Five League Teams Earn Spots in Final National Polls

ALBANY, NY – Five ECAC Hockey teams earned spots in one of the two major men’s college hockey polls released Monday, April 11. The USCHO.com Poll honored No. 6 Yale, No. 12 Union, No. 15 Dartmouth, No. 16 Rensselaer, and No. 20 Cornell. The USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey recognized three League teams:  Yale (No. 6), Union (No. 12), and Rensselaer (No. 15).

The 2011 ECAC Men’s Hockey tournament champion Yale finished the season with a record of 28-7-1, falling one game short to a trip to this past weekend’s Frozen Four in St. Paul, Minn. The Bulldogs finished in the No. 6 position in both national polls, earning 314 points in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll and 725 points in the USCHO.com Poll. Yale showcased solid performances at both ends of the ice this past season leading the nation in both scoring offense (4.19 g/gm) and scoring defense (2.06 g/gm) on the season.

The 2011 ‘Cleary Cup’ winners, Union (26-10-4), landed in the No. 12 spot in both final national polls earning 505 points in the USCHO.com poll and 146 points in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll. After their historic ECAC Hockey season the Dutchmen earned one of 11 at-large bids in the 2011 NCAA Division I Men's Hockey Tournament, falling to the eventual national champions, Minnesota-Duluth in first-round action in the East Regional at Webster Bank Arena at Harbor Yard in Bridgeport, Conn. Union led the nation in power-play productivity, with a 29.5% success rate, ranked second in scoring defense only allowing 2.10 goals per game, and came in seventh in the nation in scoring offense, netting 3.60 goals per contest.

After earning a berth in the NCAA tournament for the first time since 1995, Rensselaer finished an impressive season posting a record of 20-13-5. The Engineers were ranked No. 15 in the final USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Men’s College Hockey Poll with 16 points and No. 16 earning 223 points. The Engineers were led by two-time ECAC Hockey Player of the Year Chase Polacek who was first in the nation in game-winning goals and sixth in power play goals.

Dartmouth (19-12-3, overall) stayed in the No. 15 in the final USCHO.com poll this week (231 points). The Big Green claimed the third-place trophy in the ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament Championship this season with a 5-3 win over Colgate. The Big Green finished in the top 20 in the nation in both scoring offense (19th – 3.26 goals per game) and scoring defense (16th – 2.56 goals-against average).

Coming off a runner-up finish in the 2011 ECAC Men’s Hockey Tournament Championship game Cornell remained in the No. 20 position in the final USCHO.com polls earning 51 points. The Big Red showcased the League’s fourth best penalty kill unit with a success rate of 83.8. Keir Ross was recently selected as the team captain for the 2011-12 season, and will be joined in a leadership role by fellow rising senior Sean Collins and rising junior Nick D'Agostino for the Big Red.

Princeton also received votes in the USCHO.com national poll this week.

Click here to access complete USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll

Click here to access complete USCHO.com Poll

About the Polls:

The 16th annual 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 five NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

The USCHO.com/CBS College Sports XXL Poll consists of 50 voters, including 28 coaches from the Division I conferences and 22 beat writers and sports professionals from across the country.  The poll, published weekly by the Associated Press, is a production of USCHO.com, which provides in-depth coverage of college sports, including hockey, lacrosse, soccer and others.