Mercyhurst College Unanimous No. 1 in USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Womens College Hockey Poll

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - Mercyhurst College, which last weekend captured the College Hockey America tournament championship with a 3-1 win against Syracuse University, heads into the NCAA tournament as the unanimous No. 1 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll. The Lakers, who improved to 29-2-3 on the season, hold the top spot for the 21st straight poll after collecting 190 points all 19 first-place votes.

2010 NCAA Tournament -
Quartefinal Round

Friday, March 12
No. 5 Cornell
at
No. 4 Harvard

Saturday, March 13
No. 8 Boston University
at
No. 1 Mercyhurst

No. 7 New Hampshire
at
No. 2 Minnesota Duluth

No. 6 Clarkson
at
No. 3 Minnesota

The University of Minnesota Duluth (171) is No. 2 after capturing the Western Collegiate Hockey Association playoff title with a 3-2 win over No. 3 University of Minnesota (152). Harvard University (127), which lost to No. 6 Clarkson University in the ECAC Hockey tournament, secures the No. 4 spot, while ECAC Hockey playoff champion Cornell University (107) rounds out the top five after defeating Rensselaer and Clarkson.

The quarterfinal round of the NCAA tournament takes place on Friday (March 12) and Saturday (March 13), with the top-eight teams from the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll all qualifying.

NOTES: Vicki Bendus (Wasaga Beach, Ont./Mercyhurst College), Kelly Paton (Woodstock, Ont./Univ. of New Hampshire) and Noora Räty (Espoo, Finland/Univ. of Minnesota) were named the top three finalists for the 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Tuesday (March 9). The award is presented annually to the top player in NCAA Division I women's ice hockey. The 2010 Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award will be presented during an award ceremony at the University of Minnesota's McNamara Alumni Center on March 20 in Minneapolis. For tickets, visit PattyKaz.com ... Hockey East boasts four ranked programs. ECAC Hockey has three ranked teams, while the Western Collegiate Hockey Association has two ranked programs. Mercyhurst is the only ranked College Hockey America team ... A total of 13 teams received votes.

ABOUT THE POLL: The 13th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine
Women's College Hockey Poll - #22
(first-place votes in parentheses)

Rank	School	Last Poll's Ranking	2009-10 Record	Weeks in Top 10
1	Mercyhurst College, 190 (19)	1	29-2-3	22
2	University of Minnesota Duluth, 171	2	28-8-2	22
3	University of Minnesota, 152	3	25-8-5	22
4	Harvard University, 127	4	20-7-5	21
5	Cornell University, 107	8	19-8-6	13
6	Clarkson University, 98	6	23-11-5	21
7	University of New Hampshire, 76	5	19-8-5	22
8	Boston University, 57	NR	17-8-12	11
9	University of Connecticut, 45	7	21-9-7	9
10	Providence College, 9	10	15-11-9	7