Another No. 2 Sweep over No. 1 Makes College Hockey Preseason Polls Look Dubious: Puck Drop

Let’s be clear, ranking teams is not easy, and will always be second-guessed. It’s even more challenging to do at the start of the college hockey season when rosters are new, transfers have contributed to a lot of turnover, and no one quite know what to expect.

But this year, one must wonder a little what the voters were thinking.

In both the preseason USCHO.com Poll and the USA Hockey Poll (conducted in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association), voters played it safe before the start of the 2026 -27 regular season by opting for the reigning champion on both the men’s and women’s side as preseason No. 1: Denver and Wisconsin.

One of the obvious reasons why is that neither team had lost yet. Some voters always feel that way, the champion is the team to beat until an opponent manages to topple them from atop the hill, and that’s how they cast their ballots.

Denver ended last season with an epic 17-game unbeaten streak that went back to January, plus it was the Pioneers’ third national title since 2022. They received 35 of 50 first-place votes in USCHO.com voting, and 29 of 34 first-place votes in the USA Hockey preseason poll.

On the women’s side, Wisconsin received 13 of 20 first-place votes in the USCHO.com rankings and 11 of 19 from USA Hockey.   

Neither made it through October without falling. Not only did both lose marquee-showdowns to the No. 2 team, Michigan and Ohio State, respectfully, but they were swept, and it really wasn’t surprising.

Starting with the men, Denver and Michigan played in the 2026 Frozen Four in Las Vegas just six months ago, and the game ended up being decided in double overtime, 4-3.

There’s obviously a lot to like about Denver, and one can’t help but respect how David Carle always has his team playing its best in the postseason. During the offseason Pioneers added outstanding defenseman Daxon Rudolph, the fourth-overall selection in the 2026 NFL Draft. He’s one of 16 players on this season’s Pioneers roster who have been drafted, although freshman defenseman Ryan Lin is the only other first-round pick.

Now consider Michigan’s roster. It’s led by juniors Michael Horcoff and Michael Hage, who were both first-round selections. The Wolverines also have 16 players who have been drafted, but 13 of them went in the first three rounds. That also doesn’t include freshman defenseman Landon Dupont, who could be first-overall pick in the 2027 NHL Draft.

Dumont’s recruiting class had six other players in it, including three first-round selections in the 2026 NHL Draft (Jack Nesbitt, Cam Reid and J.P. Hurlbert). Combined, there’s five-plus first-rounders.

So if the difference between the teams at the end of last season was one goal, and Michigan added that jaw-dropping freshman class ….

It’s a little more clearcut on the women’s side, between Wisconsin and Ohio State.

Here again the difference in the 2025-26 postseason meeting was just one goal, with the Badgers winning their second consecutive title, and fourth-straight national championship meeting with the Buckeyes, 3-2.

But then UW then had five of the of the first 11 selections in the PWHL draft, with Caroline Harvey at No. 1 overall, followed by Laila Edwards, Lacey Eden, Kirsten Simms and Vivian Jungels.

Mark Johnson is an amazing coach and recruiter, but you just don’t replace that, at least not immediately. Ohio State had some key departures as well, but not on that level.

The balloting was tighter in the preseason polls. USCHO.com went 13-7 in favor of Wisconsin over Ohio State, and USA Hockey followed suit, 11-8. However, it felt like the voters had been given the test answers beforehand and still filled in the wrong circles.  

When the eight-team Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) announced its 2026-27 Preseason Coaches Poll, the Buckeyes received six first-place votes, compared to two for the Badgers — and coaches couldn’t vote for their own schools so Ohio State was actually one vote away from being the unanimous choice as the team to beat.

Ohio State’s Joy Dunne was named WCHA Preseason Player of the Year, with seven of eight votes. She was one of three Buckeyes named to the preseason All-WCHA team along with two from UMD and one from Minnesota. Wisconsin didn’t have anyone on the first team.

Last weekend, Oct. 9-10, Ohio State swept Wisconsin. It was subsequently the unanimous choice at No. 1 in both polls. Now it’s Michigan’s turn.

Saturday night, with the puck taking some interesting bounces, No. 1 Denver got swept on its home ice by the No. 2 Wolverines. Jack Ivankovic made 33 saves. Hage had a pair of assists, and Jayden Perron (a 2023 third-round selection) scored his ninth goal of the season, which not only leads the nation but is four more than anyone else. The Pioneers put up quite a fight after falling behind 3-1, and outshot the Wolverines 36-25, only to see their banner-raising weekend completely spoiled.

But shouldn’t the Wolverines and Buckeyes already been No. 1?

Puck Drop: Sunday, October 18, 2026

• No. 9 Minnesota Duluth raised a banner in honor of Volunteer and Bulldog Hall of Famer Dale "Hoagie" Haagenson before playing No. 20 Minnesota to a 2-2 tie. Brodie Ziemer scored twice to lead UM’s comeback, but the Bulldogs outshot the Gophers 36-18 and 74-43 for the series.

• • Charles-Edward Gravel made 36 saves and Brayden Boehm scored the game-winning goal for a 2-1 victory as Niagara completed the sweep at No. 18 Bowling Green. The Falcons were coming off winning the Icebreaker Tournament.

• After shutting out St. Cloud State in the series opener, No. 16 Boston College couldn’t earn the sweep. 

• After losing the series opener at No. 3 Minnesota, women's No. 1 Ohio State jumped out to a three-goal lead, saw it vanish, and then pulled out a 6-5 victory for the weekend split. Dunne had a hat trick and helped spark the game-winning goal by Hilda Svensson. Mira Jungåker had a goal and three assists.

• Dave Fint notched career win No. 400 at Northeastern as the No. 6 Huskies capped their series with No. 4 Quinnipiac with a 5-1 victory (after tying in the opener). Junior Éloïse Caron had a goal and two assists, and Morgan Jackson had a goal and an assist. NU had a 34-29 edge in shots despite the Bobcats going 38-19 on faceoffs.

Hockey Quote of the Day

[On Brianna Decker continuing to help Team USA after suffering a major injury] “It just shows how much she means to this team, and her leadership capabilities, and how she’s able to still lead through some of the darkest times of her personal life. She’s an incredible person and an incredible player and her presence is definitely still felt and appreciated, and her leadership, it shines through each game we play.”

Kendall Coyne Schofield

We'll Leave You With This ...

This is why Ryan Leonard (Boston College) got such a big contract during the offseason.  

— The views expressed in Christopher Walsh’s opinion part of Puck Drop are his own and do not necessarily reflect ON SI, Sports Illustrated or digital partner Minute.   

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