Polls always stir debate among sports fans. What team should be No. 1? What team deserves to be in it, and what team doesn't belong? What are the voters thinking?
Yes, polls are fun. The sports fans take them seriously.
But the coaches think very little about polls. If they had their druthers, polls would be outlawed. But where would the fun be in that?
ECAC Hockey announced its coaches and media preseason polls Monday. Yale, the regular season and tournament champion, was picked to finish first. Union was picked to finish sixth in both polls, while RPI was picked to finish eighth (tied with Quinnipiac) in the coaches poll, and 10th in the media poll.
So, how excited were the coaches about the poll?
"My highest finish in the league [fourth in 2007-08] was when we were picked dead last," Union coach Nate Leaman said. "We realize, more than anything in our program, that the game is played on the ice."
RPI finished higher than ninth in the coaches poll for the first time since 2004, when it was picked to finish sixth. You would think RPI coach Seth Appert would he thrilled.
"I don't mean to be rude, but it doesn't say much," RPI coach Seth Appert said. "I never look at the polls if they're good. I never look at the polls when they're bad."
How about Yale coach Keith Allain?
"Is this the same group that picked us to finish seventh last year?" Allain asked. "The games are played on the ice."
Nothing like taking the joy out of it!
Both polls were extremely tight. Yale edged Cornell in both polls by less than five points. Yale's three-point advantage in the media poll (275-272) was the closest finish since Clarkson edged Dartmouth by two points in the 2001 poll. Yale got 117 points in the coaches poll, beating Cornell by four points. That is the closest margin since Clarkson edged Harvard by one point in the 2002 poll.
The margin between eighth and 11th in the coaches poll was just three points. Between sixth and 11th, it was 11 points.
That just proves that the ECACH will be a tight league. The polls may not be that exciting for the coaches, but they are fun for the fans. It will be fun to see how the season plays out.
No comment
Clarkson coach George Roll has had to deal with a serious off-ice issue with three recruits.
Jordan Ciccarello and Patrick McEachen, who were expected to play this year, and Demetri Sakaris, a recruit for next season, have been accused of sexual misconduct and child endangerment after allegedly having sexual contact with a 16-year-old girl without her consent.
"It's going through a judicial hearing on campus," Roll said. "The criminal aspect is still pending. It's something I can't comment on at this time. It's certainly a tough situation for everybody involved. At this time, we've just got to move forward, and let [the process] play out. Once it does, then a decision will be made [about the players' future]."
Whittet returns to Brown
Brendan Whittet is coming home.
Whittet, a Rhode Island native and 1994 Brown graduate, will coach his alma mater this season. He was named the head coach last month, replacing Roger Grillo, who resigned at the end of May.
Whittet was an assistant coach at Dartmouth under Bob Gaudet, whom he played for at Brown from 1990-94.
Brown was just 3-15-4 in the league, and 5-23-5 overall. The Bears were a unanimous pick for last place in both polls.
"I've had very good success as a student-athlete when I played at Brown," Whittet said. "We were a team that was in the NCAA tournament. We were a team that was in two ECAC final fours up in Lake Placid, and in the final game one year. We won an Ivy League championship. I have good memories of success.
"It's my goal to bring that back — the excitement back on campus, the consistency in terms of having a product that is about excellence in everything that we do. That's going to be an on-going challenge."
POLLS
Here are the coaches and media polls, along with the preseason all-conference teams.
First-place votes in parentheses
Coaches
Points
1. Yale (7) 117
2. Cornell (3) 113
3. Princeton (2) 103
4. Harvard 87
5. Dartmouth 64
6. Union 55
7. Colgate 54
8. RPI 47
tie Quinnipiac 47
10. St. Lawrence 46
11. Clarkson 44
12. Brown 11
Media
Points
1. Yale (15) 275
2. Cornell (7) 272
3. Princeton (2) 253
4. Harvard (1) 224
5. Dartmouth 185
6. Union 143
7. St. Lawrence 134
8. Clarkson 125
9. Colgate 106
10. RPI 102
11. Quinnipiac 90
12. Brown 35
PRESEASON ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
Coaches
Forwards — Sean Backman (Yale), David McIntyre (Colgate) and Riley Nash (Cornell).
Defensemen — Alex Biega (Harvard) and Evan Stephens (Dartmouth).
Goalie — Zane Kalemba (Princeton).
Media
Forwards — Marc Arcobello (Yale), McIntyre and R. Nash.
Defensemen — Biega and Brendon Nash (Cornell).
Goalie — Kalemba.
Miami on top
Miami (Ohio), which lost a heartbreaking NCAA final to Boston University, 4-3, in overtime last April, is the top-ranked team in the first USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine top-15 poll.
The RedHawks had a 3-1 lead when the Terriers scored two goals in the final minute of regulation to tie it and send the game into OT. Colby Cohen won it for BU with a shot that was deflected and fluttered over goalie Cody Reichard's left shoulder. Reichard never saw the puck.
Three ECACH teams are in the top 15. Cornell is seventh, Princeton is ninth and Yale is 11th.
First-place votes in parentheses
Rank School 2008-09 Final Rank 2008-09 Record
1 Miami (Ohio) University, 457 (4) 2 23-13-5
2 University of Denver, 455 (13) 7 23-12-5
3 Boston University, 438 (12) 1 35-6-4
4 University of Michigan, 384 5 29-12-0
5 University of Notre Dame, 370 (5) 4 31-6-3
6 University of Minnesota, 270 NR 17-13-7
7 Cornell University, 254 12 22-10-4
8 University of North Dakota, 227 13 24-15-4
9 Princeton University, 223 15 22-12-1
10 University of Massachusetts Lowell, 175 NR 20-16-2
11 Yale University, 149 10 24-8-2
12 Boston College, 117 NR 18-14-5
13 St. Cloud State University, 106 NR 18-17-3
14 University of Wisconsin, 80 NR 20-16-4
15 University of Vermont, 73 3 22-12-5
Others receiving votes: University of New Hampshire, 71; University of Minnesota Duluth, 64; The Ohio State University, 60; United States Air Force Academy, 43; University of Northern Michigan, 31; Colorado College, 8; Northeastern University, 8; Bemidji State University, 6; Harvard University, 3; Mercyhurst College, 3; Niagara University, 3; St. Lawrence University, 2.
You can leave your comments at the bottom of this page, or e-mail me at schott@dailygazette.com.
