National Collegiate Hockey Conference media picks CC hockey to place last – Colorado Springs Gazette
UND’s Zane McIntyre saves a shot from Colorado College’s Zach Aman on Friday, Jan 23, 2015, at the Ralph Engelstad Arena in Grand Forks, N.D. (Logan Werlinger/Grand Forks Herald)
Colorado College will go into this hockey season hoping to prove the media prognosticators wrong.
For the second year in a row, the National Collegiate Hockey Conference program was picked to finish last in the eight-team league in the annual media preseason poll announced on Wednesday.
The 2014-15 edition of the Tigers (6-26-3) placed last in the league with a 2-19-3-1 NCHC record in coach Mike Haviland’s first year at the helm. The team returns 16 players and welcomes 14 freshmen after 10 left this offseason, six due to graduation.
Minnesota-Duluth picked up 17 first-place votes to garner 208 points from the 30 voters followed by Denver with 187 points and seven top picks.
It would the Bulldogs’ first conference title since 1993 in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association. Duluth won the NCAA championship in 2011 while with the WCHA and is the last NCHC program to do so.
North Dakota, which won the regular-season title last season, was rated third with four top votes and 183 points.
Omaha, fresh off a landmark season with its first NCAA Frozen Four appearance, was picked fourth with 148 points while Miami was fifth with two first-place votes and 142 points. The RedHawks won the NCHC playoff championships last season to garner an automatic NCAA berth and send six league teams into the national postseason.
The top four host the NCHC first round of the playoffs with the best-of-three quarterfinal series winners advancing to Minneapolis’ Target Center March 18-19 for the league semifinals and championship.
St. Cloud State was picked sixth with 117 votes with Western Michigan trailing with 60 points and CC last with 35.
NCHC preseason media poll
- Minnesota Duluth – 208 points (17 first-place votes)
- Denver – 187 (7)
- North Dakota – 183 (4)
- Omaha – 148
- Miami – 142 (2)
- St. Cloud State – 117
- Western Michigan – 60
- Colorado College – 35
Here is how Gazette beat writer Joe Paisley voted:
Minnesota-Duluth
Omaha
Denver
North Dakota
St. Cloud State
Miami
Colorado College
Western Michigan
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