You know the drill: if I see them, I rank them

1. Miami - The RedHawks got a couple of stern tests in the Ohio Hockey Classic, but came out on top. Jeff Zatkoff has been as consistent in net as any goaltender in the country, and stood tall for Miami in two tight games this weekend. There's no real glaring weakness to this team, and now that they've beaten a good WCHA opponent, more respect may be on the way from those who still doubt Rico Blasi's team.

2. Denver - First of all, kudos to Denver for inviting Sacred Heart out to the Denver Cup and giving me endless amusement over the matchup between the Pioneers and the Pioneers. Second, that's a good tournament win for Denver, with Rhett Rakhshani and Tyler Ruegsegger over in the Czech Republic at the World Junior Championship. Dartmouth is a competitive team with some good talent led by J.T. Wyman, and to take down a team like that without your two best forwards is very, very impressive. The balance of this team is as good as any in the country.

3. Michigan - You know that scene in Happy Gilmore where Adam Sandler makes a putt at the tour championship and says, "Happy learned how to putt...UH OH," to a stunned Shooter McGavin? That's the image that comes to mind thinking about what Billy Sauer has done in the first half of the season, especially at the Great Lakes Invitational. Sauer enters 2008 ranked seventh in the country in goals-against average and 11th in save percentage. That's one more veteran stepping up for this young Michigan team, along with Kevin Porter and Chad Kolarik. It remains to be seen how the Wolverines hold up in the second half, as many young players have been known to hit the wall later on in the season.

4. Notre Dame - The Fighting Irish weren't able to defend their Lightning College Hockey Classic title, but the more important title defenses are yet to come in the second half of the season. Notre Dame's penalty kill took a while to get back in form after the holiday break, but improved in the consolation game against RPI. The line of Kevin Deeth, Ryan Thang and Erik Condra may be the best in the country - although Ryan Jones' line at Miami is also a contender for that honor, as is the Duncan-Oshie line at North Dakota - and the play of Notre Dame's second and third lines has allowed Jeff Jackson to keep that group together. The defensive corps is young but very capable, and while Jordan Pearce isn't quite David Brown in the Irish net, he gives them a chance more often than not, and we'll also see some more of freshman Brad Phillips in the second half.

5. Colorado College - I know it's a bit odd to be putting the Tigers in ahead of the UMass team that beat them Sunday night, but there's two things going on here. First of all, the Tigers played that game without No. 2 scorer Billy Sweatt and top goaltender Richard Bachman, and it was still an overtime game. Second, the reason I only rank teams I've seen in person is not so I can judge them on their results when I'm watching, but so that I can put their seasons in context, and see what kind of teams are getting those results. In the case of the Tigers, this is a team that's gotten excellent goaltending from Bachman, nice performance from a no-name defensive corps, and has some really nice players up front in Chad Rau, Sweatt, and Eric Walsky, the latter having looked incredible in Tampa despite a wrist injury that would have kept him out if not for Chad Rau's suspension. The Tigers are for real.

6. North Dakota - It's a real shame the Sioux didn't play in a holiday tournament this year, because it'd be interesting to see if they could sweep a weekend against two different opponents, since playing the same one seems to give them trouble. North Dakota is a real Jekyll-and-Hyde team right now, and with the kinds of teams the Sioux play, if you show your Hyde, you get it tanned. When the right North Dakota team shows up, Dave Hakstol's team can play with anyone in the country. The right team has tended to show up more in the second half during Hakstol's tenure. We'll see if that holds in 2008.

7. Boston College - The big Eagle turnaround seems to be coming earlier and earlier every year. The Eagles enter 2008 as winners of five straight, although only one team, Harvard was ranked. Still, it appears that Nathan Gerbe is trying to put himself in the Hobey Baker race by sheer force of will - he's now the nation's leader in scoring average - and Joe Whitney and Ben Smith give the Eagles two more major threats. The defensive corps is solid, and it's really looking like BC is going to be a team to watch in the second half. And oh yeah, Brock Bradford is on his way back, too.

8. UMass - On behalf of the entire working media that covered the Lightning College Hockey Classic, I'd like to apologize to James Marcou for not voting him to the All-Tournament Team. There was a lot of forehead-slapping as we all walked out of the building Sunday night. In all seriousness, though, it's strangely appropriate that no UMass player made the All-Tournament Team despite the Minutemen's championship, because it's emblematic of the way the Minutemen win: as a team. There are a lot of different ways UMass can hurt you offensively, they play good team defense for the most part, and Paul Dainton has stepped right in as a freshman and given UMass a chance to win, night in and night out.

9. Northeastern - The Huskies bring home the first hardware of the Greg Cronin era after winning the Badger Hockey Showdown, an important step for the up-and-comers from Huntington Avenue. Of course, the real in-season hardware comes later. This is a team that finds ways to win, with strong goaltending and balanced offense. The question, of course, is whether they'll be able to keep it up in the second half.

10. St. Cloud - The other Huskies went 1-1 at the Ohio Hockey Classic, as Ryan Lasch got a hat trick that included two goals against one of the top goaltenders from the first half of the season in Harvard's Kyle Richter. It's also impressive that St. Cloud was able to stand up against the best team in the country and really give them all they could handle. This team has as good a chance as any to break out of the WCHA pack in the second half of the season.

11. Clarkson - It's hard to get a read on the Golden Knights from their first-round loss to Maine at the Florida College Classic because of the team-imposed suspensions that knocked the team down to three lines. To play as well as Clarkson did with three lines coming off of the holiday break is certainly to be commended.

12. Minnesota - I would like to remind everybody that I suggested the possibility of the Gophers losing to RIT in the First Half Wrap-Up chat on Tuesday "@ the Rink," except that I forfeited my right to say, "I told you so," because I took back the prediction after Garth Snow "challenged the Chiefs" after signing Kyle Okposo and making decidedly unflattering remarks about the Minnesota program. All of that said, there are certainly a lot of people enjoying the Gophers' struggles right now, but the WCHA is wide open after those top two spots. Mike Carman's return will be a major boost for the Gophers, but this team needs to come together quickly.

13. UMass Lowell - How wonderful it is to be alive. The River Hawks, young though they may be, are a legit contender in Hockey East. Nevin Hamilton and Carter Hutton provide stability in net, and there's a nice young nucleus up front led by Chris Auger, Kory Falite and Mark Roebothan . What impressed me about Lowell in my first viewing was the way the young River Hawks were able to dig in and come back in the third period against a Cornell team that has a history of not choking away third-period leads.

14. Rensselaer - Complain all you want about lack of killer instinct, but Seth Appert's going to do it at RPI. The Engineers can play with the best teams in the country, and for the second season of the Appert era, with a defensive corps made up entirely of freshmen and sophomores, there's a lot to be said for that. Look for a strong second half in ECAC Hockey play. In the meantime, 'tis better to have led and lost than never to have led at all...or something like that.

15. Harvard - With losses to RPI, Boston College, Ohio State and St. Cloud, the Crimson's strong start is looking more and more as if it was done with smoke and mirrors. Kyle Richter needs a lot more help than he's getting if Harvard is going to continue to succeed in ECAC Hockey play.

And the rest...

16. Alaska-Anchorage - It's back-to-back Governor's Cups for Dave Shyiak after taking over the UAA program, and that's something that will go quite a ways in Anchorage.

17. Cornell - The Big Red displayed a very un-Cornellian lack of killer instinct in Estero against UMass-Lowell. There's talent here, but they still haven't put it together.

18. Quinnipiac - Big win for the denizens of TD Banknorth Sports Center at the Sheraton/TD Banknorth Catamount Cup, as they keep it in the sponsorship family.

19. Dartmouth - The Big Green enter 2008 at an even .500 after a very respectable split at the Denver Cup.

20. Maine - Ben Bishop gives the Black Bears a chance to win most nights, but there are certainly exceptions...not to mention the nights when the team in front of him can't make good on those chances.

21. RIT - Say what you will about Minnesota's struggles, but the Tigers' win is a landmark for the program.

22. Boston University - Welcome back to the suspended four with a nice win over a Merrimack team that's been competitive this year.

23. Yale - Love the old-school natural hat trick by Broc Little to beat UNO.

24. Princeton - The Tigers topped UNO as well.

25. Colgate - Nice tie against Wisconsin as part of a strong showing at the Badger Showdown.

26. Nebraska-Omaha - The defensive issues are looking worse and worse, despite Bryan Marshall emerging as one of the nation's top scorers.

27. St. Lawrence - The Saints will look for the big second half run, and it's possible in ECAC Hockey.

28. Union - The Dutchmen got a little seasoning up in Canada. We'll see how it helps them in the conference-heavy second half.

29. Brown - The Bears still can't put a notch in the win column. Maybe their home-heavy second half will help.

30. American International - The Yellow Jackets have been a bit of a surprise this season.

31. Alabama-Huntsville - The one team to play during the rankings' week off didn't help its cause against Robert Morris.