Eight New England Colleges Rank in Top 20 Men’s Hockey Programs in the Country

Something about New England that we can all agree upon is that we love our hockey.

According to one WalletHub article, Boston, Massachusetts, is the best hockey town in the country. This is based on NHL fan engagement, professional team success, NCAA season ticket holders, etc.

Granted, hockey in New England is rather large because of our weather. A Bleacher Report article identified the three worst hockey markets in Anaheim, California, Phoenix, Arizona, and Miami, Florida.

Think about it. Even if you didn't grow up playing organized hockey in New England, you probably played pond hockey, or have at least skated on a frozen pond once in your life. OR AT LEAST been to a Boston Bruins game...

But in New England, we have more than just the Boston Bruins. We have a plethora of NCAA Division I hockey teams that dominate, and the official NCAA (week 4) Men's College Hockey Power Rankings were just posted.

New England teams owned this list.

Massachusetts had four colleges listed in the top 20 collegiate hockey programs in the United States: Boston College came in at #1, Boston University #9, Umass Amherst #18, and Harvard #19.

New Hampshire had one team in the top 20 power rankings: the University of New Hampshire at #15.

Maine was ranked in the top 20, too, with the University of Maine at #20.

Quinnipiac was ranked at #8 for a Connecticut representation.

And even Rhode Island made the list, with Providence coming in the top 10 at #9.

We always give love to our favorite NHL team, the Boston Bruins. However, I think we take for granted how many of those players come from New England schools.

Jeremy Swayman played for UMaine. Kevin Shattenkirk played for BU. Charlie Coyle played for BU. James van Riemsdyk played for UNH. Matt Grzelcyk played for BU, AND our favorite defenseman, Charlie McAvoy, played for BU.

There are also 10 players playing for the Bruins in the minors, who came from New England colleges.

The bottom line? New England college hockey is stacked. Let's support our boys. They may be in the black and gold soon.