I guess maybe the Irish Hockey coach knows what he's doing. Not a big fan of hockey, but I could help but notice that the Irish are on top of the CCHA and #1 in the Hockey poll. I looked at the poll and North Dakota isn't in the top 20, I thought they were a perennial powerhouse. What happened to them?
Notre Dame is an awfully good team. The WCHA (the conference that North Dakota is in) is usually quite competitive and the difference from top to bottom isn't that great. UMD and North Dakota are both in the 'others receiving votes' just out of the top 20. It's still a little early so we'll see who makes it out of the conference tourney and into the big dance. North Dakota just blasted Harvard a little while ago. They also bested St Cloud State... Being a tourney sport, it's all about how you develop and finish. That being said, the Irish look to be in it for the long haul.