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MINNEAPOLIS -- North Dakota has been picked at the top of the National Collegiate Hockey Conference media poll announced at Media Day at the Target Center on Thursday.

UND received 181 total points and 12 first-place votes. Miami was tabbed as second with 167 and nine first-place votes, while St. Cloud State was picked third with 151 and four first-place votes. Western Michigan was picked seventh after receiving three votes. Twenty five members of the media, both local and national, voted in the poll.

Last season the Broncos were picked to finish fifth and tied with Minnesota-Duluth for fourth overall. Western Michigan then went on the road to UMD, who held the tie-breaker, and beat the Bulldogs in the first round of the NCHC Tournament to advance to the NCHC Semifinals.

The Broncos open up the 2014-15 season hosting the University of Toronto on Saturday, Oct. 4 at 2 p.m. WMU's regular season home-opener is Oct. 17 against Alaska-Fairbanks.



Preseason Poll
1. North Dakota – 181 points (12 first-place votes)
2. Miami – 167 (9)
3. St. Cloud State – 151 (4)
4. Denver – 117 (0)
5. Minnesota Duluth – 112 (0)
6. Omaha – 73 (0)
7. Western Michigan - 67 (0)
8. Colorado College – 32 (0)

NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team
F - Austin Czarnik, Miami, Sr. – 23 votes
F – Jonny Brodzinski, St. Cloud State, Jr. – 19 votes
F – Riley Barber, Miami, Jr. – 12 votes
D – Joey LaLeggia, Denver, Sr. – 19 votes
D – Jaccob Slavin, Colorado College, So. – 13 votes
G – Zane McIntyre, North Dakota, Jr. – 25 votes (unanimous)

WMU is a top 3 team this year and will contend for the Penrose, along with Frozen Four Championship.

I'm fine with the media "experts" pre-season picks, overlooking the Broncos. Just makes the season more fun as I watch these pundits try to wipe the egg off thier face.....

They love Miami, don't they.

(09-25-2014 12:09 PM)bronconick Wrote:  They love Miami, don't they.

Thier weakness last year was exposed (d-core), compounded with some surprizing bad goal tending. Belpedio and Sullivan are two good additions, but there is still a lot of Swiss cheese left in thier backend.

When Coleman returned, the Red Hawks became more offensivly productive, as he was the missing element that made them a team with "two" lines who could score, complicating oppents ability to match up with them.

Offense has been our weakness/problem area the past two seasons, IMO. As long as our D and goaltending plays strong from the get go, I think that the O will come. We need Frank to be, well......the big Slubowski again and rebound from an up and down season last year.

With no real knowledge of how the guys look, I'm betting that we'll finish no worse than 4th and possibly 3rd. Just a shot in the dark. We'll see what the young guys bring soon enough. Hope springs eternal.......

Hockey can't start soon enough for me.

still waiting for my season tix to get here.

(09-25-2014 08:42 PM)Kimbosucks Wrote:  still waiting for my season tix to get here.

They should be there soon/in the mail. Mine came today!!

We shall see. .. . . . .

Are pre-season polls in any sport ever right? Unless of course it's the BCS where they get to pick who goes in August.