The Northern Collegiate Hockey Association (NCHA) continues to assert itself as a premier conference in Division III men’s hockey, placing three teams—Adrian, St. Norbert, and Aurora—firmly in the top four of the USCHO men's poll released on December 8. This week’s rankings saw significant movement within the league’s elite, driven by key conference clashes over the weekend.

The biggest beneficiary of the week’s action was Adrian (8-2-0, 6-2-0 NCHA), which moved up one spot to claim the No. 2 position. The Bulldogs successfully navigated a tricky weekend with a road sweep of conference rival MSOE, winning 5-2 on Friday and 6-3 on Saturday. Adrian's decisive victories allowed them to leapfrog Aurora and solidify their standing just behind undefeated Hobart.

St. Norbert (9-3-1, 6-1-1 NCHA) made the most dramatic leap, climbing two places into No. 3. The Green Knights faced a tough challenge from 12th-ranked Trine, taking three out of a possible four points in the weekend series. St. Norbert secured a 4-3 overtime victory on Friday before winning in a shootout on Saturday. While a split weekend, the competitive result against a ranked team, combined with a dip from other top-ranked schools, was enough to propel St. Norbert up the poll.

Dropping two spots to No. 4 this week is Aurora (8-2-0, 6-2-0 NCHA). The Spartans suffered an unexpected conference split against Lawrence. After taking Friday’s matchup, 4-2, the Spartans fell 4-3 in Saturday’s contest.

Trine (5-3-2, 4-2-2 NCHA) fell two spots, dropping to No. 12. The Thunder earned a valuable point against No. 3 St. Norbert in their shootout loss on Saturday, recovering from a narrow 4-3 overtime loss on Friday.

USCHO Men's Poll (December 1)
2. Aurora (279 points)
3. Adrian (241 points)
5. St. Norbert (217 points)
10. Trine (102 points)

USCHO Men's Poll (November 24)
2. Aurora (268 points)
3. St. Norbert (258 points)
4. Adrian (237 points)
11. Trine (72 points)
RV MSOE (8 points)

USCHO Men's Poll (November 17)
2. Aurora (229 points - 1 first-place vote)
3. St. Norbert (261 points)
4. Adrian (242 points)
11. Trine (99 points)

USCHO Men's Poll (November 10)
2. Adrian (276 points)
3. Aurora (257 points)
4. St. Norbert (211 points)
11. Trine (95 points)

USCHO Men's Poll (November 3)
3. Adrian (252 points)
4. Aurora (237 points)
6. St. Norbert (195 points)
11. Trine (82 points)

USCHO Men's Poll (October 13)
5. St. Norbert (217 points)
6. Aurora (212 poitns)
7. Trine (173 points)
10. Adrian (119 points)