The University of Maine men’s hockey team has been picked seventh in the U.S. College Hockey Online Division I preseason poll.
The poll is released weekly during the season based on the opinions of 50 voters, including coaches and media representatives from across the country.
Western Michigan and Boston University, last year’s NCAA finalists, were chosen first and second, respectively.
Western Michigan claimed its first national title with a 6-2 victory over the Terriers.
UMaine went 24-8-6 last season and won its first Hockey East Tournament championship since 2004 with a 5-2 victory over the University of Connecticut at the TD Garden in Boston.
The Black Bears earned the top seed for the Allentown Regional but were upset by eventual regional winner Penn State 5-1 in the first round.
The Black Bears earned their second consecutive NCAA Tournament berth and it marked the first time that it had done so since the 2005-06 and 2006-07 seasons.
UMaine was chosen fourth in the Hockey East Conference preseason coaches’ poll.
Western Michigan, 34-7-1 a year ago, received 29 of the 50 first-place votes and 921 points in the USCHO poll. Boston University (24-14-2) earned three first-place votes and 907 points with No. 3 Michigan State (26-7-4) collecting 14 first-place votes and 877 points.
Rounding out the top 10 were Denver (31-12-1, 840 points), Penn State (22-14-4, 820 points, 3 first-place votes), Boston College (27-8-2, 647 points), UMaine (619 points), Minnesota (25-11-4, 592 points), Providence (21-11-5, 559 points) and UConn (23-12-4, 542 points).
Twelve of the Black Bears’ 34 regular season games will come against teams ranked in the top 10. UMaine will play BU and Providence three times apiece and two-game series against Denver and Boston College.
Completing the top 20 were North Dakota (21-15-2, 536), Michigan (18-15-3, 434, 1 first-place vote), Quinnipiac (24-12-2, 373), Arizona State (21-14-2, 358), UMass (21-14-5, 311), Ohio State (24-14-2, 280), Cornell (19-11-6, 228), Minnesota State (27-9-3, 169), St. Thomas (19-14-5, 92 points) and Wisconsin (13-21-3, 78 points).
UMaine has two-game series against Quinnipiac and UMass.
The Black Bears lost players who scored 64 of their 124 goals last season, including top point-getters Harrison Scott (18 goals, 17 assists, 35 points) and Taylor Makar (18-12-30), but five of the six regular defensemen are back as is second team All-American and second team All-Hockey East goalie Albin Boija.
And fifth-year head coach Ben Barr and his staff have brought in 13 newcomers including nine from Canada’s three Major Junior leagues. This is the first time Major Junior players have been eligible to play U.S. college hockey because they had been previously deemed professionals in the eyes of the NCAA for receiving financial stipends.
Five of the newcomers are NHL draft choices: forwards Miguel Marques (third round, Nashville), Jaden Lipinski (fourth round, Calgary) and Justin Poirier (fifth round, Carolina) and defensemen Jeremy Langlois (third round, Arizona, which is now Utah) and Luke Coughlin (sixth round, Florida).
