BOSTON -- Commissioner Joe Bertagna of the Hockey East Association announced the preseason men’s coaches poll on Tuesday afternoon at the conference’s annual
media day held in Banners Restaurant at the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston.
The Boston College Eagles and the New Hampshire Wildcats sit atop the poll for in the 2007-2008 preseason with each team garnering five first place votes to go along with 84 points apiece. The Eagles won the 2007 Lamoriello Trophy for a league record seventh time in school history with a 5-2 win against UNH in the 23rd Hockey East title game at the
TD Banknorth Garden, while the Wildcats earned their sixth regular-season league title with a 18-7-2 conference record in 06-07.
The Boston University Terriers were again picked in the top half of the league in the third sport with 77 points, while Maine finished with 61 points in the fourth slot. Regional
finalist Massachusetts and Vermont, one of the league’s most up and coming teams, were tied in a dead heat for fifth with 54 total points. Northeastern placed seventh in the
seasons predictions (43 pts.), while Providence (39), UMass-Lowell (25) and Merrimack (19) filled out the three remaining.
Hockey East placed five teams in the NCAA for the first time ever last season, which included Boston College and Maine earning Frozen Four berths in St. Louis, Missouri.
The Eagles led by head coach Jerry York played in the national championship game for the fourth time in the last eight seasons.
The regular season will determine the eight teams that qualify for the Hockey East Championship Tournament, which begins with the quarterfinal round on the campuses
of the highest four seeds from on the weekend of March 14-16. The four quarterfinal winners will advance to the TD Banknorth Garden in Boston for the semifinals and
Championship Game on Friday, March 21 (5/8 p.m.) and Saturday, March 22 (7 p.m.). Tickets for the Hockey East Championship at the TD Banknorth Garden will go on sale
in early December and can be purchased by calling 617-931-2000 or visiting www.ticketmaster.com.
The Hockey East Association is a 10-team, Division-I college hockey conference, with offices based in Wakefield, Mass. Founded in 1983, the league has won four NCAA
championships in the past 13 years. The conference also sponsors an eight-team women’s league which began play in 2002-03.
2007-08 Preseason Coaches’ Poll |
| Team (1st Place Votes) |
Pts. |
| 1. |
Boston College (5) |
84 |
| |
New Hampshire (5) |
84 |
| 3. |
Boston University |
77 |
| 4. |
Maine |
61 |
| 5. |
Massachusetts |
54 |
| |
Vermont |
54 |
| 7. |
Northeastern |
43 |
| 8. |
Providence |
39 |
| 9. |
UMass Lowell |
25 |
| 10. |
Merrimack |
19 |
