With nearly two whole months of the women's college hockey campaign now completed, a definitive upper crust has seemed to form, with no new teams entering NCAA Digital's Jordan Menard's latest Power 5 rankings.
Here's a look at how each team fared after completing their Week 10 slate:
1. Ohio State (Previous: 1)
After leaning on a dominant defensive effort to wrestle the top spot away from the Badgers a week prior, the Buckeyes flexed their offensive muscle in a stunning dismantling of top-10 opponent St. Lawrence. A Lauren Bernard goal saw Ohio State enter the first intermission leading 1-0, a relatively paltry effort compared to the seven (!!) goals OSU would manage in the second stanza, including a pair of 20-minute braces from Kelsey King and Makenna Webster. The Buckeyes would tack on three more in the final period, completing an 11-0 unraveling of St. Lawrence.
The following afternoon provided a cagier affair, entering the final period of play leveled at one, but crucial goals from Webster and Jennifer Gardiner fueled a four-goal third period, allowing OSU to run out as 5-1 victors.
2. Wisconsin (Previous: 3)
Recovering from their first setbacks of the season in Columbus, Wisconsin remained idle during the holiday weekend but must reset quickly before hosting a scintillating Minnesota-Duluth team entering Madison on the heels of its aforementioned series win over Colgate.
3. Minnesota (Previous: 4)
Minnesota handled its business in the nation's capital, dismissing Harvard and Cornell in comfortable fashion to claim the DI in DC tournament title. The Gophers struggled early in their opening contest, deadlocked with the pesky Crimson deep into the second period, but Ava Lindsay would restore Minnesota's advantage minutes before intermission and Abbey Murphy put the game on ice midway through the third period to clinch a 3-1 victory.
The Gophers stayed hot into the following afternoon, jumping on a strong Cornell side with two early goals and ultimately cruising to a 5-1 victory. Winners of six straight since a pair of narrow losses to the vaunted Buckeyes, Minnesota looks to build that total this weekend, hosting Bemidji State.
4. Clarkson (Previous: 5)
Holding strong as America's winningest hockey club, Clarkson took a step away from ECAC opposition and handled Syracuse comfortably in an unorthodox series sweep, powered by a dominant three-goal weekend from Anne Cherkowski.
Clarkson traveled south on Tuesday to tangle with their in-state rivals, overcoming an early deficit with a three-goal second0period barrage, before hosting the Orange, albeit unkindly, as four goals in the third period powered the Golden Knights to a gaudy 5-0 win. Another road trip beckons for Clarkson this weekend, touring the Ivy League with tilts against Dartmouth and Harvard on Friday and Saturday respectively.
5. Colgate (Previous: 2)
Losing only once on opening weekend to now-No. 1 Ohio State, the smallest of chinks have finally resurfaced in the Raider armor after two months of near flawless hockey. Colgate took a 3-0 loss to Minnesota Duluth Friday, just their third game outside the Empire State this year, likely feeling a bit slighted as the Raiders outshot their opponents 29-27 on the evening.
Duluth looked destined to complete a clean sweep the following afternoon, but Allyson Simpson's equalizer 44 seconds before full time forced overtime tied at one, where the Raiders would scrape a draw. Colgate will enjoy the weekend off before traveling to Syracuse on Dec. 5.
