University of Connecticut Athletics
Men's Hockey Picked To Finish Eighth In Atlantic Hockey
9/25/2008 12:00:00 AM | Men's Ice Hockey
HAVERHILL, Mass. (September 25 , 2008) - The University of Connecticut men's hockey team was picked to finish eighth in Atlantic Hockey for the 2008-09 season. The decision was made by the head coaches in the hockey league. The coaches choice for first place finisher was Air Force, last year's tournament champion.
Mercyhurst, runner-up to the Falcons in the Atlantic Hockey Tournament, is chosen second with 70 points and one first place vote. The other two first place votes were collected by Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT), which had 68 total points for third in the poll. Sacred Heart and Army round out the top five with 55 and 40 points, respectively.
The final five places are garnered by Holy Cross (38 points), Canisius (34), Connecticut (29), Bentley (26) and American International (11). Out of the final five in the poll, only Holy Cross (2004 and 2006) have finished atop the regular season standings.
UConn finished their season last year in a tie for sixth place in the conference with an overall 13-21-3 record, 11-14-3 in Atlantic Hockey. The Huskies were the only team to force the Quarterfinal round to three games giving No. 4 seeded Sacred Heart a scare.
This season, the Huskies look to rebound and place in the top four in the league to give them the home ice advantage during the Atlantic Hockey Tournament. With 21 returning letterwinners and 8 new faces to the squad, the Huskies have what it takes to do well in the conference.
The 2009 Tournament will feature a different format from a year ago. There will be two First Round contests with the 7th seed hosting the 10th seed and the 8th seed hosting the 9th seed in the single elimination contest on Saturday, March 7. The Quarterfinal Round will take place on the Friday, March 13-Sunday, March 15 and feature four match-ups in a best two-out-of-three format. The four winners will then travel to the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. with the highest remaining seed facing the lowest remaining seed in the first semifinal, with the other two remaining seeds facing off in the second semifinal on Friday, March 20. The two semifinal winners will then face-off in the Championship game on Saturday, March 21 with the NCAA automatic berth on the line.
Exhibition contests kick off the start of the Atlantic Hockey season on Sunday, October 5 as Alberta faces Air Force, Ontario travels to Canisius and Royal Military College takes on Mercyhurst. Air Force and Sacred Heart open conference action on Friday, October 10, with a two-game set in Milford. Canisius will take on Ferris State for two, RIT will be on the road to take on Bowling Green and Western Michigan, Mercyhurst will play a pair at St. Cloud State, while Connecticut takes on Alaska-Anchorage and Alaska-Fairbanks at the Kendall Hockey Classic in Anchorage. Holy Cross will take on Prince Edward in an exhibition contest on Friday, October 10.
2007-08 Atlantic Hockey Association Preseason Coaches Poll
1. Air Force (7)........................... 79
2. Mercyhurst (1)........................ 70
3. Rochester Instit. Of. Tech. (2)... 68
4. Sacred Heart........................... 55
5. Army...................................... 40
6. Holy Cross............................... 38
7. Canisius.................................. 34
8. Connecticut............................. 29
9. Bentley................................... 26
10.American International...... ......... 11
(First Place votes)
-UCONN-
