November 2, 2026 USCHO Top Ten Poll Breakdown

Week five of the 2026-27 NCAA Hockey Season saw another No. 1 go down on the road and a few teams cruise through their respective competition. The teams have stayed the same, but the order has changed. Let's see how the top ten looks entering November.

Wisconsin trounced Notre Dame in a pair of home games this weekend. The Badgers outscored the Fighting Irish by a combined margin of 16-2. Throughout the contentious weekend, 11 misconducts and 204 penalty minutes were dished out. Bruno Idzan racked up a hat trick plus an assist for a four point Saturday.  Next up for Wisconsin are two games in the Twin Cities against Minnesota.

Michigan was nearly swept by unranked Ohio State in Columbus this weekend. Following a 5-2 Buckeye win on Saturday, Michigan eked out a 5-4 victory in overtime on Sunday courtesy of Adam Valentini. Michael Hage's five point (1 goal + 4 assist) start to the week made the difference, including having the primary helper on Valentini's game winner. The Wolverines have this week off before clashing with Penn State on Nov. 13

Michigan State was victorious over North Dakota in the 2026 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game at H-E-B Center. Anthony Romani's two goals were the difference in the Spartans' 5-3 win. Chase Reid's two helpers supplied Cayden Lindstrom and one of Romani's tallies. Boston University travels to East Lansing for two upcoming matches.

Denver handled Omaha well, sweeping the Mavericks a a mile high. Jack Pridham opened the scoring on Friday with his first collegiate goal, while Kristian Epperson had a 3 point (2 goals + 1 assist) weekend). Goaltender Johnny Hicks was sharp as normal between the pipes, stopping 44 of 46 Omaha shots on goal. The Pioneers head west this week to take on Arizona State in Tempe.

Western Michigan rolled through Long Island University in a Thursday/Friday set. William Whitelaw and Joona Väisänen ran the offense. Whitelaw had a monster five point (4 goal + 1 assist) Friday. In the same game Väisänen scored a hat trick and notched an assist. Goaltender Quentin Miller made 28 saves on the Sharks' shots. The Broncos gallop to Grand Forks for two tangoes with the Fighting Hawks. beginning Friday.

Duluth split their road trip in Colorado against the Tigers. Carl Axelsson turned away all 20 shots on goal for a third shutout in his already marvelous freshman year. Ty Hanson recorded the game's only marker from Jason Shaugabay and Hunter Anderson. The Bulldogs came up short the ensuing evening 5-3. Callum Arnott, Carter Murphy and Zam Plante were the goal scorers during the loss. Miami University comes to Duluth for the Bulldogs' next slate of matches.

Quinnipiac responded to their Army loss in a major way, beating No. 5 Providence. Andon Cerbone won the day for the Bobacts via his hat trick while Andrew Strathmann delivered two assists on the evening. Christian Kirsch denied all but one of the 30 Friar shots on goal. The Bobcats venture north to entertain Cornell and Colgate coming up this weekend.

Augustana was on the right side of a mismatch with Northern Michigan this weekend, especially on Friday. The Vikings rolled through the Wildcats 12-0 and 4-1 Sioux Falls with seven Augustana players having two goals or more. In goal, Mathis Langevin batted aside 38 of 39 shots. Augustana arrives in Houghton, MI on Friday for a two game set with Michigan Tech.

Providence was handed their first loss of the season at the hands of a resurgent Quinnipiac. Andrew Centrella had the Friars' lone goal in the 5-1 defeat. UConn is Providence's next dance partner in a home and home starting Thursday. 

After two straight shutouts, Caleb Heil was beaten for the first time. North Dakota finished two goals behind Michigan State for a 5-3 final in the 2026 U.S. Hockey Hall of Fame Game. Cooper Simpson scored two of the three Fighting Hawk tallies with Will Zellers getting the other. The Fighting Hawks next welcome Western Michigan to town for a pair of battles.