University of New Hampshire head football coach Sean McDonnell and head men’s ice hockey coach Dick Umile have something in common this week.

Both programs are ranked in the top 15 in the weekly polls that were released Monday.

The football team remained at No. 12 nationally in the latest Sports Network FCS Top 25 poll, but actually dropped one spot to No. 14 in the FCS Coaches poll.

The hockey team opened its season with a weekend sweep of St. Cloud State, 5-3 Friday and 4-2 Saturday in Durham.

The victories allowed the Wildcats to break into the USCHO.com men’s college hockey poll top 20 for the first time since last Oct. 11. The Wildcats are ranked No. 15, just behind 14th-ranked Northeastern.

The football team received additional good news when the Colonial Athletic Association named junior kicker/punter Mike MacArthur of North Hampton as its football special teams players of the week Monday.

MacArthur played an important role in UNH’s 44-40 homecoming victory against Richmond on Saturday in Durham.

The 5-foot-10, 199-pound kicker drilled a 27-yard field goal with 1:08 remaining in the fourth quarter. He was also five-for-five in PATs.

MacArthur punted five times, averaging 35.8 yards per punt.

His longest punt of the day, a 51 yarder, pinned Richmond at its own 1-yard line late in the fourth. The field position helped set up the Wildcats’ go-ahead 51-yard touchdown drive with 2:57 left.

MacArthur was named the All-CAA second team kicker last season and the All-CAA third team kicker as a true freshman in 2010.

UNH (5-2, 2-11 CAA) visits Maine (2-4, 1-2) for the 100th all-time meeting Saturday at noon.

On the ice, New Hampshire returns to action Saturday, hosting No. 11 Boston University at the Whittemore Center at 7 p.m. The game will be televised live on WBIN-TV and nationally on Fox College Sports.

Junior forward Dalton Speelman was named Hockey East Athletic Republic player of the week Monday.

Speelman had a four-point effort last weekend. He matched his personal best of two goals and added an assist for a career-high three points in Friday’s season opener.

Speelman missed a majority of the 2011-12 season with a wrist injury. He recorded three goals and three assists for six points in 11 games before incurring the season-ending injury.

Golf

Dartmouth College: In Huntington Valley, Pa., with a two-day score of 639, the men’s golf team placed 15th of 19 teams at the Big Five Invitational over the weekend at the Philmont Country Club.

James Pleat of Nashua led the Big Green, finishing in a tie for 30th overall. Pleat shot a 78 on both days for a two-round tally of 156. Just one stroke behind Pleat was Dartmouth’s junior Joey Maziar, whose combined score of 157 placed him in a tie for 35th place.