GRAND FORKS, N.D. – As it enters the 2013-14 season, its first as a member of the National College Hockey Conference (NCHC), the University of North Dakota is pegged as a top-10 team in the first major national poll of the men’s hockey season.
UND was ranked sixth today in the 19th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine poll released this afternoon. Massachusetts-Lowell received 20 of the 34 first-place votes and is the national preseason favorite, while Miami (nine first-place votes) and Wisconsin (one) were ranked second and third, respectively.
Defending NCAA champion Yale received the four remaining first-place votes and was ranked eighth.
UND, entering its 10th season under head coach Dave Hakstol, returns 18 letterwinners from last year’s team that went 22-13-7 (14-7-7 WCHA) and advanced to the NCAA West Region championship game. UND joins the new NCHC having won a league-record 15 Western Collegiate Hockey Association (WCHA) regular season titles, as well as an additional 11 WCHA playoff titles.
UND opens the 2013-14 season Oct. 6 with a home exhibition game against Manitoba. The regular season begins Oct. 11-12 against non-conference opponent Vermont and UND makes its NCHC debut Oct. 18-19 at Miami.
| USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Poll | |||||
| 2012-13 | |||||
| 2012-13 | Final | ||||
| Rk. | School (1st place) | Record | Pts. | Rank | |
| 1 | Massachusetts-Lowell (20) | 28-11-2 | 484 | 3 | |
| 2 | Miami (9) | 25-12-5 | 444 | 6 | |
| 3 | Wisconsin (1) | 22-13-7 | 364 | 13 | |
| 4 | Boston College | 22-12-4 | 359 | 8 | |
| 5 | Minnesota | 26-9-5 | 347 | 5 | |
| 6 | North Dakota | 22-13-7 | 300 | 7 | |
| 7 | Notre Dame | 25-13-3 | 285 | 9 | |
| 8 | Yale (4) | 22-12-3 | 269 | 1 | |
| 9 | St. Cloud State | 25-16-1 | 230 | 4 | |
| 10 | Michigan | 18-19-3 | 197 | NR | |
| 11 | Quinnipiac | 30-8-5 | 135 | 2 | |
| 12 | Union | 22-13-5 | 124 | 10 | |
| 13 | New Hampshire | 20-12-7 | 116 | 11 | |
| 14 | Minnesota State | 24-14-3 | 110 | 12 | |
| 15 | Providence | 17-14-7 | 103 | NR | |
| Others Receiving Votes: Rensselaer 80, Denver 74, Cornell 32, | |||||
| Western Michigan 28, Niagara 12, Merrimack 8, Boston University 4, | |||||
| Ferris State 4, Michigan Tech1. | |||||
