If the Huskies get off to the same blistering start as last year, which saw them rattle off an 11-game unbeaten streak, don’t expect the rest of Hockey East to be surprised.
Northeastern was picked fourth in the Hockey East preseason coaches’ poll, which was released at the annual Hockey East media day at the TD Banknorth Garden Monday. The team was picked seventh last year, and hasn’t been ranked this high in the preseason poll in head coach Greg Cronin’s four years with NU.
While Husky rink rats might be enthused about the team’s preseason, don’t expect any of the players to let the ranking effect their play on the ice.
“I don’t pay attention to the polls very much at all,” said senior captain and forward Joe Vitale. “You don’t know how the year is going to go until that first puck drops. It’s a long year, a lot of ups, and a lot of downs. The polls are mostly for the fans, they don’t really mean anything. The only standings that really matter are the ones at the end of the year.”
Junior goaltender Brad Thiessen said the preseason polls offered a chance for the Huskies to leapfrog their predicted finish – but it’s not something the players take to heart.
“For the fans and students, it’s nice to look at for them and see that we are getting the recognition as a program,” he said. “But for the players, they know it gets played on the ice. We don’t pay too much attention, we just go out and play our game and go for the top spot, and not settle for fourth.”
While Cronin said he thinks the preseason polls are “superficial,” he said he believes they can serve as a good measurement of how his team is viewed in the league.
“It’s a good reflection of the perception that our program is heading in the right direction,” Cronin said. “It’s just a preseason superficial poll, but in a superficial way it’s nice.”
Defending national champion Boston College (No. 1), along with Boston University (No. 2) and New Hampshire (No. 3) were all picked in front of the Huskies.
However, the Huskies acquainted themselves with the national rankings last season.
After not losing a game from Nov. 3 to Jan. 4 last year, the Huskies found themselves ranked seventh in the nation entering the Jan. 11 game against Merrimack.
The Huskies dropped that game 4-2, and went 6-13-1 the rest of the season. Despite the swoon, the Huskies entered the final game in contention for home ice for the playoffs. A 4-1 loss to BC sent the Huskies packing for Vermont, where they dropped the first game before rallying for a 2-1 overtime win in Game 2. However, they couldn’t carry the momentum and dropped the deciding game 4-1.
“I think we learned a lot. We started out on top last year,” Vitale said. “I think when you’re on top, you have a big target on your backs. I think we sort of realized that and kind of came around towards the end when we progressed towards the playoffs and played at Vermont.”
Despite struggling during the latter part of the season, Thiessen said Northeastern won’t be sneaking up on anyone this year.
“The last couple of years, we’ve flown under the radar, [and] surprised a few teams,” Thiessen said. “People know Northeastern is a tough team to play against, so everyone is going to be ready when they are playing us.”
