ECAC Hockey Coaches and Media Choose Yale in Preseason Polls

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A 2008-09 season of “firsts” and records has continued into the start of a new campaign for the Yale men’s hockey team. The Bulldogs, defending ECAC Hockey regular-season and tournament champions and 2009 NCAA Tournament participant, have been picked to finish first in both the ECAC Hockey Coaches’ Preseason Poll and the ECAC Hockey Writers and Broadcasters Association (ECACHWBA) Preseason Poll. The latter was conducted by Schenectady Daily Gazette sportswriter Ken Schott.

Yale, predicted to finish atop the ECAC Hockey standings for the first time, received 15 of 25 first-place votes and earned 278 points in the writers’ poll. The Blue had seven of the 12 first-place votes in the coaches’ poll. The highest prediction for a Yale squad prior to this season was fifth in 2003.

Cornell and Princeton were second and third in both polls.

Yale senior forward Mark Arcobello (Milford, Conn.), a second-team All-America and first-team All-ECAC selection, was named ECACHWBA Pre-Season All-Conference with 18 votes. The other forwards were David McIntyre (20) of Colgate and Riley Nash (19) of Cornell, while defensemen Alex Biega (18) of Harvard and Brendon Nash (9) of Cornell and Princeton goalie Zane Kalemba (18) were also picked.

Another Eli senior, Sean Backman (Cos Cob, Conn.) was picked by the ECAC Hockey coaches as a pre-season all-conference forward.

On a busy pre-season media day, the Bulldogs were also selected 11th in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine national poll.

ECAC Hockey Coaches’ Preseason Poll:

1) Yale (7)
2) Cornell (3)
3) Princeton (2)
4) Harvard
5) Dartmouth
6) Union
7) Colgate
T-8) Quinnipiac
T-8) Rensselaer
10) St. Lawrence
11) Clarkson
12) Brown

ECAC Hockey Coaches’ Preseason All-Conference Team:

Goaltender - Z. Kalemba, Princeton
Defense – A. Biega, Harvard
Defense – E. Stephens, Dartmouth
Forward – D. McIntyre, Colgate
Forward – R. Nash, Cornell
Forward – S. Backman, Yale