Dec. 12, 2006

Colorado Springs, Colo. - Mercyhurst College received all 19 first-place votes and 190 points to claim the No. 1 ranking on the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey Poll for the third-consecutive week. The Lakers completed a sweep of College Hockey America foe Robert Morris University to retain the top spot.

The Lakers concluded the first half of the season with a 16-1-1 record and six straight wins.

The University of New Hampshire (162) leapfrogged the University of Wisconsin (158) for the No. 2 spot after both schools recorded a pair of ties over the weekend. The University of Minnesota (129) and Dartmouth College (108) rounded out the top five.

The University of Connecticut made its first appearance on the poll this season, debuting at No. 8.

The complete poll is as follows:

Team (First Place)		Record		Pts	Last Poll
1. Mercyhurst (19)		16-1-1  		190	1
2. New Hampshire       	14-2-3		162	3
3. Wisconsin		16-1-3		158	2
4. Minnesota		14-3-1		129	4
5. Dartmouth                  10-3-1              108       6
6. Harvard                    12-2-1              106       5
7. St. Lawrence	          14-5-0		77	7
8. Connecticut		11-4-1		35	NR
9. Ohio State	          11-6-1		30	10
10. Minnesota-Duluth          10-7-1              23        8

ABOUT THE POLL: The 10th 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 six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the American Hockey Coaches Association and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.