Sept. 27, 2011

Colorado Spring, Colo. – With the release of the USA Today/USA Hockey MagazinePreseason Poll on Tuesday, the Boston College women’s ice hockey team was regarded as the nation’s fifth-best team. The ranking, which ties this year’s USCHO preseason poll as the program’s highest ever, signals the sixth time in seven years that the Eagles have been recognized as one of the country’s top 10 teams heading into the season.

Boston College returns 17 letter-winners from a squad that went 27-7-4, captured the program’s first-ever Hockey East Tournament Championship and made the NCAA Frozen Four a year ago.

Defending NCAA champion Wisconsin received all 19 first-place votes from the voting body that includes coaches and journalists from the four Division I ice hockey conferences and officers of the American Hockey Coaches Association (AHCA) and USA Hockey Magazine.

Coming in behind the Badgers, were Cornell (161 votes), Boston University (158 votes) and Minnesota (131 votes), with Boston College (102 votes) rounding out the top five.Minnesota-Duluth was ranked sixth, with North Dakota, Mercyhurst, Providence and Quinnipiac also in the top 10.

Boston College's highest preseason ranking had been eighth, received prior to the 2007-08 campaign.

Seven of the Eagles first 10 games pit them against teams featured in the poll. BC opens the season with a two-game series at No. 6 Minnesota-Duluth, hosts No. 10 Quinnipiac on Oct. 21, travels to No. 9 Providence on Oct. 28, and begins a home and home series with No. 3 BU on Nov. 2.

Boston College will lace up against eighth-ranked Mercyhurst for two games Dec. 9-10.

Other teams receiving votes were Northeastern (8), Dartmouth (6), Harvard (3) an Ohio State (1).