MEN'S HOCKEY

October 21, 2008

Men's Ice Hockey: Norwich Ranked Fourth Nationally In First USCHO.com Poll

NORTHFIELD, Vt. - The Norwich University men's ice hockey team is ranked fourth in the initial USCHO.com Division III poll of the season. The Cadets, who won the ECAC East regular season and tournament titles before advancing to the NCAA Frozen Four for the seventh time last winter, went 23-7 and finished fifth in the final poll of 2007-08.

St. Norbert, the defending NCAA Division III national champion, was picked No. 1 in the poll. The Green Knights, who finished 27-1-4 last year and knocked off Norwich in the national semifinals, collected 14 of the 20 first-place votes. Plattsburgh State was picked second in the listing, receiving five first-place tallies. Elmira was slotted third, followed by Norwich and St. Thomas.

The only other ECAC East school ranked among the Top 15 is Babson, as the Beavers were picked 14th.

Norwich opens its 2008-09 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 15, when the Cadets host Southern New Hampshire in an exhibition game at Kreitzberg Arena at 7 p.m. NU lifts the lid on its regular season the following weekend (Nov. 21-22) when the Cadets welcome ECAC East rivals Southern Maine and Salem State to Kreitzberg for a weekend series.

For the entire 2008-09 Norwich men's ice hockey schedule, click HERE.