MARSHFIELD, Mass. – The New England Hockey Conference (NEHC) has released its annual Preseason Coaches’ Poll for women’s ice hockey as the Soaring Eagles sit atop with 98 total points. The poll is compiled based on rankings from the league’s ten head coaches.
The reigning league champions and NCAA Postseason semifinalists from the 2021-22 season, in Elmira College, are slated to repeat as league champions as the Purple & Gold collected nine first-place votes. The Soaring Eagles captured their first NEHC Championship last February after defeating Castleton, 4-0. Elmira outscored Salem State, William Smith, and Castleton 16-0 in its three NEHC Tournament contests.
Close on the heels of the Soaring Eagles are perennial powers, Norwich University, who collected 91 points and one first-place vote. The Cadets, who dropped a pair of regular season contests against Elmira last year, are eyeing a trip back to the NCAA postseason after a hiatus in 2021-22.
Last year’s league runner-up, Castleton University, was selected to finish third (71 points), with the University of Southern Maine and the University of Massachusetts Boston each collecting 68 total points to round out the top four.
In the most recent U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO) preseason Top 15 poll, the NEHC saw two programs ranked, with the Soaring Eagles garnering fourth and Norwich placing 11th.
Teams open the regular season non-conference schedule on Friday, October 28, with eight of ten teams seeing action that weekend. League play begins on November 4, with all ten teams hitting the ice that weekend. The Soaring Eagles will square off against each of the nine NEHC programs twice during the regular season.
The full NEHC Preseason Coaches’ Poll can be found below.
Full NEHC Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Total Points
1. Elmira College (9) 98
2. Norwich University (1) 91
3. Castleton University 71
T4. University of Massachusetts Boston 64
T4. University of Southern Maine 64
6. William Smith College 58
7. Plymouth State University 36
8. Johnson & Wales University 34
9. Salem State University 22
10. New England College 12
(First Place votes in parentheses)
