The Wisconsin women's hockey team moved up to the top spot in the USCHO.com rankings Monday despite their weekend off after two of the three teams ahead of them fell to lower opponents.
Now the Badgers are ranked No. 1 for the first time since the end of their national title run in 2009. For many Wisconsin players, however, the rankings at this point of the season are close to meaningless.
""That's great to see that and that's what we're striving for is to be the best, but that doesn't change anything,"" freshman goaltender Becca Ruegsegger said. ""We just have to stay focused on our goal, which is winning a national championship and being the best team we can be.""
Junior forward Hilary Knight said she had not seen the rankings, which came out just before the Badgers' practice Monday afternoon.
""That's news to me, I don't even look at the rankings,"" Knight said. ""We have a long season ahead of us.""
According to head coach Mark Johnson, that opinion is a common one for Wisconsin's players as a whole.
""I bet you 90 percent don't even know that,"" Johnson said when asked what the ranking means to his team. ""The one that matters is at the end of the year. I don't make a lot out of it, I don't imagine the players make too much out of it either.""
The Badgers were ranked No. 4 in the last USCHO.com poll, but over the weekend former No. 1 Mercyhurst split their series against Bemidji State, a team the Badgers swept Oct. 8 and 10. Meanwhile, former No. 2 Minnesota lost both of their games against North Dakota, the Sioux women's hockey program's first victories ever against the Gophers.
While Wisconsin, Minnesota and Minnesota-Duluth used to dominate the top of the standings and beat up on the other teams in the WCHA a couple of years ago, the conference is far more balanced this season. Johnson said last weekend's results are a sign of the parity in the WCHA and the strength of the conference.
""As we've always said the league is tough and this year is probably going to be the most competitive it's ever been,"" he said.
Ruegsegger agreed, saying the skill level across college hockey as a whole is far more diffuse than it was a few years ago.
""The gap between teams has decreased, every team now is a threat,"" Ruegsegger said. ""[In] women's college hockey in general everybody's getting better and the talent is wide spread.""
Wisconsin will face their toughest test of the year when Ohio State enters the Kohl Center this weekend. The Buckeyes, ranked No. 10, have risen through the WCHA ranks to claim a spot in the conference's top tier.
Knight said the Badgers have to stay hungry to keep that top ranking.
""Each game we have to go in thinking they're number one and we're number two,"" she said. ""So we definitely still have that fighting mentality.""
