Mavs picked first by coaches, media

Minnesota State, the WCHA's defending MacNaughton Cup and Broadmoor Trophy champion, has been tabbed as the favorite to win the conference title again this year, garnering 8 of 10 first-place votes in the third-annual Mankato Free Press WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll and 12 of 19 votes in the Bemidji Pioneer's Preseason Media Poll.

In the coaches poll, Bowling Green and Michigan Tech each received a first-place vote and were picked to finish second and third, respectively

Bemidji State was picked to finish fourth, followed by Alaska, Ferris State, Northern Michigan, Alabama Huntsville, Alaska Anchorage and Lake Superior State.

Alaska forward Tyler Morley was selected as the league's Preseason Player of the Year. Morley, a senior from Burnaby, British Columbia, is the WCHA's top returning scorer with 33 points in league play last season (he finished with 37 total). He received seven of the 10 coaches' votes for the honor.

Ferris State freshman forward Corey Mackin was picked as the Preseason Rookie of the Year. The Philadelphia native was the the Canadian Junior Hockey League's most valuable player last season, playing for the Coquitlam Express of the British Columbia Hockey League.

Morley was chosen to the Preseason All-WCHA team, along with forwards Bryce Gervais (Minnesota State) and Alex Petan (Michigan Tech); defensemen Shane Hanna (Michigan Tech) and Casey Nelson (Minnesota State); and goaltender Jamie Phillips (Michigan Tech).

Gervais was chosen as Preseason Player of the Year by the media, with freshman forward Stephen Baylis of Bowling Green getting the nod above a crowded field for Newcomer of the Year.

Here are the results of the polls:

2015-16 Mankato Free Press WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Minnesota State 89 (8)
2. Bowling Green 79 (1)
3. Michigan Tech 78 (1)
4. Bemidji State 61
5. Alaska 55
6. Ferris State 51
7. Northern Michigan 49
8. Alabama Huntsville 29
9. Alaska Anchorage 27
10. Lake Superior State 22

(Points accumulated on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2 system. Coaches could not vote for their own teams.)

Preseason Player of the Year: Tyler Morley, sr. forward, Alaska (7); Bryce Gervais, sr. forward, Minnesota State (2); Alex Petan, sr. forward, Michigan Tech (1)

Preseason Rookie of the Year: Corey Mackin, forward, Ferris State (6); Stephen Baylis, forward, Bowling Green (2); Max Coatta, forward, Minnesota State (1); Mitch Hults, forward, Lake Superior State (1)

Preseason All-WCHA Team
Forward——Tyler Morely, sr., Alaska
Forward——Bryce Gervais, sr., Minnesota State
Forward——Alex Petan, sr. Michigan Tech
Defenseman——Shane Hanna, jr., Michigan Tech
Defenseman——Casey Nelson, jr., Minnesota State
Goaltender——Jamie Phillips, sr., Michigan Tech

Others receiving votes: Forwards——Brandon Hawkins, so., Bowling Green. Defensemen——Mark Friedman, so., Bowling Green; Brock Maschmeyer, jr., Northern Michigan. Goaltenders——Carmine Guerriero, jr., Alabama Huntsville; Olivier Mantha, so., Alaska Anchorage; Mathias Dahlstrom, jr., Northern Michigan; Michael Bitzer, so., Bemidji State.

2015-16 Bemidji Pioneer WCHA Men’s Hockey Preseason Media Poll

1. Minnesota State 265 (12)
2. Michigan Tech 263 (9)
3. Bowling Green 250 (8)
4. Bemidji State 184
5. Alaska 164
6. Ferris State 142
7. Northern Michigan 138
8. Alabama Huntsville 88
9. Lake Superior State 54
10. Alaska Anchorage 47

Preseason Player Of The Year: Bryce Gervais, sr. forward, Minnesota State (9); Alex Petan, sr. forward, Michigan Tech (8); Tyler Morley, sr. forward, Alaska (7); Jamie Phillips, sr. goaltender, Michigan Tech (1); Carmine Guerriero, jr. goaltender, Alabama-Huntsville (1); Brad McClure, so. forward, Minnesota State (1).

Newcomer of the Year: Stephen Baylis, fr. forward, Bowling Green (5); Corey Mackin, fr. forward, Ferris State (4); Jake Jackson, fr. forward, Michigan Tech (2); Troy Loggins, fr. forward, Northern Michigan (2); Brett Boeing, fr. forward, Michigan Tech (1); Dillon Eichstadt, fr. defenseman, Bemidji State (1); Owen Headrick, fr. defenseman, Lake Superior State (1); Jetlan Houcher, fr. forward, Alabama-Huntsville (1); Nikolas Koberstein, fr. defenseman, Alaska (1); Jake Lucchini, fr. forward, Michigan Tech (1); Chandler Madry, fr. forward, Minnesota State (1); Jimmy Mullin, sr. forward (transfer), Minnesota State (1); Anthony Nellis, fr. forward, Lake Superior State (1); Chad Staley, fr. forward, Alaska (1).

Preseason All-WCHA TeamForward——Tyler Morely, sr., Alaska
Forward——Bryce Gervais, sr., Minnesota State
Forward——Alex Petan, sr. Michigan Tech
Defenseman——Shane Hanna, jr., Michigan Tech
Defenseman——Casey Nelson, jr., Minnesota State
Goaltender——Jamie Phillips, sr., Michigan Tech

For more on the media poll go here.