The ACHA has released the third of four D3 rankings which finds Alabama and Arkansas solidly positioned in the South (Alabama) and Pacific (Arkansas) Regions as their Region’s  #2 teams. The Final Rankings will be posted a week after next month’s SECHC Playoffs. The two teams ranked #1 and #2 in each of the four Regions receive an automatic bid to Nationals (hosted by Alabama & the City of Pelham) and do not have to compete at Regionals.  Teams ranked #3 to #10 will compete at Regionals; the two teams winning two games at Regionals advance to Nationals.

The Frozen Tide received 3 of 8 first place votes and are a solid second place trailing only Florida Gulf Coast University and clearly ahead of 3^rd place Central Florida. The South Region’s 3^rd rankings also have South Carolina ranked #6 and surging Vanderbilt ranked #9 with Ole Miss dropping #11, but in the hunt to qualify for Regionals. The Final Rankings will be posted on February 13^th. The South Regional’s will take place 20-21 February in Orlando, FL. Nationals will take place 10-14 March in Pelham, AL

The Arkansas Ice Hogs, who recently announced a move to ACHA D1 starting in the 2015-16 season are once again ranked #2 in the Pacific Region.  Arkansas received 3 of 9 first place votes from the Pacific Region’s rankings committee and are on the heels of 1^st place Colorado State.  The SECHC Playoffs scheduled for 6-8 February in Pelham, AL will play a major role in the Final Rankings because our Playoff games will count towards the Final Rankings. This is an exciting time for the SECHC, our fans, players, parents, coaches, alumni and everyone who follows college hockey in the south. Best of luck to all our teams as they make the final push for the SECHC Playoffs and to qualify for Regionals…or for the all-important auto bid to Nationals! See Rankings below, like golf, the lower the score the better.

Unlike Football, you can’t deflate our pucks and You Can’t Step Out of Bounds in Hockey!

Pacific Region

Rank          Team                                              Pts.

1.                 Colorado State                                11

2.                Arkansas                                            13

3.                Metro State                                       19

4.                Northern Colorado                        28

5.                Northern Arizona                          36

6.                Marquette                                         44

7.                Iowa State                                         53

8.                Nebraska                                            63

9.                Missouri State                                  65

10.             Robert Morris Univ. – White      70

11.              New Mexico                                      84

12.              Santa Rosa – JC                                88

13.              Aurora – Blue                                   92

14.              Air Force                                           100

15.              Loyola – Chicago                            103