The puck officially drops on the 2014-15 college hockey season this Saturday when Ferris State hosts Michigan and Michigan Tech travels to Lake Superior State.
Oh happy day!
Along with that comes the first college hockey poll of the season:
1 - Minnesota
2 - North Dakota
3 - Providence
4 - Boston College
5 - Colgate
6 - St Cloud State
7 - Michigan
8 - Union
9 - Miami
10 - Ferris State
11 - Notre Dame
12 - Wisconsin
13 - Minnesota State
14 - Cornell
15 - Denver
Others Receiving Votes: Northeastern, Massachusetts-Lowell, Boston University, Minnesota - Duluth, Yale, New Hampshire, Quinnipiac, Michigan Tech, Mercyhurst, Michigan State, Ohio State, Robert Morris
As usual, I'd like to include the disclaimer that polls mean nothing. I repeat, polls mean nothing…absolutely nothing. That said, there are some interesting things to note on this list.
HEAVY HITTERS
These are teams whose rosters are littered with talent and experience.
Minnesota
Last year was supposed to be their rebuild year with freshmen filling out half the roster. Turns out they learned rather quickly as they earned a 28-7-6 record and stormed their way to the National Championship game thanks to a high powered offense and solid defense. They only lost five seniors and none to early signings although there were opportunities to do so. This team is stacked, has lots of experience and a huge chip on their shoulder after losing in spectacular fashion in April. It seems like every year we wonder if this could be the year for the Gophers to finally get it done and this year is no different.
North Dakota
The former Fighting Sioux finally found their footing last season and like the Gophers bring back the majority of their roster including outstanding goalie Zane McIntyre, who has been the backbone of this team for the past two seasons as Zane Gothberg (changed his name to honor his mother and grandmother this summer). They too should have a chip on their shoulder with the way things ended for them in April (losing in OT in the national semifinal to long-time rival Minnesota).
Miami
Where as the other two teams in this group were leaders in their respective conferences and advanced to the Frozen Four, Miami finished last in the NCHC with a 15-20-3 record. While they got hot at the end of the season and nearly advanced to the NCAA tournament, but they lost the NCHC Championship to Denver and the automatic bid that comes with it. So while last season wasn't exactly something to write home about, they too return majority of their roster including 96% of their offense. Their biggest challenge will be playing smart defensively. I'll have an in depth look at the RedHawks for you next Friday.
TO BE DETERMINED
These are teams that were very good and lost massive amounts of talent either through graduation or early signings.
Boston College
No question that Johnny Gaudreau, Bill Arnold and Kevin Hayes comprised the best line in college hockey last season and they will be sorely missed. So while the Eagles figure out who will carry their offense this season, they've got some quality freshmen ready to fill in the gaps despite the decommitment of first round draft pick Sonny Milano late this summer. Keep your eyes peeled for features on Alex Tuch and Noah Hanifin because I'm sure you'll be seeing and hearing their names quite often.
Union
The Dutchmen's biggest loss come on the blueline with the graduation of senior captain Mat Bodie and junior Shayne Gostisbehere who signed early with the Philadelphia Flyers. The reigning National Champion and three-time ECAC Champions have a lot of questions surrounding them this season, but they've got great coaching, leadership and experience throughout their lineup and that never hurts.
Wisconsin
The Badgers lost majority of their offensive weapons this summer and head coach Mike Eaves is eager to find out who is going to step up and fill in those voids. With 11 freshmen, he's not sure who's going to score OR hold down the fort in their own end, but he's rather confident - for good reason - in senior goaltender Joel Rumpel. Eaves is hoping he can buy the freshmen some time to get their feet wet without worrying about making mistakes because Rumpel will be there to clean up after them. I feel like a Top 15 preseason ranking might be a bit ambitious, but we will revisit this later in a few weeks.
SLOW AND STEADY
These are teams that have been slowly climbing up the ranks, improving every season and ready to make their mark.
Providence
Head Coach Nate Lehman has been grooming this team for the past three years and there will be a lot of eyeballs on this veteran team this season. They've had some growing pain at various points the past few years and they're seemingly ready to put it all together and become a force in Hockey East and a national contender.
St Cloud State
If you're a Huskies fan, you've been on quite the roller coaster ride as of late. This team is kind of like a box of chocolates because you never know what you're going to get and it's usually due to injuries along the way derailing the master plan. So, this is a big if, but IF they can stay healthy, they look to be in the mix this season.
Minnesota State
Two years ago the Mavericks committed to turning their program around and being a periennial leader in the new look WCHA and so far so good. They are your classic grind-out-a-win kind of team and they are very effective with it. As they continue to succeed, they will be able to recruit more skilled talent and their style of play might change, but for now, they're sticking with what works and making you earn every inch of ice.
NEVER AGAIN
These are the teams that intend to never again have a season like they did last year.
Michigan
For the second year in a row, Michigan missed the NCAA Tournament, this time by the narrowest of margins, after making the tournament for 22 consecutive years. They were the 17th team on the list and had they won just one more game - more specifically, one of the three they lost to Penn State - they would have been in. They know they can score, but are focused on the defensive side of their game. They know they can be better, now they just have to prove it. I'll have more for you on the Wolverines on Friday.
Boston University
After winning just 10 games last season, the Terriers have resolved to never have a season like that again. They won just one game in December, January and February...Calling it a rough season would be an understatement. But one of the things 2nd year head coach David Quinn is very good at is recruiting, something the BU program sorely missed while he was gaining pro level coaching experience with the Colorado Avalanche. Now that he's back, this year's freshmen class might be the best collective group in the country highlighted by potential #1 pick in next summer's NHL Draft, Jack Eichel. I'm not convinced they can contend for the national championship, but I am convinced they will be better than last year.
Penn State
You could also throw Miami into this mix as finishing last in your league is never on anyone's list of Things To Do This Season, but since we already talked about them I'm going with Penn State even though they're not mentioned in this poll. In just their second year as a DI program, the Nittany Lions won only eight games, four of which were against Big Ten opponents and three of those were against Michigan - once at home in convincing fashion, once at Yost in overtime, and once in double overtime in the B1G quarterfinals to knock the Wolverines out of the conference tournament and eliminating their chance at a spot in the NCAA tournament. So while they've had their struggles as a new program, they earned some benchmark wins last season and look to expand on that this season with the confidence in knowing it's possible. As they say, they're building a solid foundation for success one win at a time.
Now for the team that I am sure to be asked about the most, Colgate... I haven't a clue what Colgate has to offer this season or why they were ranked #1 in the ECAC preseason poll or #5 nationally, but I guess I'll be taking a trip to Hamilton pretty soon to find out.
Colgate
For now, we wait...just four more sleeps until we have something more to talk about instead of just speculation.
**********
Julie
[email protected]
Facebook
Be sure to like
HockeyBuzz on Facebook!
Join the Discussion:
»