DU Pioneers hockey ranked No. 1 in USCHO preseason poll

DU Pioneers finished last season on top. Now they will start the next season on top as well.

The University of Denver hockey team earned the No. 1 ranking in the preseason USCHO poll released Monday, months after the program captured its 10th national championship in Minneapolis.

The Pios received 42 of 50 first-place votes in the nationwide poll of coaches and media members, followed by second-place Boston College with six first-place votes and Cornell with two first-place votes.

DU is one of a record eight NCHC teams to be ranked in the top 20 of their nine-school conference. Opponent Colorado College is seeded 11th after narrowly missing the NCAA Tournament last season. Also from the NCHC are North Dakota (5), Omaha (15), St. Cloud State (16), Western Michigan (17), Minnesota Duluth (18) and newly added Arizona State (20).

The Pios finished last season 32-9-3 on their way to the national championship, marking the 22nd straight season the Pios have won at least 20 games. They open the season with a two-game series in Anchorage, Alaska on Oct. 5-6 and will host No. 20 Northeastern for a two-game series on Oct. 18-19.

USCHO Division I Men’s Poll

(Can’t see the ranking on mobile? Click here.)

Others who received votes: RIT 55, St. Thomas 53, Michigan Tech 47, Bemidji State 44, New Hampshire 31, Sacred Heart 29, Penn State 23, Harvard 22, Holy Cross 14, Ohio State 14, Minnesota State 12, Dartmouth 10, Merrimack 9, Clarkson 8, Connecticut 7, AIC 4, UMass Lowell 4, Colgate 3, LIU 2, Brown 1, St. Lawrence 1

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Original Release Date: September 23, 2024, 18:14