UMaine Hockey #29 In USCHO Poll

The preseason pollsters say defending champion Minnesota-Duluth will be the team to beat again in college hockey. At the same time, those pollsters also gave some votes to UMaine and they begin the year in the conversation at #29.

The Black Bears are coming off an 18-16-4 season. Mitch Fossier and Chase Pearson return to the lineup. They were the top two scorers a year ago. Goalie Jeremy Swayman returns for a second season.

Maine will find out soon enough about Minn-Duluth. The Bears travel to play a weekend series October 19th and 20th. The season opens with an exhibition game with the University of Prince Edward Island on October 8th, then hosting a weekend series vs St. Lawrence October 12th and 13th for the first countable games.

Four Hockey East teams are ranked in the top 20 - Providence, Boston College, Boston University and Northeastern.

Check out the full USCHO poll...

Rnk	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
Rnk	Team	(First Place Votes)	Record	Points	Last Poll
1	Minnesota Duluth	(44)	0-0-0	982	1
2	Notre Dame	(2)	0-0-0	857	2
3	Ohio State	(2)	0-0-0	835	3
4	Michigan	(2)	0-0-0	790	4
5	Providence		0-0-0	698	7
6	St. Cloud State		0-0-0	697	6
7	Cornell		0-0-0	676	8
8	Boston University		0-0-0	597	10
9	Denver		0-0-0	552	5
10	Minnesota State		0-0-0	488	9
11	North Dakota		0-0-0	437	17
12	Boston College		0-0-0	398	19
13	Minnesota		0-0-0	387	18
14	Princeton		0-0-0	357	15
15	Northeastern		0-0-0	345	11
16	Penn State		0-0-0	302	13
17	Clarkson		0-0-0	299	12
18	Michigan Tech		0-0-0	115	16
19	Western Michigan		0-0-0	109	NR
20	Northern Michigan		0-0-0	98	20

Other Receiving Votes: Air Force 94, Union 90, Bowling Green 62, Harvard 58, Massachusetts 35, Wisconsin 27, Colorado College 23, UMass Lowell 20, Maine 18, Omaha 17, Canisius 14, Mercyhurst 11, Quinnipiac 8, Miami 2, Brown 1, Connecticut 1