WOMEN'S HOCKEY PICKED NO. 5 IN NATIONAL PRESEASON POLL

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of New Hampshire received 113 points to place No. 5 in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Preseason Poll that was released Tuesday.

The University of Wisconsin received all 19 first-place votes for 190 points and the No. 1 ranking. Mercyhurst College (162 points), University of Minnesota (153) and University of Minnesota Duluth (125) followed UW in the poll. UNH is followed by Boston College (83), St. Lawrence University (82), Harvard University (42), Dartmouth College (41) and Boston University (33).

The 13th annual USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Women’s College Hockey Poll is conducted each week in conjunction with the American Hockey Coaches Association. The poll includes input from coaches and journalists representing each of the four NCAA Division I ice hockey conferences, as well as composite votes from officers of the AHCA and USA Hockey Magazine, the most widely distributed hockey magazine in the world.

UNH returns 11 letterwinners from last year’s team that won both the Hockey East regular season and tournament titles, advanced to the NCAA quarterfinals and finished the season with a 24-6-5 record as well as a No. 5 national ranking.

New Hampshire, which was selected atop the Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll that was released last week, opens the season Oct. 3 at home against Hockey East rival UConn. Game time at the Whittemore Center is 2 p.m. The Wildcats also play host to Quinnipiac University on Oct. 4 (2 p.m.).

Tickets for all women’s ice hockey home games are available at the Whittemore Center Box Office, online at www.unhwildcats.com, or by calling Ticketmaster at 1-800-745-3000. Season tickets are available by calling 603-862-4000, ext. 5.