Last season’s NCAA tournament runner-up, Boston College, has been tabbed by Hockey East coaches as the preseason favorite to capture the league’s regular season championship. The voting was one of the closest in league history, with four teams receiving first-place votes from the coaches.
The Eagles received three of a possible nine first-place votes and ranked first in the balloting with 72 points. Boston College finished third in 1999-2000 with a conference record of 15-8-1 (29-12-1 overall) before falling to Maine in the Hockey East Championship Game and to North Dakota in the NCAA Championship Game.
Three other teams also received first place votes, including 1999-2000 regular- season champion Boston University (69). The Terriers ranked second and garnered two votes for first, while 2000 tournament champion Maine (68) was close behind and received three first place-votes. New Hampshire (60) also received a vote for first and landed fourth in the balloting.
Northeastern (38), Providence (37), UMass Amherst (26), UMass Lowell (20), and Merrimack (15) rounded out the final five spots in the poll.
Predicted Order of Finish
1. Boston College (3) 72
2. Boston University (2) 69
3. Maine (3) 68
4. New Hampshire (1) 60
5. Northeastern 38
6. Providence 37
7. UMass Amherst 26
8. UMass Lowell 20
9. Merrimack 15
