December Power Rankings
By: Russ Eddins @EddinsRuss
College Hockey South announces December Power Rankings.
Division 1 Power Rankings
The University of South Carolina moved up one spot to third in CHS D1. South Carolina went undefeated since the last power rankings. They were 5-0, including three wins over in-state opponents and a dominant sweep of Auburn.
The Gamecocks also rose to fifth (that is the second best out of the CHS D1 teams) in MyHockeyRankings.
Despite the University of Georgia losing a game in November against the University of Tennessee D2, they remained second in the power rankings. Georgia would rebound after that loss to beat the Ice Vols 3-0.
The University of Alabama moved down one spot to fourth. Alabama also went undefeated in November, winning the Veterans Cup, but only had two games.
They had to go to overtime to beat the University of Alabama-Huntsville D2 3-2. They also beat Auburn 1-0. Auburn outshot the Tide in that game 30 to 29.
Alabama is two spots ahead of Auburn in MyHockeyRankings. The top four teams, according to MyHockeyRankings, in CHS D1 move on to the CHS conference playoffs.
It is also worth noting that the University of Tampa D1 moved up to the number one spot in MyHockeyRankings.
Division 2 Power Rankings
Florida Atlantic University remains on top of the CHS D2 after going 4-0 and winning the Battle at the Beach tournament. They are also number one in the D2 MyHockeyRankings.
Tennessee moved up four spots to second. Since the last power rankings, the Ice Vols have gone 6-1. Their lone loss came against Georgia D1.
Their most significant wins came against the University of Alabama-Huntsville, who is third in CHS D2 North, and Georgia D1.
Despite going 2-4 since the last rankings, Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University and Vanderbilt University moved up three spots.
ERAU beat the University of Central Florida (third in points in CHS D2 South) 4-1 and Lynn University 9-1. Vanderbilt's wins came against Lynn and the University of Mississippi.
Lynn went 2-2 and moved up two spots, while Georgia Tech has not won a game since October and fell four spots.
Ole Miss fell three spots after going 1-5. Their lone win was their last game of the semester, so they have some momentum going into the break.
The top four teams from the North Division and the top four teams from the South Division will advance to the CHS D2 Playoffs in Huntsville, AL, February 16-18, 2024.
Division 3 Power Rankings
The University of Miami claims the number on spot in the CHS D3 Power Rankings. Miami also moved up to the number one spot in MyHockeyRankings.
Miami went 5-1 with key victories over Florida Southern College and Florida State University. They also had a 21-0 win over non-conference opponent Saint Leo University.
Kennesaw State University also moved up three spots after going went 4-0. They swept ERAU D3 and Tennessee D3.
Alabama D3 tumbled down four spots. Alabama only had two games, losing both to Tennessee D3 at home.
Game one was 7-2, while game two went to overtime and ended with a Tennessee last second goal 5-4.
Florida State University fell three spots. Like Alabama, FSU only played two games and lost both. Miami swept them on the road.
The D3 Playoffs will be held in Lakeland, FL, February 23-25, 2024, at the Lakeland Ice Arena. The top 8 D3 teams based on win percentage within the D3 scheduled games will advance to the conference playoffs.
Women's Division Power Rankings
The University of Tampa Women's team continues to lead the way despite not playing any games in the month of November and December.
The University of Miami went up two spots after dominating the University of South Florida 11-0 in back-to-back games.
South Carolina rose two spots. The Gamecocks won their only conference game in November 11-2 against Georgia. It was their first divisional game in program history.
Despite mauling Auburn 10-3 in early November, the 11-2 loss to South Carolina made the Ice Dawgs drop two spots.
All six teams will advance to the first ever CHS Women's Division conference championship in Clarksville, TN, February 9-11, 2024. Seeding will be based on points earned against one another.
ABOUT College Hockey South: Founded in 2008, College Hockey South is a 25-school, 38 team intercollegiate hockey conference spanning seven southeastern U.S. states that competes in AAU College Hockey. College Hockey South is a 501(c)3 not for profit organization.