Sept. 28, 2009
The River Hawks received further praise Monday as they were ranked 10th in the nation according to USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine's 15th annual Men's College Hockey Preseason Poll. UMass Lowell, who finished 20-16-2 last season, received 175 votes and was one of four ranked Hockey East programs.
Miami (Ohio) was selected first, following a 23-13-5 campaign that ended with a trip to the NCAA Championship game. The RedHawks received four first-place votes and 457 overall, edging the University of Denver by just two. The Pioneers came in second despite claiming the most first-place votes, 13, earning 455 overall following a 23-12-5 season. NCAA Champion Boston University, 35-6-4, was selected third, earning 12 first-place votes and 438 overall. Michigan (29-12-0) and Notre Dame (31-6-3) rounded out the top five as they received 384 and 370 votes, respectively. The Fighting Irish also earned the remaining five first-place votes.
The River Hawks were 14-11-2 in conference play in 2008-09, catching fire down the stretch to upset both Vermont and Northeastern in the Hockey East playoffs, falling to eventual Boston University in the conference finals.
UMass Lowell returns 25 players, including eight of its top 10 scorers. The defense remains unchanged, with all six defensemen and both goaltenders skating for the River Hawks again in 2009-10.
The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the six NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine
The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine is the fourth organization to recognize UMass Lowell's potential. The Sporting News ranked the River Hawks fourth in the nation, while College Hockey News and Inside College Hockey each picked them ninth.
The complete USA Today Preseason Poll is listed below.
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men's College Hockey Poll
| Rank |
Team |
First-Place Votes |
2008-09 Record |
Total Votes |
| 1 |
Miami (Ohio) |
4 |
23-13-5 |
457 |
| 2 |
Denver |
13 |
23-12-5 |
455 |
| 3 |
Boston University |
12 |
35-6-4 |
438 |
| 4 |
Michigan |
|
29-12-0 |
384 |
| 5 |
Notre Dame |
5 |
31-6-3 |
370 |
| 6 |
Minnesota |
|
17-13-7 |
270 |
| 7 |
Cornell |
|
22-10-4 |
254 |
| 8 |
North Dakota |
|
24-15-4 |
227 |
| 9 |
Princeton |
|
22-12-1 |
223 |
| 10 |
UMass Lowell |
|
20-16-2 |
175 |
| 11 |
Yale |
|
24-8-2 |
149 |
| 12 |
Boston College |
|
18-14-5 |
117 |
| 13 |
St. Cloud State |
|
18-17-3 |
106 |
| 14 |
Wisconsin |
|
20-16-4 |
80 |
| 15 |
Vermont |
|
22-12-5 |
73 |
