Sept. 20, 2011

WAKEFIELD, Mass. - The Boston University women's ice hockey team was picked to repeat as Hockey East regular-season champions in the 2011-12 preseason coaches' poll, the league office announced on Tuesday. The Terriers garnered 55 points and six-of-eight first place votes to earn the top spot.

BU is also ranked second in the USCHO.com Division I preseason poll that was released on Monday. It is the highest preseason national ranking in program history.

In the Hockey East coaches' poll, the Terriers were followed by rival Boston College, which accumulated 51 points and the remaining pair of first-place votes. Northeastern (42 points) is projected to finish third, while Providence (39) and Connecticut (30) round out the top five. Vermont (24) took sixth place, and New Hampshire (21) and Maine (18) finished in seventh and eighth place, respectively.

In 2010-11, BU advanced to the NCAA tournament for the second time in program history and won its first two NCAA games en route to a berth in the national championship contest.

The Terriers will host Ottawa of the PWHL in an exhibition game on Saturday (Sept. 24) at 3 p.m. BU opens the regular season with a home contest against No. 7 North Dakota on Friday, Sept. 30, at 7 p.m.

2011-12 Women's Hockey East Preseason Coaches' Poll