The University of Massachusetts hockey team's third straight win to open the year was enough to earn the Minutemen their first ranking of the season on Monday.

UMass (3-0, 2-0 Hockey East) entered the U.S. College Hockey Online's top 20 poll at No. 17.

This is the first time that the Minutemen were ranked since last November.

UMass is one of five Hockey East teams in the rankings led by No. 4 Boston University, which remained near the top of the poll despite a 1-2 record. UMass-Lowell was next at No. 9, one spot ahead of Vermont.

Boston College moved up a spot to No. 13 after beating then-No. 10 Notre Dame 3-2 on Friday.

In addition to their Hockey East foes, the Minutemen face two other teams ranked in the poll, with both games coming this month. UMass is at No. 7 Yale on Nov. 19 and No. 18 Quinnipiac on Nov. 28.

UMass is one of seven undefeated teams in the country, among those which have played. Of those seven, only the Minutemen, Quinnipiac and Western Michigan do not have a tie.

UMass is off to its best start since going 4-0 in 2003-04.

Coincidentally, Providence, which hosts UMass at 7 p.m. Friday, snapped that streak. The Minutemen play the Friars at the Mullins center at 7 p.m. Saturday.

The Minutemen are also off to their best start in league play since 1995-96 when they were 3-0 in Hockey East action.

Matt Vautour can be reached at mvautour@gazettenet.com. For more UMass coverage, including a UMass sports blog, go to http://www.gazettenet.com/category/sports/umass-sports.