The
State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announces its 2012 Men’s
Ice Hockey Preseason Coaches Polls. Coaches voted for every team in the
conference and points were assigned for each vote (eight for first, seven for
second, etc.). Teams are ranked in order of highest point total to lowest with
first place votes shown in parentheses.
With seven first place votes, Oswego earned the top spot for the third straight year. Head coach Ed Gosek and the Lakers are coming off a season where they posted an overall record of 24-4-2 and a conference record of 14-0-2, but came up short of the league title. Oswego received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament where it defeated Elmira, 5-0, in the quarterfinals to advance to the NCAA Division III Championships for the third consecutive year, marking a program first.
With seven first place votes, Oswego earned the top spot for the third straight year. Head coach Ed Gosek and the Lakers are coming off a season where they posted an overall record of 24-4-2 and a conference record of 14-0-2, but came up short of the league title. Oswego received an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament where it defeated Elmira, 5-0, in the quarterfinals to advance to the NCAA Division III Championships for the third consecutive year, marking a program first.
With 58 points and two first place votes, reigning SUNYAC champion Plattsburgh took second place in the pre-season poll. The Cardinals have won four of the last five SUNYAC titles and made their fifth consecutive trip and 20th overall to the NCAA tournament last year where they were eliminated by Amherst College. The team finished 19-5-4 overall and 12-3-1 in conference play.
Geneseo
was voted third with just one more point than Buffalo State who was fourth with
45 points. The Knights Ice finished the 2011-12 conference regular season with
a fourth place record of 7-8-1 and fell in the first round of the SUNYAC
tournament to fifth-seeded Fredonia, 4-1.
The Bengals finished last season 8-7-1 in the conference and
13-12-2 overall and advanced to their first-ever SUNYAC semifinal game in
program history.
Completing the poll was Fredonia, Potsdam, Brockport, Cortland and Morrisville.
SUNYAC
conference games begin Friday, October 26. The six-team SUNYAC tournament will
be held on February 20, February 23 and March 2, 2012 on campuses. The top-two teams
will receive a first-round bye.
2012 SUNYAC
Men’s Ice Hockey Pre-Season Poll
1. Oswego 63 (7)
2. Plattsburgh 58 (2)
3. Geneseo 46
4. Buffalo St. 45
5. Fredonia 37
6. Potsdam 27
7. Brockport 25
8. Cortland 14
9. Morrisville 9
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