ALBANY, N.Y. -- For the first time since the 2006-‘07 poll, Colgate was selected atop in the 2014-‘15 ECAC?Hockey Men’s Coaches’ Preseason Poll with 117 points, earning a league-high seven first-place votes.

The Raiders, which return nine-of-10 top scorers and one of the league’s top netminders, ended last year by making their fifth appearance in the NCAA Tournament and playing in the ECAC Hockey Championship game for the first time since 1990. The Raiders won 20 games for the 10^th time in school history and fifth time under head coach Don Vaughan. It was the first time since 2005-‘06 that Colgate had won 20 games.  

Coming off the 2013-‘14 historic season capturing its first-ever NCAA Division I Championship, Union claimed two first-place votes in finishing second in this year’s poll. Looking to defend both the league’s Cleary and Whitelaw Cups, the Dutchmen are led by head coach Rick Bennett, who embarks on his fourth season behind the bench and holds a record against nationally-ranked teams of 30-9-6 (.720), amassing 103 total points.   

Cornell, showcasing one of the top scoring defenses among all league teams each season under head coach Mike Schafer, received a total of 90 points, including two first-place votes. The Big Red will welcome eight additions to the program for the 2014-‘15 season.

Two teams which spent much of last season in the top 10, Yale and Quinnipiac finished fourth and fifth, respectively, in the poll. Under Keith Allain’s direction, the Bulldogs’ 18-letterwinners, their Whitney Avenue rival Bobcats extended their streak of winning an ECAC Hockey postseason series to nine consecutive years. Dartmouth, which returns 98.6% of its scoring output from last season, sits in the sixth spot in the poll earning 67 points.

Brown sits in the No. 7 spot with 61 points, while Clarkson, under head coach Casey Jones, comes in the No. 8 position with 58  points. Harvard was selected in the No. 9 position in the preseason coaches’ poll under head coach Ted Donato with 52 points and Rensselaer was in the tenth spot with 40 points.

St. Lawrence, under the direction of Greg Carvel, is the No. 11 team in the poll, while Princeton with first-year head coach Ron Fogarty comes in at No. 12 in the poll.

The men's season opens Friday, October 10 with five non-conference games, including; Clarkson, coming off its best season in six years, visiting Niagara; Colgate at fellow 2014 NCAA?Tournament participant St. Cloud State; Rensselaer traveling to Notre Dame for the annual Ice Breaker Tournament; St. Lawrence, in its first of nine non-league games, facing-off against RIT; and Union raising its championship banners when American International comes calling at Messa Rink.

On March 20-21, 2015, the conference’s top four post season teams will come to Lake Placid to play in the ECAC Hockey Championship Tournament. The winner of this tournament will receive an automatic bid into the NCAA Division I Men’s Ice Hockey National Championship Tournament for the opportunity to play for the national championship crown. Tickets go on sale, Monday, Nov. 3.

2014-15 Preseason Coaches' Poll

1) Colgate (7) 117 2) Union (4) 103 3) Cornell (1) 90 4) Yale 87 5) Quinnipiac 82 6) Dartmouth 67 7) Brown 61 8) Clarkson 58 9) Harvard 52 10) Rensselaer 40 11) St. Lawrence 24 12) Princeton 11

-- ORDA --

Established in 1982, the New York State Olympic Regional Development Authority (ORDA) was created by the State of New York to manage the facilities used during the 1980 Olympic Winter Games at Lake Placid. ORDA operates Whiteface, Belleayre and Gore Mountain ski areas; the Olympic Sports Complex at Mt. Van Hoevenberg; the Olympic speed skating oval, Olympic jumping complex and Olympic arena. As host to international and national championships, the Authority has brought millions of athletes, spectator and participants to the region, resulting in significant economic development.