Three League Teams Land in Initial Polls
ALBANY, NY – Three ECAC Hockey teams – Cornell,
Clarkson, and Harvard have been acknowledged in the first USCHO.com
and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's College Hockey national
polls released Monday, September 27 and Tuesday, September
28.
Cornell, led by head coach Doug Derraugh, earned the respect from
the national voters coming in at the No. 2 position in both
polls. The Big Red advanced to the National Championship Game
a year ago totaled 121 votes in the USCHO.com poll and 167 votes in
the USA Today/USA Magazine Women's Hokcey poll. This
year’s Cornell squad features a wealth of experience
showcasing a potent offense and a defense that successfully killed
121 of 131 penalty-kill opportunities (92.4) to lead the
nation. The Big Red will begin their 2010-11 season as they
host a two-game set with non-conference foe Robert Morris on
October 22-23.
Clarkson coming-off its most successful season in the
program’s history in 2009-10 came in the No. 7 spot in
both polls with 51 points in the USCHO.com poll and 70 points
in the USA Today/USA Magazine Women's Hokcey poll. The
Golden Knights return 14 letterwinners from last year’s squad
which posted a 23-12-5 overall record and a second-place 14-5-3
ECAC Hockey mark. Clarkson narrowly missed out on the 2010
ECAC Championship Tournament title, falling in overtime to Cornell,
and fell just one goal short of advancing to last year’s NCAA
Frozen Four, as the Green and Gold lost at Minnesota, in another
overtime heartbreaker, in the NCAA quarterfinals. Clarkson
opens the 2010-11 campaign at Cheel Arena this weekend (October
1-2) hosting No. 4 Minnesota in a battle of two of the
nation’s elite programs.
Right on the heels of Clarkson in the national spotlight is
Harvard, which came in at No. 8 in the USCHO.com national poll
earning 35 points and No. 9 in the USA Today/USA Magazine
Women's Hokcey poll . Last season, the Crimson compiled an
overall record of 20-8-5, and a league record of 13-6-3, good for a
third-place finish in the regular season. After rolling past
sixth-seeded Princeton in the first round the league tournament,
Harvard traveled to Clarkson for the semifinal and dropped a
heartbreaker, 3-2, to the second-seeded Golden Knights. Harvard
hosted an NCAA quarterfinal matchup against rival Cornell and the
Big Red skated to a convincing 6-2 win en route to an appearance in
the national championship game. The Crimson finished the 2009-10
season ranked fourth in the nation and captured the program's 13th
Beanpot title in February.
Other ECAC Hockey teams receiving votes in this week's polls were
St. Lawrence and Quinnipiac.
ABOUT THE POLLS:
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and
consists of 15 voters, including 12 coaches of Division I programs
and three women's hockey writers. USCHO.com provides in-depth
coverage of college sports, including hockey, lacrosse, soccer, and
others.
The 14th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’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 four 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.
Click here to access complete USCHO.com Poll
Click here to access complete USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women's Hockey Poll
