The American Collegiate Hockey Association released the regional rankings for men’s Division II clubs Nov. 10, naming Indiana as the No. 1 team in the Southeast.
The rankings take all games from the start of the season through Nov. 5 into account. Indiana’s record has stood at 14-2 since Oct. 28, when the club last played.
The Southeast rankings are composed of the top 20 club teams, including the University of Kentucky, the University of Louisville and the University of Michigan, whose clubs ranked third, tenth and eleventh respectively.
Indiana also ranks third in the nation for wins, behind only University of Saint Thomas in first at 12-0 and Lindenwood University second with a 13-2 record.
The work isn’t finished, but we are proud of our start! The Hoosiers rank #1 in a tough Southeast Region and #3 nationally in the first ACHA D2 Rankings #ONEmore #ONEgoal pic.twitter.com/tWkAuIGmFV
— Hockey at Indiana University (@Hockey_IU) November 11, 2023
Indiana has only lost two games this season so far. Bowling Green State University beat the Hoosiers in the latter’s first game of the season Sept. 15. The Hoosiers suffered their second loss against University of Louisville after an eight-game winning streak Oct. 13.
“I think our success comes from the experience we are gaining,” junior forward Drew Micheli said. “That comes with our work ethic. We practice really hard. We only practice twice a week, so we have to take advantage of the practices we have.”
At this time last season, the Hoosiers ranked fifth in the region with a record of 8-7. The club went on to secure a Tri-State Collegiate Hockey League championship title and made it to quarterfinals at the ACHA National Championship.
This season, the club aspires to remain on top of the region in order to bypass regionals and automatically qualify for nationals.
The Hoosiers will play again this weekend, Nov. 17 and 18, against DePaul University at Johnny’s Icehouse in Chicago. It will be their first game of November as the Nov. 10 and 11 games against Xavier University were postponed due to Xavier lacking enough players to field a team.
Follow reporter Molly Gregory (@mollygregory22) for updates throughout the Indiana club hockey season.
