Although there weren’t many upsets in the Division II world this week, we saw the game of the season so far. No. 1 Le Moyne has had its share of close calls, but none tighter than its battle with Merrimack on Saturday.
Le Moyne took an 8-4 halftime lead, but Merrimack answered with six straight goals out of the break. The teams ended up going to overtime tied at 11, but one overtime period wasn’t enough.
Josh Slowinski scored with one second left in double overtime to give the Dolphins the win and preserve the undefeated season. It’s another classic Le Moyne-Merrimack game, but it again shows that the top teams in Division II will be tested all season long.
No drastic changes in this week’s rankings.
March 20, 2017 |
W/L |
Prev |
Next |
|
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Le Moyne | 6-0 | 1 | 3/25 at Southern New Hampshire |
| 2 | Limestone | 7-0 | 2 | 3/25 vs. Lindenwood |
| 3 | Lindenwood | 6-1 | 4 | 3/25 vs. Limestone |
| 4 | Merrimack | 3-1 | 3 | 3/25 vs. Pace |
| 5 | Mercyhurst | 5-1 | 5 | 3/25 at Seton Hill |
| 6 | Belmont Abbey | 6-1 | 6 | 3/22 at Wingate |
| 7 | Pace | 4-0 | 7 | 3/25 at Merrimack |
| 8 | NYIT | 5-1 | 8 | 3/22 at Roberts Wesleyan |
| 9 | Adelphi | 5-1 | 9 | 3/25 at Saint Michael's |
| 10 | Lenoir-Rhyne | 6-1 | 11 | 3/18 at Belmont Abbey |
| 11 | Seton Hill | 3-2 | 12 | 3/14 at Young Harris |
| 12 | Saint Leo | 7-1 | 13 | 3/18 vs. Lynn |
| 13 | Tampa | 6-3 | 14 | 3/14 at Alabama-Huntsville |
| 14 | Mount Olive | 5-2 | 10 | 3/14 vs. Westminster |
| 15 | Colorado Mesa | 6-1 | 18 | 3/22 at Tampa |
| 16 | Queens (N.C.) | 5-2 | 16 | 3/25 at Lincoln Memorial |
| 17 | Mercy | 5-2 | 17 | 3/25 at Roberts Wesleyan |
| 18 | Lynn | 3-3 | 15 | 3/20 at Walsh |
| 19 | Saint Anselm | 2-1 | 20 | 3/25 vs. Saint Rose |
| 20 | Bentley | 2-1 | N/A | 3/3/25 at Assumption |
ALSO CONSIDERED: MOLLOY, WINGATE, LAKE ERIE, CHESTNUT HILL, FLORIDA SOUTHERN, LIU POST, ROLLINS, FLORIDA TECH
HOT
Colorado Mesa (+3)
Colorado Mesa had itself a pretty good spring trip to Florida. During the week, the Mavericks beat Rollins 13-9 and Florida Southern 10-9. Neither team is ranked at the moment, but both are quality Division II programs that Colorado Mesa doesn’t often get the chance to face in conference play. It was an impressive showing.
NOT
Mount Olive (-4)
Mount Olive started the season well, beating Mercyhurst en route to a 4-0 record. However, a loss to Lake Erie, and a 16-4 blowout against Belmont Abbey this weekend, has put a halt to any momentum the Trojans had. Luckily, the schedule gets a little easier for the next few weeks.
Lynn (-3)
Lynn, another team that came out of the gates strong, has now lost three straight games. First it was Wingate, then No. 2 Limestone, and now No. 11 Seton Hill got the best of the Fighting Knights.
NEW
Bentley
Bentley hasn’t necessarily done anything impressive this season, but it has avoided two upsets early on. The lone blemish on the Falcons’ record is a 13-9 loss to NYIT, which doesn’t hurt them all too much. As has been the case with the end of the Top 20, teams are playing their way out of the rankings more than others are playing into them.
OUT
Lake Erie
It was tough to expect Lake Erie to beat Limestone this weekend, but the nine-goal loss doesn’t look great on its resume. Neither does a 1-3 record to start the season. There’s still time for the Storm to prove they’re an elite team, but for right now, they’ll sit outside of the Top 20.