Yale is Coaches’ Choice in 2010-11
ALBANY, N.Y. -- Yale, which finished atop in the ECAC???Hockey regular-season standings last season for the second consecutive season is the team to beat in the 2010-11 regular season, according to voting by the league coaches.
The Bulldogs, led by fifth-year head coach Keith Allain,
garnered a total of 121 points, including 11 of 12 first-place
votes. Yale, which led all NCAA???Division I teams in scoring
offense last season totalling 4.15 G/GM, returns its top three
leading scorers, including senior forward Broc Little who netted
five game-winning goals in league action last season. The
Bulldogs return 23 letterwinners from the 2009-10 squad.
Defending ECAC Men’s Hockey Champion Cornell claimed one
first-place votes in finishing second in the poll. The Big
Red, who are led by the head coach Mike Schafer, have finished no
worse than second in scoring defense in conference action over the
last ten seasons, amassed 92 total points.
Union, which ranked second in the conference in scoring offense (3.68 G/GM) and third in scoring defense last season (2.73 G/GM) is slotted to finish third in regular-season play according to the voting by the coaches. Head coach Nate Leaman’s squad compiled 86 points in the poll. Rensselaer, led by last season’s league scoring leader and Player of the Year, Chase Polacek, ranks fourth in the preseason poll with 79 points; Colgate occupies the fifth slot with 69 points, followed by Dartmouth with 67 points.
Harvard garners the No. 7 spot with 62 points , while Quinnipiac comes in the No. 8 position with 54 points. St. Lawrence was selected in the No. 9 position in the preseason coaches’ poll under head coach Joe Marsh with 52 points and Princeton came in the tenth spot with 43 points..
Brown, led by second-year head coach Brendan Whittet is the No. 11 team in the poll, while Clarkson, under George Roll comes in at No. 12 in the poll.
The men's season opens Saturday, October 2 with two exhibition games when Rensselaer hosts New Brunswick and St. Lawrence welcomes Carlton. The first regular-season games of the 2010-11 campaign take place Friday, October 8 as Quinnipiac hosts Ohio St., Union welcoming Sacred Heart, St. Lawrence visiting Minnesota State, Clarkson taking on Nebraska-Omaha in the Mutual of Omaha Stamped, and Rensselaer visiting Colorado College.
