As I posted to that "other" board, but with some interest in the thread here (and with one spelling correction !): Two things overlooked in the thread on Maine's early successes: 1. These games are important for all teams when it comes to the end of season and the Tournament. Placement in the Round of 16, being "on the bubble" on selection, and even the seeding at a regional site, all are in the balance in EVERY game. The loss to Niagra for NH, ND for the Eagles or if Maine had lost to the Saints, the U-18 or the other little sisters of the poor they have had so far can come back to bite them in their RPI numbers or more arbitrarily when the selection committee is faced with a non-numbers driven seeding decision for March. 2. Placement in the polls is one of several valuable recruitment tools. You and I might believe that early season polls don't mean much, but it could to a young player who might look at the poll results as one indication of how "good" a program is. Also, you can't deny that some recruiters must use "our team is consistently in the top 10" when telling a prospect that there is a distinction between their own program and the competition. Personally, I don't want Maine as #1 either. While you wonder sometimes how the voters in the poll are thinking, you surely must be relieved that their majority vote isn't the seeding decision for the Round of 16 -- the ONLY poll that really counts.. That being previously said out on USCHO... For us, convincing wins in Maine's first two games will loom large in March on the calculation of PWR and RPI, and should factor positively in the more subjective "strength of schedule" considerations before the selection committee. Good news, especially if it means we might avoid being shipped away to an on-campus site in the Midwest or West. Dan