Hockey: How long can Top 10 voters keep Nipissing at bay?

The question with the Nipissing Lakers is how can a first-year team crack the Top 10 poll, if there's supposed to be so much depth in CIS men's hockey?

The expansion Lakers (7-4, 5-1-1 OUA East), have a shot at being ranked after running their win streak to five games last weekend, despite the loss of captain Matt Lahey to a broken hand. It's a good question to ask as voters, yours truly included, deliberate over the final spots on their ballots.

The rub with Nip U is questions about strength-of-schedule. Their seven wins are over:
  • Concordia, twice (0-9)
  • Ottawa (3-7-0)
  • Toronto, twice (4-6-1)
  • Ryerson (1-10-0)
  • York (3-7-1)
There are probably about seven teams who are an easy tap-in to be ranked. Those 8-10 slots are tricky.
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8 comments:

  1. I'm sorry, but as much as I love how they seem to be doing everything right, Nip U has only played one ranked opponent, over-ranked UQTR (with an equally soft schedule to date) who beat them 8-3.

    Until they play and beat a national caliber OUA team, they won't be getting a vote from me. There are too many good AUS, CanWest and yes, other OUA teams, that I run out of fingers before I get to Nipissing.

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  2. Me too — and I have six fingers on each hand like former major-league closer Antonio Alfonseca.

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  3. if they win 8 games in a row they should get a spot. there that was easy

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  4. yeah why not, they have outskated the other team pretty much every time ive seen them except the first game they lost in OT, so if they keep going the way they are going its only a matter of time before they get up there

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  5. So what if they're not in the top 10 - they entertain their fans - that's what counts.

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  6. Apparently not long at all..Nipissing is in this weeks top 10

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