ALBANY, N.Y. -- Colgate, which was the runner up in the ECAC Hockey regular season and tournament last year, has been picked to win the 2014-‘15 regular-season title by the ECAC Hockey Media Association in their 16th annual poll.

The Raiders collected 18 of 30 first-place votes and finished with 336 points. It’s the second time Colgate has been picked to finish first in the regular season by the media. The other time was in the 2006-‘07 poll.

Defending NCAA-champion Union, which won its third regular-season title in four years, as well as its third straight ECACH tournament championship, was picked to finish second. The Dutchmen got 11 first-place votes and 322 points.

Quinnipiac received the other first-place vote. The Bobcats were picked to finish third. They got 289 points.

Cornell finished fourth with 263 points, Yale was fifth with 211 points and Dartmouth came in sixth with 190 points.

Rounding out the poll are Brown (seventh, 162 points), Clarkson (eighth, 161 points), RPI (ninth, 141 points), Harvard (10th, 129 points), St. Lawrence (11th, 101 points) and Princeton (12th, 32 points).

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.

Union placed two players on the preseason all-conference team. Senior goalie Colin Stevens, who won the Ken Dryden Award as the league’s top goalie last season, earned 18 votes. Senior left winger Daniel Ciampini, who had a hat trick in the Dutchmen’s 5-4 Frozen Four semifinal win over Boston College, was the top forward vote-getter with 20.

The other forwards are Quinnipiac sophomore forward Sam Anas, who was ECACH Co-Rookie of the Year, and Brown junior forward Mark Naclerio. Anas got 18 votes, and Naclerio received 15.

St. Lawrence sophomore and ECACH Co-Rookie of the Year Gavin Bayreuther led the defensemen with 23 votes. Colgate senior Spiro Goulakos and Cornell senior Joakim Ryan tied for the second spot with 15 votes each. The poll was conducted by Schenectady Daily Gazette college hockey writer Ken Schott.

-- 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.