Huskies picked for second place in 2018-19 NCHC preseason poll
9/24/2018 9:12:00 PM | Men's Hockey
Coming off an NCHC regular season championship last season, St. Cloud State has been voted by the media to place second in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference, while defending national champion Minnesota Duluth was given the top spot for 2018-19 as the NCHC Preseason Poll was unveiled Monday on Twitter.
The Bulldogs received 20 of a possible 27 first-place votes and totaled 209 points, while St. Cloud State garnered six first-place votes and 182 points. North Dakota came in third in the poll (150 points), while Western Michigan (121) rounded out the top half. Denver, who picked up the final first-place vote, was selected fifth (115), followed by Colorado College (98), Omaha (61) and Miami (36), respectively.
SCSU won its second Penrose Cup in 2017-18, going 25-9-6 overall and 16-4-4-1/0 in conference play. The Huskies bring back 21 letterwinners from last year's NCAA Tournament team, led by three-time captain and All-American defenseman Jimmy Schuldt. SCSU returns eight of its top 10 point scorers including senior Robby Jackson, who led the Huskies with 15 goals and 42 points in 2017-18.
A total of 27 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth eight points, a second-place vote worth seven points and so on.
NCHC Media Day will take place tomorrow, Tuesday, Sept. 25 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans can take part in 2018 NCHC Media Day by asking questions during the Twitter Takeovers, watching Facebook LIVE interviews, and following along on NCHC.tv and the NCHC's Media Day Blog. Before Media Day begins, the 2018-19 NCHC Preseason All-Conference Team will be announced on Tuesday morning.
While Media Day serves as the unofficial start of the 2018-19 season, the NCHC officially drops the puck on season six on Saturday, Oct. 6 with three non-conference contests and a trio of exhibition games. On Sunday, Oct. 7, the three non-conference series conclude, while the remaining two NCHC teams host exhibitions. Fans can watch all the exciting NCHC action on NCHC.tv, where more than 145 games will be streamed live during the season. To subscribe to NCHC.tv, click here.
2018-19 NCHC Media Preseason Poll
- Minnesota Duluth – 209 points (20 first-place votes)
- St. Cloud State – 182 (6)
- North Dakota – 150
- Western Michigan – 121
- Denver - 115 (1)
- Colorado College - 98
- Omaha – 61
- Miami – 36
