Ben Youds and Minnesota State earned a road sweep against No. 4 Bemidji State

There were three marquee series pitting ranked teams against each other in the WCHA last weekend - and all of them delivered riveting hockey. The most competitive of those matchups took place in Grand Forks in front of crowds greater than 11,500 each night and pitted third-ranked North Dakota against No. 11 Wisconsin. On Friday, the Fighting Sioux had a 30-22 edge in shots, but needed a third-period power-play goal from Danny Kristo to salvage a 3-3 draw. UND put 10 more shots on goal than the Badgers the next night, but Wisconsin scored three times with a man advantage en route to a 4-3 win.

WCHA leader and second-ranked Denver earned a road split against 12th-ranked Minnesota Duluth. On Friday, the Bulldogs had a 5-on-3 advantage for over a minute, down a goal late in the game, but couldn't net the equalizer, as DU went on to a 3-2 win. On Saturday, UMD was able to net three goals in the third period after the teams had battled to a draw through the first two, en route to a 6-3 triumph. Duluth's unrelated sophomore Connollys led the attack, with center Jack scoring twice and adding an assist, while winger Mike had three helpers.

No. 6 Colorado College and 17th-ranked St. Cloud State played an offensive showcase on Friday night that saw the teams combine to put 82 shots on goal. CC scored the game's first three goals, but St. Cloud would eventually rally and earn a 4-4 draw to extend the Tigers' winless streak to four games. But Colorado College would rite the ship on Saturday and earn a 4-1 win in the series finale.

The biggest upsets of the weekend both came in a series between a current WCHA member and a school that will join the league next season. Unranked Minnesota State hit the road and registered a sweep of fourth-ranked Bemidji State. On Friday, the Mavericks broke open a 1-1 game with four unanswered goals in the third period - including a pair from Jerad Stewart - for a 5-1 victory. The Beavers controlled the game on Saturday, finishing with a 31-14 advantage in shots, but Minnesota State was still able to pull out a 3-2 win over the Beavers - who came into the weekend with a record of 13-2-1.

Top-ranked Miami kept rolling in a home-and-home series with Ohio State. Junior forward Tommy Wingels notched four goals and an assist on Friday, and sophomore Cody Reichard stopped all 17 shots he faced in a 6-0 victory by the RedHawks - their third consecutive shutout. On Saturday, the Buckeyes held a two-goal advantage heading into the third period, but Miami would score four times in the final stanza for a 4-2 triumph.

Three ranked teams were able to salvage only splits in series against unranked squads over the weekend. No. 9 UMass Lowell beat Princeton 4-1 on Friday, but then lost 3-2 the next night. No. 16 Alaska edged Nebraska-Omaha by a 4-3 tally before falling 5-3 to the Mavericks. Elsewhere in the CCHA, Michigan topped 18th-ranked Notre Dame 4-1 on Friday before the Fighting Irish got a shutout from freshman Mike Johnson in a 2-0 decision on Sunday.

Most teams will now take a break from action for a few weeks, as there are only six games across the country (none of those involve any ranked teams) from now until the holiday tournaments kick off on Tuesday, Dec. 29. So for now - Happy Holidays, hockey fans!

Joe Colborne and Denver swept No. 2 North Dakota

The clash of the titans in Denver did not disappoint, but the third-ranked Pioneers were able to pull off a sweep of No. 2 North Dakota behind some outstanding goaltending from junior Marc Cheverie. On Friday, he made 34 saves and pitched his nation-leading fourth shutout of the season, while freshman forward Drew Shore provided the game's only score. North Dakota scored the first two goals on Saturday, but DU would rally thanks to a phenomenal effort from sophomore forward Joe Colborne. He scored twice early in the second and then provided the primary assist on a goal by junior forward Kyle Ostrow that would prove to be the game-winner. Colborne had several other chances and finished the game having put 11 shots on goal. UND had the apparent game-tying goal waived off with 43.9 seconds left in the game, and Denver held on for victory in a game where all five goals were scored with a man advantage. Both games drew capacity crowds of greater than 6,000.

Cheverie - a 2006 draft pick of the Florida Panthers - has been undisputedly the most-impressive goaltender in college hockey this season. He stands 7-0-0 and holds healthy leads among all DI players in both goals-against average (1.19; next best is 1.45) and save percentage (.961; next is .943).

The other series between ranked teams over the weekend saw 14th-ranked Notre Dame cool off one of the hottest teams in the country, No. 6 Michigan State. On Thursday, both defenses fluorished and the result was a 1-1 draw that eventually saw the Fighting Irish prevail in the shootout. The rivals - who played in the quarterfinals of the NCAA tournament in both 2007 and '08 - then faced off on Sunday in one of the venues that will host an NCAA regional this season, the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum in Fort Wayne, Ind. In that contest, MSU had a 28-16 advantage in shots, but Notre Dame posted a 4-1 victory that was highlighted by senior defenseman Kyle Lawson recording a pair of assists and finishing with a plus-4 rating.

Fifth-ranked Cornell had a big weekend of action and split its games against ranked squads. The Big Red scored the game's first four goals and eventually won by a 5-2 score over 19th-ranked Princeton on Friday. Senior Blake Gallagher (2-1) and junior Joe Devin (0-3) led Cornell offensively and both finished with plus-3 ratings, while senior Cam MacIntyre had both goals for the Tigers. On Saturday, No. 13 Quinnipiac took control early and survived a pair of late goals by Cornell to take a 3-2 road victory that would propel the Bobcats to a program-best national ranking of ninth this week. QU then stayed hot, scoring five times in the second period - including two markers from freshman defenseman Loren Barron - en route to a 5-1 victory against Princeton on Wednesday. It was Quinnipiac's seventh consecutive victory and gave the Tigers a four-game winless streak (0-3-1).

One team to top Princeton during that stretch was Colgate. On Saturday, the Tigers tied the game at 18:36 of the third, but junior forward Francois Brisebois netted his second goal of the game two minutes into overtime to give the Raiders a 5-4 victory. Princeton - which had won six in a row against Colgate - held a hefty 47-27 advantage in shots and got a pair of goals from Dan Bartlett. That propelled the Raiders into this week's national rankings at No. 20, but now-No. 7 Cornell scored twice in the final six minutes to earn a 4-2 win over Colgate on Tuesday night. CU, which was playing a (different) ranked team for the fourth consecutive game, took 10 more shots (30-20) than the Big Red.

Also on Tuesday, No. 10 Massachusetts trailed 18th-ranked Vermont 2-1 in the second before scoring five straight goals for a 6-2 win. Sophomore forward Casey Wellman had a hat trick, while junior forward James Marcou assisted on five of the UMass goals. On the same night, Providence upset UMass Lowell, which had moved up to No. 3 in this week's rankings, by a 4-2 score. Senior defenseman Mark Fayne led the Friars, setting up PC's first three goals and scoring its final tally to finish with a plus-2 rating.

Top-ranked Miami extended its unbeaten streak to eight in a weekend series at Western Michigan. On Friday, the RedHawks killed off all seven Western Michigan power plays, netted a pair of shorthanded goals, limited the Broncos to only 15 shots on goal and got a shutout from sophomore Cody Reichard in a 3-0 decision. The teams generated many more offensive opportunities on Saturday (73 combined shots, as opposed to 39 on Friday), but strong goaltending by both MU's Connor Knapp (29 saves) and WMU's Riley Gill (42 saves) had the game end in a 1-1 tie. Miami then took the shootout.

In another CCHA series, Northern Michigan put together a sweep of 12th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. The Wildcats - which earned a win and a tie on the road agaisnt Notre Dame the previous weekend - got a pair of goals on Friday from sophomore forward Justin Florek en route to a 5-1 win. In the finale, the game was tied 3-3 in the third before NMU netted three straight to close out the scoring. Junior forward Mark Olver had two goals and an assist and was a plus-3.

No. 10 Alaska looked to be on its way to being swept, as well. The Nanooks lost 4-3 at Lake Superior on Friday and were down 2-0 heading into the final period the next night, but senior center Dion Knelsen scored twice in the third and junior defenseman Bryant Molle did so with 49 seconds left in OT to salvage a 3-2 win. Two other ranked teams also had to settle for splits over the weekend in conference action. No. 15 Wisconsin lost by a 4-1 score to St. Cloud State on Friday, but rebounded for a win by the same score the next evening. No. 16 Michigan lost 4-2 to Bowling Green before prevailing 4-1 in the series finale.

The entire college hockey world will be focused on Denver this weekend, as the third-ranked Pioneers (6-3-1, 4-1-1 WCHA) will play host to No. 2 North Dakota (7-2-1, 5-2-1) in a matchup of elites. Friday's game gets going at 7:37 p.m. MT and will be televised by FSN Rocky Mountain, while Saturday starts at 7:07 p.m. MT. The Fighting Sioux are 4-1-1 in their last five games against DU.

Elsewhere, No. 5 Cornell has a big weekend, as the Big Red will play host to 19th-ranked Princeton on Friday night and then No. 13 Quinnipiac on Saturday. No. 6 Michigan State and 14th-ranked Notre Dame - which played to a 1-1 draw before the Irish won the shootout on Thursday in East Lansing - will face off again on Sunday in Fort Wayne, Ind., in the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum, one of the sites of NCAA Championship action this season. The other game on Thursday also was exciting, as James Marcou eventually scored with just over a minute remaining in overtime to give 11th-ranked UMass a 4-3 triumph on the road against No. 9 Yale.

Jarod Palmer and Miami won twice at Michigan

Top-ranked Miami made a strong case that it is the top team in college hockey early in this season with a road sweep of No. 4 Michigan. The RedHawks - now 8-1-1 on the season - got a pair of goals from senior forward Jarod Palmer on Friday in a 3-1 victory (though U-M had a 28-13 shot advantage) and then scored five straight after surrending the opening goal on Saturday to take a 5-1 win. Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard It marked the first time that a visiting team came into Yost Ice Arena and left with two victories since Oct. 26-27, 2001, a span of 45 series. Crowds of greater than 6,700 took in both games.

The only team to have defeated MU this season - No. 17 Michigan State - also made a statement in a conference series, getting a win and a tie against 10th-ranked Nebraska-Omaha. Sophomore goaltender Drew Palmisano earned his first career shutout on Thursday in a 3-0 win for the Spartans. The Mavericks did bounce back the next night to register a 3-3 tie and then win the shootout on the fourth skater.

The other big clashes over the weekend all ended with no clear winner. On Friday night, No. 8 UMass Lowell and 15th-ranked Vermont battled to a 3-3 draw, though UVM had a 37-22 edge in shots. No. 9 Notre Dame dealt 13th-ranked Alaska its first defeat of the season on Friday in a 3-2 decision, but the Nanooks snapped their 11-game winless streak (0-10-1) against Notre Dame the next night in a 3-1 game that featured a pair of goals by junior forward Derek Klassen.

In the WCHA, No. 20 Minnesota Duluth battled to a 4-3 road win against 12th-ranked Colorado College on Friday despite being outshot by 12 (33-21). But the Tigers got two goals and an assist from senior left wing Bill Sweatt on Saturday en route to a 6-2 triumph that featured four power-play markers. Two traditional national powers also split their WCHA series, as No. 18 Wisconsin topped Minnesota 4-2 on Friday behind a pair of goals from Blake Geoffrion. The Gophers struck back the next night with a 5-2 victory despite being outshot 47-28. Zach Budish had two goals and an assist and a plus-3 rating and Tony Lucia finished as a plus-4 and also added three points (1-2).

Second-ranked Denver opened the weekend with a 3-2 victory at Alaska Anchorage that saw senior forward Rhett Rakhshani score twice, but the Seawolves would come back the next night with a 7-3 upset win. Sean Wiles had a pair of tallies for UAA.

After a big win to open the season, No. 6 Yale failed to get a victory last weekend. The Bulldogs lost 5-2 to Rensselaer on Friday (Chase Polacek had two goals and an assist for the Engineers) and then managed just a 3-3 draw at Union. Another team that had a disappointing weekend was seventh-ranked and defending NCAA champion Boston University. The Terriers were shut out by Northeastern's Chris Rawlings in a 1-0 game on Friday and then lost 3-2 at Maine on Sunday. BU now stands at 2-5. The other upset over the weekend was delivered by St. Lawrence, which beat No. 14 Princeton 5-2 on Saturday.

Adam Shemansky scored twice in Maine's upset of No. 10 Vermont

The marquee series of the weekend did not disappoint, as the teams favored to finish atop Hockey East this season - No. 4 Boston University and No. 9 UMass Lowell - both battled to road victories against each other. On Friday, BU sophomore defenseman David Warsofsky scored twice (including once on the penalty kill) and had a plus-3 rating to lead the Terriers, and junior blueliner Colby Cohen - who scored the overtime game-winner in last season's NCAA title game - came through with an OT goal to give BU a 5-4 win in front of 5,496 fans. The River Hawks struck back the next night in a 3-2 decision in Boston. Senior forward Paul Worthington had two assists for UML.

The Ivy League schools finally began their 2009-10 campaigns over this weekend - meaning that all 58 Division I teams have now played regular-season games. Two of the Ivies hooked up in a big early matchup on Saturday, and seventh-ranked Yale scored four times in the third to rally from a 2-1 deficit for a 5-2 victory on the road against No. 11 Princeton. Junior forward Denny Kearney had three assists and junior defenseman Mike Matczak finished with a plus-4 rating to lead the Bulldogs.

Top-ranked Miami continued to roll with a road sweep against Northern Michigan. The RedHawks scored the game's first four goals - including two tallies in 41 seconds by junior forward Justin Vaive - and held on for a 4-3 triumph on Friday. Sophomore goaltender Cody Reichard, now 5-0-1 on the season, then made 24 saves the following night to lead MU to a 2-1 win.

No. 2 Denver had to settle for three points in its home series with Minnesota State. The Pioneers got two goals and an assist from junior forward Jesse Martin in a 4-3 win on Friday. The next night, freshman forward Tyler Pitlick had a pair of goals for the Mavericks, and DU needed a late tally from junior forward Kyle Ostrow to earn a 4-4 draw. Both games drew crowds of greater than 5,300 fans.

The biggest upset of the weekend occurred on Friday in Orono, as Maine - which came into the game with a 1-5-0 record - posted a 4-1 home victory against 10th-ranked Vermont. The Black Bears scored three times on the power play - including two goals from freshman forward Adam Shemansky - and also got 31 saves from sophomore Scott Darling. The Catamounts took all three meetings with Maine last season.

Three ranked teams - No. 13 Boston College, 17th-ranked Massachusetts and No. 18 Quinnipiac - earned multiple-goal victories on Friday, but then were knocked off in the second game of the series. BC doubled Merrimack's shot toal (36-18) on Friday in a 4-3 win in its home opener, but the Warriors would strike back on home ice in a 5-3 decision. It ended a 20-game winless streak (0-16-4) against the Eagles for Merrimack - which beat BC for the first time since Feb. 15, 2003, and stands 5-0 at home this season. Merrimack junior forward Chris Barton scored his seventh goal of the season on Saturday - which puts him in a tie (with Justin Fontaine of Minnesota Duluth and Michigan State's Corey Tropp) for tops among DI players.

UMass got goals from five different players in a 5-3 road victory over Providence on Friday that gave the Minutemen their first 4-0-0 start in six years. But sophomore goaltender Alex Beaudry stole the series finale for the Friars, making a career-high 47 saves in PC's 2-1 win that saw UMass hold a 48-28 shot edge. It was the second win over a ranked team already this season for the Friars, who split a series at Notre Dame last month.

Quinnipiac dominated Robert Morris on Friday, as freshman goaltender Eric Hartzell led the Bobcats to a 5-0 victory. It would be a different story for the Colonials the next night, though, as Robert Morris got a school-record four goals from junior forward Nathan Longpre - as well as a program-record 58 saves from freshman goaltender Eric Levine in an 8-5 upset win. Quinnipiac outshot RMU 105-53 in the series, but could manage just a split.

Eighth-ranked Notre Dame and No. 12 Nebraska-Omaha both had to settle for a win and a tie in CCHA series. The Irish topped Ohio State 3-1 on Friday before tying 2-2 the next night. The Mavericks tied Bowling Green, 3-3, on Friday and won 3-1 over the Falcons the next night.

No. 14 Bemidji State came home with a road sweep to remain unbeaten (5-0-1), but it wasn't easy. The Beavers took a pair of 2-1 overtime decisions against Alabama-Huntsville. Junior forward Matt Read had three of BSU's four goals.

Minnesota's Jordan Schroeder

The second weekend of the regular season again will see most - but not all - of the nationally-ranked teams in action, as 14 of the top 20 will play. Here are some notes on the big matchups:

• It's the first weekend of league action for the WCHA, and we will be treated with a great matchup when No. 9 Minnesota heads to No. 4 North Dakota for games on Friday and Saturday (on Fox College Sports, FSN North and Fighting Sioux Sports Network). UND is the defending McNaughton Cup (WCHA regular-season) champion and was picked to finish second in the league this season, while the Gophers were picked to finish fourth.
• North Dakota has been successful against Minnesota of late, going 8-2-1 in the last 11 meetings. Last season, the Sioux dominated in registering a sweep in the lone series between the squads. UND won 6-3 and 6-1 in Grand Forks.
• It will be a series with no shortage of talent on the ice, as these two teams boast a combined 34 players who have been selected in the NHL Draft. Minnesota has a roster of 26, with 19 of those players having been drafted (most among WCHA teams) - and North Dakota has 15 players who have been drafted (second in the WCHA).
• One of those players, Minnesota freshman Nick Leddy, will make his collegiate debut this weekend. Selected by the Wild as the 16th overall pick in this year's NHL Draft, he was Minnesota's Mr. Hockey award winner last season while helping Eden Prairie High School to a state title. Inside College Hockey tabbed Leddy as the top incoming freshman defenseman in the country.
• On Sunday, there will be another huge conference matchup between ranked teams, as No. 12 Boston College heads to No. 11 Vermont for a game televised by ESPNU in the first Hockey East contest of the season.
• Last season, BC beat UVM 3-2 at home early in the season, before the Catamounts got three points (3-3, 4-2) in a home series in January.
• Vermont split with then-No. 1 Denver last weekend and had an opportunity to get the sweep - having a two-goal lead heading into the third period on Friday before falling 5-4. It will be BC's season opener.
• Miami is now the unanimous top-ranked team in college hockey, but the RedHawks have a tough challenge this weekend. MU will play a two-game series at New Hampshire, which fell just outside of the rankings this week after being 16th last week.
• Denver - which slipped from the top spot to third this week - also has a tough road series ahead, as the Pioneers will play twice at Ohio State. The Buckeyes were ranked 17th last week, but fell out of the top 20 this week.
• The other two WCHA series this weekend also could be entertaining. Colorado College - which is listed 28th in this week's poll - will head to No. 13 Wisconsin for a pair of games, while two of the first five teams outside the Top 20 - Minnesota Duluth and Minnesota State - will play twice in Duluth.
• Other matchups pitting a ranked team against one that is receiving votes include No. 2 Boston University at UMass (Friday), No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate (Friday and Saturday), Rensselaer at No. 17 Alaska (Saturday) and Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State (Friday and Saturday).
• Four ranked teams - No. 2 Boston University, No. 9 Minnesota, No. 12 Boston College and No. 13 Wisconsin - will see their first regular-season action this weekend.
• Three ranked teams - No. 6 Cornell, No. 8 Yale and No. 10 Princeton - will not hit the ice until next weekend (for exhibition action) before beginning regular-season play over Halloween weekend.

WEEKEND SCOREBOARD WATCH
Top-20 and Television Schedule (All Times Eastern)
Thursday, October 15
No. 3 Denver at Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Providence at No. 7 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Free Video | Live Stats
Friday, October 16
No. 1 Miami at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 2 Boston University at UMass, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Bentley at No. 20 Northeastern, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Michigan State at Maine, 7 p.m. - TV: WABI (Bangor) & CW (Portland) | Live Stats
No. 3 Denver at Ohio State, 7:05 p.m. - Live Stats
Providence at No. 7 Notre Dame, 7:35 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 North Dakota, 7:37 p.m. - TV: FSSN & Fox College Sports & FSN | Live Stats
Colorado College at No. 13 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
Robert Morris at No. 17 Alaska, 11:35 p.m. - TV: KFXF (airs 11 p.m. AT) | Live Stats
Saturday, October 17
Bentley at No. 18 Quinnipiac, 4 p.m.
Union at No. 19 St. Cloud State, 6:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Cable Channel 14 (St. Cloud) | Live Stats
No. 1 Miami at New Hampshire, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
No. 16 Nebraska-Omaha at Colgate, 7 p.m. - Live Stats
Michigan State at Maine, 7 p.m. - TV: WABI (Bangor) & CW (Portland) | Live Stats
Colorado College at No. 13 Wisconsin, 8 p.m. - TV: FSN | Live Stats
No. 9 Minnesota at No. 4 North Dakota, 8:07 p.m. - TV: FSSN & Fox College Sports & FSN | Live Stats
Minnesota State at Minnesota Duluth, 8:07 p.m. - TV: Charter Communications | Live Stats
Rensselaer at No. 17 Alaska, 10:35 p.m. - TV: KFXF (airs 11:30 p.m. AT) | Live Stats
Sunday, October 18
No. 12 Boston College at No. 11 Vermont, 5 p.m. - TV: ESPNU | Live Stats

The first week of the regular season is finally here. The puck drops for two games that count - Rensselaer at UMass and Quinnipiac at Ohio State - on Thursday to kick off a pretty full weekend of regular-season action. Later in the week, we'll have a preview of the big matchups, as well as highlights of the exhibition play so far, plus a peak at this year's freshmen and which former collegians made NHL opening day rosters. But today, we take a look at the preseason polls in each conference. Here's a look at how each shook out:

Matt Fairchild and Air Force are picked to repeat as Atlantic Hockey champs

ATLANTIC HOCKEY ASSOCIATION
Air Force - last year's tournament champion and one of the regular-season co-champs - was chosen by the coaches as the favorite to take the crown in the Atlantic Hockey Association again this season. The Falcons received eight first-place votes, while Mercyhurst - last year's tournament runner-up - garnered the other two. The Falcons and Lakers play at Air Force on Dec. 11 and 12.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Air Force
2. Mercyhurst
3. Rochester Institute of Technology
4. Holy Cross
5. Canisius
6. Army
7. Bentley
8. Sacred Heart
9. Connecticut
10. American International

CCHA
Michigan - which finished second a season ago - was selected by both the coaches and media as the favorite to win the CCHA regular-season crown, marking the first time in four years that those groups agreed on the preseason favorite in the league. The Wolverines received five of 12 first-place votes from the coaches and 24 of 66 from the media. Forwards Louie Caporusso of Michigan and Carter Camper from Miami were unanimous picks on the preseason all-conference team. Last year's regular-season and tournament champion, Notre Dame, was picked to finish second. Michigan and the Fighting Irish - who met in the championship game of last year's conference tourney - will play in Ann Arbor on Dec. 11 and Feb. 25 and at Notre Dame on Dec. 13 and Feb. 27.

Preseason Polls (Coaches/Media)
1/1. Michigan
2/2. Notre Dame
3/3. Miami
4/4. Ohio State
5/5. Northern Michigan
6/7. Nebraska-Omaha
7/6. Alaska
8/9. Ferris State
9/8. Michigan State
10/11. Lake Superior State
11/10. Western Michigan
12/12. Bowling Green

COLLEGE HOCKEY AMERICA
After winning the CHA title last season and putting together a Cinderella run to the Frozen Four, Bemidji State is the coaches' favorite to repeat as champions in the conference's final year. Niagara was picked to finish second, while BSU forward Matt Read was tabbed as the CHA Preseason Player of the Year. Bemidji State and Niagara will meet six times during the regular season: Dec. 4 and 5 in Bemidji, Jan. 15 and 16 at Niagara and Feb. 19 and 20 in Bemidji.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Bemidji State
2. Niagara
3. Robert Morris
4. Alabama-Huntsville

ECAC
Yale was selected as the preseason favorite to claim the ECAC regular-season title for the second straight season by both the media and coaches. The Bulldogs received 15 of 25 first-place votes in the media poll, as well as seven of 12 from the coaches. Cornell was picked second in both, and four players - Princeton goaltender Zane Kalemba, Harvard defenseman Alex Biega and forwards David McIntyre of Colgate and Riley Nash from Cornell - were selected to the preseason all-conference team by both groups. Yale and Cornell will play in New Haven on Nov. 13 and in Ithaca on Feb. 13.

Preseason Polls (Coaches/Media)
1/1. Yale
2/2. Cornell
3/3. Princeton
4/4. Harvard
5/5. Dartmouth
6/6. Union
7/9. Colgate
T8/10. Rensselaer
T8/11. Quinnipiac
10/7. St. Lawrence
11/8. Clarkson
12/12. Brown

HOCKEY EAST
Defending NCAA champion Boston University earned six first-place votes en route to being chosen to take the Hockey East title for the second year in a row. UMass Lowell - which has not won a regular-season or tournament title in 25 years of Hockey East membership - was chosen as the runner-up and received two first-place votes. BU beat UMass Lowell 1-0 in the title game of the league tournament a year ago, and the Terriers and River Hawks will play in Lowell on Jan. 23 and Feb. 12 and at BU on Feb. 13.

Preseason Coaches' Poll
1. Boston University
2. UMass Lowell
3. Boston College
T4. New Hampshire
T4. Vermont
6. Northeastern
7. Massachusetts
8. Maine
9. Providence
10. Merrimack

WCHA
Denver is the favorite of both the coaches and media to win the WCHA title this season, taking eight of 10 first-place votes from the coaches and 23 of 25 from the media. Minnesota forward Jordan Schroeder was picked as the preseason player of the year by the media, while the coaches tabbed both Schroeder and St. Cloud State forward Ryan Lasch for the honor. Both groups selected St. Cloud State goaltender Mike Lee as preseason rookie of the year and also agreed on North Dakota - the 2008-09 regular-season champ - as the runner-up choice. The Pioneers and Fighting Sioux will play in Denver on Nov. 20 and 21 and in Grand Forks on Jan. 29 and 30.

Preseason Polls (Coaches/Media)
1/1. Denver
2/2. North Dakota
3/3. Wisconsin
4/4. Minnesota
5/5. St. Cloud State
6/6. Minnesota Duluth
7/8. Minnesota State
8/7. Colorado College
9/9. Alaska Anchorage
10/10. Michigan Tech