Rhode Island Top 10
| Rank | Team | W | L | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | LaSalle | 1 | 16 | 0 | 0 |
| 2 | Bishop Hendricken | 4 | 8 | 8 | 1 |
| 3 | Mount St. Charles | 3 | 10 | 6 | 4 |
| 4 | Cumberland | 2 | 8 | 0 | 2 |
| 5 | South Kingstown | 5 | 9 | 1 | 0 |
| 6 | Smithfield | 6 | 6 | 8 | 1 |
| 7 | RMR | NR | 6 | 4 | 1 |
| 8 | Lincoln | 7 | 10 | 2 | 0 |
| 9 | Burrillville | 8 | 4 | 5 | 1 |
| 10 | Barrington | 9 | 7 | 6 | 2 |
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Can you say dominant? LaSalle can. The state’s undeniable No. 1 picked up another four wins to run its record to 16-0-0. The Rams topped Prout/Scituate, 7-1, Mount Saint Charles, 3-1, Greenwich, CT, 2-0, and Darien, CT, 3-2, in OT in a classic game Sunday.
No. 2 Bishop Hendricken climbs a spot with a 4-1 win over Burrillville. It also beat Prout/Scituate, 9-1 and earned three points against Darien, CT (3-2 win) and Greenwich, CT (2-2- tie). Vaulting Hendricken over a team that beat it – Mount St. Charles 5-4 on Jan. 18 – is open to debate, but Hendricken is 5-1-1 in its last seven.
No. 3 Mount St. Charles, meanwhile, saw its six-game winning streak come to end at the hands of the state’s #1. The Mounties did bounce back, though, with a solid 7-2 win over last week’s #9 Barrington. Winners of seven of out of their last eight, the Mounties are surging at the right time. We’re not going to penalize them all that much for losing to LaSalle.
Unbeaten No. 4 Cumberland had a couple of interesting results this past week, tying twice to pick up only two points in 2-2 deadlocks with East Greenwich and RMR. Not monumental outcomes – RMR has a winning record at 6-4-1 and East Greenwich is a tough out at 7-7-2 – but enough to drop Cumberland two spots in the pecking order. Portsmouth and PCD/St. Rays/Wheeler are each on the schedule soon for Cumberland, so it’s not an easy road.
No. 5 South Kingstown had a nice response after losing its first of the season to new poll entrant Rogers/Middletown/Rocky Hill. It beat Coventry, 4-3.
No. 6 Smithfield kept its nice momentum going. It’s 2-0-1 in its last three. Smithfield beat Prout/Scituate, 3-1, and tied Moses Brown in a scoreless affair.
If there’s any team that deserves to go from unranked to a spot in the middle of the poll it’s No. 7 Rogers/Middletown/Rocky Hill. The Division 2 team lost three in a row to start January but hasn’t had a setback since. It’s 4-0-1 in its last five, including wins over South Kingstown (3-2), Cranston West (5-3) and a tie with Cumberland (2-2).
No. 8 Lincoln hasn’t slowed down. The Lions are on a four-game win streak, beating Ponaganset, 9-1, and Toll Gate, 5-2, this past week.
No. 9 Burrillville and No. 10 Barrington occupy the last two spots. We’re giving the nod to Burrillville, which beat Barrington, 2-1, Jan. 24, avenging a loss to Barrington by the same score Dec. 21.
