Coaches rank Maine men 3rd Women’s team picked 7th in preseason Hockey East poll

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The University of Maine men’s hockey team was chosen to finish third in Hockey East by the league’s coaches while the women’s team was picked seventh.

There are 10 teams in the men’s league and eight in the women’s league.

“I had a hunch we’d be in the top four somewhere,” said Maine sixth-year head coach Tim Whitehead, who has guided his Bear teams to three Frozen Four appearances, including last season’s.

“Based on the season we had last year and our consistent record earning home ice [for the Hockey East quarterfinals], I figured that would be a logical place to put us,” said Whitehead.

Maine went 28-12-2 last season and lost to eventual national champion Wisconsin 5-2 in the Frozen Four semifinals in Milwaukee.

The Black Bears have finished in the top four in Hockey East for the past eight years, thus earning home ice for the quarterfinals. The Bears have also qualified for the NCAA Tournament in each of those eight seasons, the second longest current streak behind the University of Michigan’s 16 consecutive appearances.

Boston College, a 2-1 loser to Wisconsin in the NCAA title game, was chosen to win the conference.

The Eagles received 89 points and eight first-place votes. Boston University was second with 78 points and Maine was third with 75 points and the other two first-place votes.

“BC and BU are typically ranked first or second each year and they’ve done a tremendous job recruiting,” said Whitehead. “New Hampshire will be a little bit of a sleeper and they’ll contend for the title. I think we’ll push for the title as well. Providence and Vermont will be knocking on the door and there may be a few other teams in the mix.”

The Bears’ first official on-ice practice will be a Blue-White game on Saturday night at 7 at the Alfond Arena.

“I’m anxious to see our freshmen in their first game at the Alfond and we’ll have a chance to see the upperclassmen take on new roles. We’ll play two 25-minute halves and try to squeeze a mini-shootout in there as well,” said Whitehead.

“We’ve got 16 forwards, eight defensemen and four goalies. It should make for a pretty competitive game. We’ll try to mix up the veterans and rookies. We’ll give everyone a chance to shine. It will give us a chance to evaluate our players,” added Whitehead.

General admission tickets will be $5 for adults. Season ticket-holders and University of Maine students with a MaineCard will get in free.

First-year Maine women’s interim coach Lauren Steblen wasn’t surprised at where her team was selected even though the Bears return four of their top five scorers, four defensemen and all three goalies.

“We’re one of those teams that people don’t know where to put us,” said Steblen. “I’m a new coach and we’ve got a relatively unknown team.

“This will be a good chance for us to open up some eyes this year,” said Steblen, who played at Maine and assisted Guy Perron the last two years. “I think this is one of the strongest teams, if not the strongest team, we’ve ever had.”

She added that being selected next-to-last will “absolutely” serve as motivation.

The Maine women, 17-9-6 a year ago and a Hockey East semifinal loser (6-0) to Frozen Four participant New Hampshire, will open this weekend at home against Mercyhurst College (Pa.), the nation’s fifth-ranked team in the preseason US College Hockey Online poll.

New Hampshire was chosen to win the league with 56 points and seven first-place votes.

Maine women 22nd in poll

The University of Maine women’s soccer team, the nation’s No. 24-ranked team in Monday’s SoccerAmerica poll, was ranked 22nd in Tuesday’s National Soccer Coaches Association of America/Adidas poll.

Maine is 8-0-1 and has won seven straight entering Thursday night’s America East opener against No. 10 Boston University in Boston.

HOCKEY EAST COACHES POLLS

Men

(First-place votes in parentheses)

1. Boston College (8) 89

2. Boston University 78

3. Maine (2) 75

4. New Hampshire 67

5. Vermont 57

6. Providence 52

7. Massachusetts 37

8. Northeastern 35

9. UMass Lowell 32

10. Merrimack 18

Women

1. New Hampshire (7) 56

2. Boston College (1) 50

3. Boston University 41

4. Providence 38

5. Connecticut 33

6. Northeastern 25

7. Maine 22

8. Vermont 15