a 3-1 victory (though U-M had a 28-13 shot advantage) and then scored five straight after surrending the opening goal on Saturday to take a 5-1 win. Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard It marked the first time that a visiting team came into Yost Ice Arena and left with two victories since Oct. 26-27, 2001, a span of 45 series. Crowds of greater than 6,700 took in both games.

The only team to have defeated MU this season - No. 17 Michigan State - also made a statement in a conference series, getting a win and a tie against 10th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomore goaltender Drew Palmisano earned his first career shutout on Thursday in a 3-0 win for the Spartans. The Mavericks did bounce back the next night to register a 3-3 tie and then win the shootout on the fourth skater.

The other big clashes over the weekend all ended with no clear winner. On Friday night, No. 8 UMass Lowell and 15th-ranked Vermont battled to a 3-3 draw, though UVM had a 37-22 edge in shots. No. 9 Notre Dame dealt 13th-ranked Alaska its first defeat of the season on Friday in a 3-2 decision, but the Nanooks snapped their 11-game winless streak (0-10-1) against Notre Dame the next night in a 3-1 game that featured a pair of goals by junior forward Derek Klassen.

In the WCHA, No. 20 Minnesota Duluth battled to a 4-3 road win against 12th-ranked Colorado College on Friday despite being outshot by 12 (33-21). But the Tigers got two goals and an assist from senior left wing Bill Sweatt on Saturday en route to a 6-2 triumph that featured four power-play markers. Two traditional national powers also split their WCHA series, as No. 18 Wisconsin topped Minnesota 4-2 on Friday behind a pair of goals from Blake Geoffrion. The Gophers struck back the next night with a 5-2 victory despite being outshot 47-28. Zach Budish had two goals and an assist and a plus-3 rating and Tony Lucia finished as a plus-4 and also added three points (1-2).

Second-ranked Denver opened the weekend with a 3-2 victory at Alaska Anchorage that saw senior forward Rhett Rakhshani score twice, but the Seawolves would come back the next night with a 7-3 upset win. Sean Wiles had a pair of tallies for UAA.

After a big win to open the season, No. 6 Yale failed to get a victory last weekend. The Bulldogs lost 5-2 to Rensselaer on Friday (Chase Polacek had two goals and an assist for the Engineers) and then managed just a 3-3 draw at Union. Another team that had a disappointing weekend was seventh-ranked and defending NCAA champion Boston University. The Terriers were shut out by Northeastern's Chris Rawlings in a 1-0 game on Friday and then lost 3-2 at Maine on Sunday. BU now stands at 2-5. The other upset over the weekend was delivered by St. Lawrence, which beat No. 14 Princeton 5-2 on Saturday.

Eric Gryba and BU will look for their first win of the season against No. 5 Michigan

• Again, we'll have 14 of the Top 20 teams in action this weekend - though this is the first time that all of the top five will be playing meaningful games in the same weekend.
• No one has a tougher start to the season this year than No. 11 Minnesota. The Gophers hit the road to begin the 2009-10 campaign last weekend against then-No. 4 North Dakota. The Fighting Sioux got a win and a tie in that series and have moved up to No. 2. This week, Minnesota plays host to fourth-ranked Denver - which began the season as the nation's top-ranked team.
• The teams met twice in Denver last season, with the Gophers winning the first matchup by a 5-2 score and the Pioneers rebounding for a 4-0 triumph the next night. That ended Minnesota's 11-game unbeaten streak to begin the season.
• Denver - which begins league action as the preseason conference favorite after splitting series with Vermont and Ohio State over the last two weekends - is 3-1-1 in its last five against Minnesota.
• Defending NCAA champion and third-ranked Boston University is off to a rough start. The Terriers - preseason favorites in Hockey East - opened the season with a 3-2 defeat against UMass (picked to finish seventh in the league) and then were shut out for the first time in nearly three years on Tuesday in a 3-0 loss at home against ninth-ranked Notre Dame. It doesn't get any easier for BU this weekend, as No. 5 Michigan visits Agganis Arena.
• Ninth-ranked Notre Dame also has another challenge left this week, as the Fighting Irish will play host to No. 14 Boston College on Friday. ND has won four of the last five meetings between the schools, but BC took the most meaningful - a 4-1 decision in the 2008 NCAA championship game.
• Top-ranked Miami begins CCHA action with a home series against Michigan State. The RedHawks have won six of their last eight against MSU, a stretch that followed a five-game winning streak for the Spartans.
• Michigan State junior forward Corey Tropp shares the early national lead in scoring with nine points (5-4). Meanwhile, MSU junior Jeff Petry is tied for the most points for a defenseman, with six (1-5), and Derek Grant leads all freshmen in scoring with seven points (2-5).
• No. 18 Minnesota Duluth - which is atop the WCHA standings with a 2-0-0 league mark - boasts the other two players who share the DI lead in scoring: junior winger Justin Fontaine (6-3) and sophomore center Jack Connolly (4-5). Fontaine leads the nation in goals. The Bulldogs head to St. Cloud State for a pair this weekend.
• One of the more interesting non-conference series of the weekend sees 16th-ranked Bemidji State head to Northern Michigan. The Beavers reached the Frozen Four last season and began this campaign with a pair of wins over defending AHA champion Air Force, while Northern Michigan is receiving votes in the poll after handing Minnesota Duluth a defeat in the Superior Cup two weeks ago.
• Northeastern - which was ranked in the preseason but now finds itself just outside of the Top 20 - has a big weekend away from home ahead. The Huskies will head to New Hampshire - another team receiving votes in the poll - on Friday, before challenging 13th-ranked UMass Lowell the following day.
• The other CCHA series this weekend pits a pair of teams that are receiving votes in this week's poll, as Lake Superior - riding a three-game winning streak - plays host to Ohio State on Friday and Saturday.
• The highest-ranked team yet to play a regular-season game, sixth-ranked Cornell, will hit the ice for the first time this weekend. The Big Red has exhibition contests against the University of Windsor (Friday) and the U.S. Under-18 Team (Saturday).

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top 20 and Television Schedule
Thursday, October 22
Niagara at No. 5 Michigan, 7:35 p.m. - TV: NSN & FCS | Free Video | Live Stats
Friday, October 23
No. 7 Vermont at Merrimack, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Colgate at No. 13 UMass Lowell, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Northeastern at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - TV: NESN | Live Stats
Michigan State at No. 1 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: ONN | Live Stats
No. 16 Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 14 Boston College at No. 9 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 4 Denver at No. 11 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
No. 17 Wisconsin at Minnesota State, 8:37 p.m. - TV: Charter Media Channel 14 (Mankato) | Live Stats
Michigan Tech at No. 19 Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 24
Northeastern at No. 13 UMass Lowell, 5 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 5 Michigan at No. 3 Boston University, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Bemidji State at Northern Michigan, 7:30 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 4 Denver at No. 11 Minnesota, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN (delay) | Live Stats
Michigan State at No. 1 Miami, 8:05 p.m. - TV: ONN & Comcast | Live Stats
No. 17 Wisconsin at Minnesota State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Media Channel 14 (Mankato) | Live Stats
No. 18 Minnesota Duluth at St. Cloud State, 8:37 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
Michigan Tech at No. 19 Colorado College, 9:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 North Dakota at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & GCI | Free Video | Live Stats

Pat Cannone and Connor Knapp helped Miami to a 2-0 start

The first weekend of the regular season featured plenty of surprises and upsets. Of the 20 teams listed in the preseason USCHO/CBS College Sports rankings, 13 of them were in meaningful action over the weekend - and just two of those squads (No. 4 Miami and No. 6 North Dakota) would escape without tasting defeat. The teams in the lower portion of the rankings, in particular, struggled - as the bottom seven teams (ranked Nos. 14-20) combined for a 3-10-0 record, including 2-7-0 against unranked opponents.

Miami - which was the top-ranked team in the preseason USA Today/USA Hockey poll after barely falling short in last year's NCAA championship game - had one of the most-impressive weekends of any team, as the RedHawks earned a home sweep of 15th-ranked St. Cloud State. Junior All-America forward Carter Camper scored the game-winner in overtime in a 3-2 victory on Friday. The following night, it was sophomore Connor Knapp earning a shutout while junior forward Andy Miele had the primary assist on both of Miami's goals - scored 20 seconds apart early in the third in the 2-0 game.

The other marquee series of the weekend pitted No. 1 Denver against 14th-ranked Vermont, a Frozen Four participant last season. The offenses were in high gear, and the weekend ended in a split. UVM appeared to be on its way to spoiling the first game of DU's 60th anniversary season, holding a 4-2 lead after two periods on Friday. But the Pioneers got a quick power play goal and then saw sophomore forward Joe Colborne net two more - one on the power play and then the even-strength game-winner with just over two minutes remaining in regulation - to give DU a 5-4 triumph. Vermont would not make the same mistake on Saturday, as senior forward Brayden Irwin scored twice in leading the Catamounts to a 6-4 win.

No. 6 North Dakota dominated Merrimack en route to a home sweep (5-2 and 3-2). The Fighting Sioux outshot the Warriors by a 75-35 margin, and freshman Mike Cichy had an outstanding first collegiate weekend with a goal, two assists and a +4 rating. Both games drew more than 11,000 fans.

The CCHA saw two of its teams ranked among the top five suffer opening-night defeats before rebounding for decisive wins - while two other squads claimed tournament titles. On Friday, Alabama-Huntsville tied the game in the third period and sophomore forward Cody Campbell scored on a wraparound with just five seconds remaining in regulation to give the Chargers a 3-2 upset win at No. 5 Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish outshot UAH 51-14 the next night in a 3-1 win.

Sophomore goaltender Scott Greenham registered the first-ever shutout for Alaska in 45 all-time meetings with No. 3 Michigan on Friday in a 2-0 decision. The Nanooks then claimed the Kendall Hockey Classic title with a 5-1 win over Mercyhurst. Greenham - who stopped 43 of 44 shots and also had an assist - was tabbed the tournament MVP. Michigan posted a 6-1 win over Alaska Anchorage the next night.

Nebraska-Omaha claimed the title in its Icebreaker tournament. The Mavericks scored three third-period goals to beat Army 6-4 on opening night and then upset No. 11 UMass Lowell 4-3 in the championship game.

Quinnipiac finished off a road sweep of No. 17 Ohio State with a 3-1 victory on Friday despite getting outshot 25-6 in the opening period. Bemidji State also swept a ranked team, with 3-1 and 7-3 victories against 19th-ranked Air Force in the battle of the Serratore brothers.

Other noteworthy results included Rensselaer knocking off No. 16 New Hampshire 3-1, Northern Michigan topping 18th-ranked Minnesota Duluth by the same score and No. 20 Northeastern splitting (2-4 and 4-3) a series at Colorado College.

Eric Lampe and Quinnipiac began the season with an upset win

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Highlights from Last Night
Quinnipiac - which was chosen to finish eighth in the conference by ECAC coaches (and 11th by the media) - made a big opening-night statement, scoring three times in the third to rally for a 4-2 road upset of No. 17 Ohio State. Senior forward Eric Lampe had a pair of goals for the Bobcats. In the other Thursday game, sophomore defenseman Matt Irwin scored twice and junior forward James Marcou added four assists as UMass beat Rensselaer 5-2.

WEEKEND PREVIEW
A Look at the Biggest Matchups
• Thirteen of the 20 teams in the USCHO/CBS College Sports rankings begin regular-season play this weekend, including five of the top six (No. 3 Boston University has an exhibition game on Saturday before playing its opener next Friday).
• A pair of top-five teams will face big challenges immediately, as top-ranked Denver welcomes No. 14 Vermont for two games and fourth-ranked Miami will play two at home against No. 15 St. Cloud State.
• The Pioneers are No. 1 for the first time since the preseason poll of the 2005-06 season. After winning NCAA championships in both 2004 and '05, DU went on to finish 21-15-3 and miss the NCAA tournament that season.
• DU will face a Vermont team that reached the Frozen Four a season ago. UVM begins this season the same way it ended the last campaign - facing the top-ranked team in the nation. The Catamounts lost 5-4 to BU in the semis.
• Both Denver and Vermont played Calgary in exhibition play and came away with 3-2 victories. The Catamounts also lost by a 3-2 score to New Brunswick in exhibition action.
• Miami - which has the best winning percentage of any Division I team since 2005-06, at .689 - is ranked first in the USA Today/USA Hockey poll, but is fourth in the USCHO/CBS College Sports listing and was chosen to finish third in the CCHA by both the league coaches and media.
• The last time Miami and St. Cloud State played, it was a thrilling game with current senior forward Jarod Palmer netting the game-winning goal in overtime in a 2-1 decision on Dec. 29, 2007, in the Ohio Hockey Classic.
• Another interesting matchup pits the defending champions of Atlantic Hockey and College Hockey America, No. 19 Air Force and Bemidji State. Both squads put together great NCAA tournament runs last season, with Bemidji State advancing all the way to the Frozen Four and Air Force shutting out fourth-seeded Michigan in the opening round and losing in double-overtime in the quarterfinals.
• The game will feature a battle of brothers, as Air Force coach Frank Serratore is the older sibling of Bemidji State coach Tom Serratore. Tom holds an 18-4-2 edge in head-to-head coaching matchups with his brother.
• Air Force dominated Bemidji State in two games last season, winning at home by scores of 6-2 and 6-0, but the Falcons are just 1-13-2 all-time in Bemidji.
• Other intriguing matchups include No. 18 Minnesota Duluth playing host to Northern Michigan (the first team outside of the Top 20), as well as No. 20 Northeastern playing a pair at Colorado College.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top-20 and Television Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Friday, October 9
No. 11 UMass Lowell vs. St. Lawrence (Omaha, NE), 5:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Quinnipiac at No. 17 Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Clarkson at Michigan State, 7:05 p.m. - TV: Comcast Television | Live Stats
Lake Superior State at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 15 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Miami, 7;35 p.m. - Live Stats
Alabama-Huntsville at No. 5 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Merrimack at No. 6 North Dakota, 8:37 p.m. TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network & Fox College Sports Atlantic & DirecTV 617 | Live Stats
No. 19 Air Force at Bemidji State, 8:35 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Michigan vs. Alaska (Anchorage, AK), 9:07 p.m. - TV: KFXF | Live Stats
No. 14 Vermont at No. 1 Denver, 9:37 p.m. - TV: FSN Rocky Mountain | Live Stats
No. 20 Northeastern at Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
Mercyhurst at Alaska Anchorage, 12:07 a.m. - TV: GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Saturday, October 10
No. 11 UMass Lowell vs. Army or Nebraska-Omaha (Omaha, NE), 5:05 or 8:05 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 New Hampshire at Rensselaer, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Holy Cross at Providence, 7 p.m. - TV: Cox Sports | Live Stats
No. 15 St. Cloud State at No. 4 Miami, 7:05 p.m. - TV: Ohio News Network | Live Stats
Alabama-Huntsville at No. 5 Notre Dame, 7:05 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
No. 19 Air Force at Bemidji State, 8:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Alaska vs. Mercyhurst (Anchorage, AK), 8:07 p.m. - TV: KFXF | Live Stats
Merrimack at No. 6 North Dakota, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Fighting Sioux Sports Network & Fox College Sports Central & DirecTV 617 | Live Stats
Bowling Green at Minnesota State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter | Live Stats
No. 14 Vermont at No. 1 Denver, 9:07 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 20 Northeastern at Colorado College, 9:37 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Michigan at Alaska Anchorage, 11:07 p.m. - TV: GCI | Free Video | Live Stats
Sunday, October 11
Northern Michigan at No. 18 Minnesota Duluth, 7:07 p.m. - Live Stats

Joe Colborne and Denver are No. 1 for the first time in four years.

The preseason edition of the USCHO/CBS College Sports Division I Rankings. You can view it here. Here are a few notes about the poll:

• Denver is ranked first, having received 20 of the 46 first-place votes. Defending NCAA champion Boston University earned 17 first-place votes and is second, followed by a trio of teams from the CCHA: Michigan (2 first-place votes), Miami (5) and Notre Dame (2).
• Denver is ranked No. 1 in the poll for the first time since the first poll of the 2005-06 season.
• Both the WCHA and Hockey East led the way with six teams each among the top 20, while the CCHA has four, the ECAC features three and Atlantic Hockey boasts one. Top-ranked Denver leads the way for the WCHA and is followed by No. 6 North Dakota, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 13 Wisconsin, No. 15 St. Cloud State and No. 18 Minnesota Duluth. Defending NCAA champion Boston University is tops among the Hockey East schools and No. 2 overall, with No. 11 UMass Lowell, No. 12 Boston College, No. 14 Vermont, No. 16 New Hampshire and No. 20 Northeastern behind the Terriers.
• Nineteen of the 20 teams that appeared in the final poll of last season - which was released prior to the NCAA tournament - are listed in the preseason rankings. St. Cloud State is the lone new entry, at 15th, while St. Lawrence dropped out after being 15th in the March 23 edition.
• UMass Lowell moved up five spots to 11th - which marks the highest ranking for the River Hawks since Feb. 21, 2005.
• Minnesota made the largest jump since the last poll, up 10 spots to ninth.
• Vermont dropped three spots to 14th, while the other school that lost in last year's NCAA semifinals, Bemidji State, did not earn a national ranking. The Beavers are the second team listed outside of the top 20.
• Denver is not scheduled to play any of the other teams in the preseason top five during the regular season, but the Pioneers have four games against No. 6 North Dakota (Nov. 20 and 21 in Denver and Jan. 29 and 30 in Grand Forks).
• There are two huge matchups of top-five teams scheduled for later this month. BU will play host to Notre Dame on Oct. 20 and Michigan on Oct. 24.
• The three top-five teams from the CCHA, of course, have regular-season battles scheduled. Miami heads to Michigan on Nov. 6 and 7, while the Wolverines and Notre Dame play two home-and-home weekend series (Dec. 11 and 13; Feb. 25 and 27). Miami welcomes the Fighting Irish on Dec. 4 and 5.
• The USA Today/USA Hockey poll was released last week, and it featured the same teams in the top five spots - but the top four appeared in a different order. Miami was listed first and followed by Denver, Boston University, Michigan and Notre Dame. You can view the full poll here.