Madison, Wis. -– The first men’s college hockey poll of the year is out and Wisconsin will open the season with the No. 15 ranking, according to the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Preseason Poll.
The Badgers, who went the entire 2011-12 season outside the top 15 in the USA Today poll, appear in the poll for the first time since Feb. 21, 2011, when they were ranked No. 14.
Wisconsin enters the season returning 15 of its top 16 scorers, as well as its two goaltenders, while adding a small, but talented freshman class.
Defending NCAA champion Boston College shares the preseason No. 1 ranking with Minnesota, who the Eagles defeated in the 2012 NCAA Frozen Four semifinals. Rounding out the top five teams in the poll are Michigan at No. 3, fourth-ranked North Dakota and No. 5 Union.
In addition to Minnesota and North Dakota, WCHA members Denver (No. 8) and Minnesota Duluth (No. 12) also appear in the poll to give the league five ranked schools. Colorado College, St. Cloud State and Michigan Tech are each receiving votes in the poll.
The Badgers open their home slate at the Kohl Center on Saturday, Oct. 6 with an exhibition contest against the U.S. Under-18 Team at 8 p.m. Wisconsin begins the regular season with a two-game road series against Northern Michigan in Green Bay, Wis., on Oct. 12 and 13. The Badgers start their home regular-season schedule on Friday, Nov. 2 when Colorado College visits Madison and the Kohl Center ice is dedicated “Bob Johnson Rink.”
USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason Poll
(First-place votes in parentheses)
Rank
School
2011-12 Final Ranking
2011-12 Record
1
Boston College, 476 (20)
1
33-10-1
1
Minnesota, 476 (12)
4
28-14-1
3
Michigan, 408 (2)
7
24-13-4
4
North Dakota, 407
6
26-13-3
5
Union, 295
3
26-8-7
6
Cornell, 233
13
19-9-7
7
UMass-Lowell, 221
9
24-13-1
8
Denver, 220
8
25-14-4
9
Miami, 203
10
24-15-2
10
Notre Dame, 186
NR
19-18-3
11
Western Michigan, 182
14
21-14-6
12
Minnesota Duluth, 176
5
25-10-6
13
Boston University, 158
11
23-15-1
14
Ferris State, 123
2
26-12-5
15
Wisconsin, 99
NR
17-18-2
Others receiving votes: Harvard, 58; Maine, 24; Quinnipiac, 24; Michigan State, 19; Colorado College, 19; New Hampshire, 17; Ohio State, 17; St. Cloud State, 15; Merrimack, 7; Providence, 6; Yale, 6; Air Force, 3; Northern Michigan, 1; Michigan Tech, 1.
