RoughRiders remain atop USHL power rankings

The Cedar Rapids RoughRiders are number one in January's United States Hockey League power rankings, it was announced Thursday.

The power rankings are presented by USA Hockey Magazine and compiled via a vote of sportswriters who cover the UHSL, including The Gazette's Jeff Johnson.

The RoughRiders take a 22-8-0 record into their weekend home series with the United States National Team Development Program's U-16 team. They received nine of 10 first-place votes, the exception going to the Omaha Lancers.

Sioux City and Dubuque remain second and third in this month's power rankings. Omaha made the biggest jump, from 10th to fourth.

Here are the entire rankings:

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USHL POWER RANKINGS

(Presented by USA Hockey Magazine)

The January USHL Power Rankings presented by USA Hockey Magazine, as selected by a panel of 11 media members from around the league, with record and first-place votes in parentheses:

1. Cedar Rapids RoughRiders (22-8-0) (9 1st-place votes) Last poll: 1

2. Sioux City Musketeers (18-9-3) Last poll: 2

3. Dubuque Fighting Saints (19-7-2) Last poll: 3

4. Omaha Lancers (16-8-4) (2 1st-place votes) Last poll: 10

5. Muskegon Lumberjacks (18-9-3) Last poll: 4

6. Youngstown Phantoms (15-9-5) Last poll: 5

7. Sioux Falls Stampede (15-12-3) Last poll: 12

8. Des Moines Buccaneers (15-11-4) Last poll: 6

9. Tri-City Storm (14-10-5) Last poll: 7

10. Madison Capitols (14-10-4) Last poll: 11

11. Fargo Force (13-12-4) Last poll: 9

12. Chicago Steel (13-14-2) Last poll: 8

13. Green Bay Gamblers (13-13-4) Last poll: 13

14. Bloomington Thunder (11-13-5) Last poll: 14

15. Lincoln Stars (10-13-4) Last poll: 15

16. USA NTDP (9-14-0) Last poll: 16.

17. Waterloo Black Hawks (9-17-3) Last poll: 17