Miami hockey voted to finish ninth in NCHC preseason media poll

The college hockey season is fast approaching. Players, coaches and teams are building their foundations, and pundits and media members are making their predictions for the season.

In a media poll released by the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC), the Miami University RedHawks came in last place out of nine teams in the standings. While the moves they made over the offseason gave plenty of optimism to fans, there is still plenty of work ahead.

Eleven new faces joined the roster under the new regime. Head coach Anthony Noreen and his staff are doing all they can to acclimate the new players to their environment and ensure everyone is on the same page before the puck drops on Oct. 4.

Regarding the rest of the poll, NCHC media members selected the reigning national champions —the Denver University Pioneers —to finish first in the conference. The star-studded Pioneers lineup earned the most first-place votes of any team in the conference, and for good reason.

Following just behind the Pioneers in the polling are the University of North Dakota Fighting Hawks, the reigning Penrose Cup champions. Despite losing some significant weapons to the National Hockey League, they are still a powerhouse group with leaders in all positions looking for a national championship.

The Colorado College Tigers stand at third. The Tigers constantly found ways to win against the RedHawks and exceeded expectations in the 2023-24 season, finishing in the top half of the NCHC standings for the first time in program history.

The St. Cloud State University Huskies, University of Nebraska-Omaha Mavericks and Western Michigan University Broncos all sit in the middle of the order, with the Broncos receiving one first-place vote despite the lower number of “points” they received.

To round out the NCHC’s preseason media poll, the University of Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs finished seventh. The newest NCHC team, the Arizona State University Sun Devils, sit at eighth, yet still quite far ahead of the RedHawks.

The RedHawks had two intense games against the Sun Devils in 2023-24 when Arizona State was ranked 16th in the nation.

The Friday game finished 5-4 in overtime in favor of the RedHawks courtesy of then-sophomore forward Johnny Waldron. The Saturday square-off ended in a shootout loss for Miami. With the Sun Devils fully enveloped in the NCHC trenches, Miami against Arizona State may be one of the more exciting matchups in 2024-25.

Despite Miami being the only team to make a head coaching change, faith has yet to be established in the RedHawks.

Actions will always speak louder than words, and the season only draws closer by the day. The RedHawks' first regular-season series is on the road against the Ferris State University Bulldogs on Oct. 4 and Oct. 5.