University of Minnesota Athletics
USCHO Ranks Gophers No. 2
9/19/2016 12:00:00 AM | Women's Hockey
MINNEAPOLIS - The back-to-back defending national champion Golden Gophers enter the 2016-17 season ranked No. 2, according to the USCHO.com Preseason Poll released Monday.
Minnesota received three first-place votes and 135 total points to come in second behind top-ranked Wisconsin (143 points, 10 first-place votes). Rounding out the nation's top-five teams are No. 3 Boston College (121 points), No. 4 Quinnipiac (93), and No. 5 Clarkson (82).
No. 6 North Dakota, No. 7 Princeton, No. 8 Colgate, No. 9 Northeastern, and No. 10 Boston University complete the nation's top 10 teams to start the season, according to USCHO.com.
Minnesota was also picked to finish second in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) preseason coaches poll. The Gophers received 44 points behind Wisconsin with 48 points, and North Dakota (36 points) and Minnesota Duluth (30 points) rounded out the top four teams in WCHA preseason predictions.
Two more WCHA teams received votes in the USCHO.com poll in Bemidji State (15 votes) and Minnesota Duluth (nine). Harvard (five), Mercyhurst (five), and Syracuse (one) also received votes.
Minnesota takes the ice on Friday at 6 p.m. for an exhibition game against the Minnesota Whitecaps, an elite post-collegiate team featuring many Gopher alumni. Following the exhibition game, the Gophers will officially begin the season by hosting Lindenwood at Ridder Arena on Friday, Sept. 30.
The USCHO.com Poll is compiled weekly and consists of 15 voters, including coaches and women's hockey writers from across the country. USCHO.com provides in-depth coverage of college hockey.
2016-17 USCHO.com Preseason Poll
1. Wisconsin (10), 143
2. Minnesota (3), 135
3. Boston College (2), 121
4. Quinnipiac, 93
5. Clarkson, 82
6. North Dakota, 60
7. Princeton, 44
8. Colgate, 43
9. Northeastern, 40
10. Boston University, 24
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