Dec. 31, 2007

AMHERST, Mass. - After three straight wins over top-10 ranked teams and a 5-1-1 record against ranked opponents, the UMass hockey team (9-3-5) has been ranked No. 5 nationally in the USCHO.com Top-20 Poll which was released on Monday. This is the highest ranking ever for the Mass Attack which is coming off wins over No. 4 Colorado College and No. 6 Notre Dame at the Lightning College Hockey Classic this weekend.

The highest previous national ranking held by the Minutemen was No. 7 overall in the final week of November 2003.

UMass entered the weekend as the No. 9 team in both the USA Today/USA Hockey Poll and the USCHO/CSTV.com Poll. The Minutemen have either been ranked or receiving votes in one or both polls every week this season.

The USA Today poll was not released on Monday, but the Minutemen are expected to climb in that poll as well.

In the last five games, UMass holds a 4-0-1 record and have lost just one game in the last 12 outings. At the Mullins Center, UMass is also unbeaten this year at 4-0-3 and is riding a 13-game unbeaten home streak going back to last season.