The USCHO and USA Today preseason polls were released Monday, and there are different No. 1s. Notre Dame has the top spot in the former, and Miami leads the list in the latter.
College hockey appears to be wide open this season, though, because seven different teams received first-place votes in the USCHO poll (which I vote on, by the way).
Here's a look at this year's rankings (first-place votes in parenthesis):
USCHO
1. Notre Dame (11)
2. Miami (12)
3. North Dakota (5)
4. Denver
5. Boston College (2)
6. Michigan
7. Colorado College
8. Minnesota Duluth (10)
9. Yale (1)
10. Boston University (2)
11. Union
12. New Hampshire
13. Western Michigan
14. Nebraska-Omaha
15. Merrimack
16. Maine
17. Wisconsin
18. Rensselaer
19. Minnesota
20. Cornell
Others receiving votes: Dartmouth, Air Force, RIT, St. Cloud State, Alaska, Ohio State, Northeastern, Ferris State, Lake Superior, Northern Michigan, Providence, Princeton, Michigan State, Quinnipiac, Massachusetts
USA Today
1. Miami (15)
2. Notre Dame (4)
3. North Dakota (3)
4. Denver
5. Boston College (1)
6. Boston University (3)
7. Colorado College
8. Yale
9. Michigan
10. Minnesota Duluth
11. Union
12. New Hampshire
13. Western Michigan
14. Nebraska-Omaha
15. Maine
Others receiving votes: Minnesota, Merrimack, Wisconsin, Cornell, Alaska, Dartmouth, Rensselaer, RIT, Air Force, Ohio State, Holy Cross, Quinnipiac, St. Cloud State.
A few thoughts:
Seven WCHA teams made the rankings/receiving votes: North Dakota, Denver, CC, Duluth, Omaha, Wisconsin, Minnesota and St. Cloud — all teams that are leaving the league in two years.
The other teams going to the NCHC — Miami and Western Michigan — are also in the rankings.
While Minnesota State and the other leftover WCHA didn't get any votes, the other future league members — Alaska, Ferris State, Lake Superior, Northern Michigan — all did, although none made the rankings.
1 comment:
Seems to me that if MSU mens hockey needed any more motivation to prove local and national critics wrong, this should be another locker room pin-up!!!
There is talent on this team and they just need to be on the same page with each other, coaches included.
This team can prove to themselves and the MSU fans that they are worthy of DI and the heck with all of the political nonsense that has consumed the summer hockey news.
The team (players & STAFF)needs to embrace its school, community and fans. While the same holds true going the other way.
It takes everyone to keep tradition alive, well and moving forward.
Go MSU Hockey...
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