Men's Hockey Picked Third in Preseason Poll; Kalemba Named to League Team

ALBANY, N.Y. (9/28/09) -- The Princeton men's hockey team was picked to finish third in the ECAC Hockey preseason coaches and media polls announced Monday as part of the league's media teleconference. Princeton enters the 2009-10 campaign off of back-to-back 20-win seasons and top-three league finishes.

Both polls were identical in order for the top six teams ranked as both the media and coaches picked defending league champion Yale to repeat. Cornell was the choice of both for second, with Princeton third, Harvard fourth, Dartmouth fifth and Union sixth. The Tigers received two first-place votes in each poll.

In addition to the polls, the ECAC announced the coaches and media preseason all-league teams and Princeton senior netminder was the goaltender selected by each. The reigning ECAC and Ivy League Player of the Year, Kalemba set Princeton single-season records for wins (22), goals-against (1.82) and save percentage (.932). He was also the recipient of the ECAC's Ken Dryden Award as top goaltender and was a second-team All-America selection.

Also on Monday, the first USA Today/USA Hockey Poll of the season was released, with Princeton receiving a preseason ranking of ninth, up six spots from its final ranking of 15th a season ago. The poll featured three ECAC teams with Cornell seventh and Yale 11th. The only other 2009-10 Princeton opponent ranked in the preseason poll was UMass-Lowell in 10th.

Unlike the six non-Ivy members of the ECAC, which all have exhibition games this coming weekend, Princeton opens the season with two exhibition games the weekend of Oct. 23-25 at Hobey Baker Rink.

Coaches' Preseason Poll:
1. Yale (7), 117
2. Cornell (3), 113
3. Princeton (2), 103
4. Harvard, 87
5. Dartmouth, 64
6. Union, 55
7. Colgate, 54
8. Quinnipiac, 47
Rensselaer, 47
10. St. Lawrence, 46
11. Clarkson, 44
12. Brown, 11

ECAC Hockey Writers and Broadcasters Association Preseason Poll:
1. Yale (15), 275
2. Cornell (7), 272
3. Princeton (2), 253
4. Harvard (1), 224
5. Dartmouth, 183
6. Union, 143
7. St. Lawrence, 134
8. Clarkson, 125
9. Colgate, 106
10. Rensselaer, 102
11. Quinnipiac, 90
12. Brown, 35

Coaches' Preseason All-Conference Team:
G -Zane Kalemba, Princeton
D - Alex Biega, Harvard
D - Evan Stephens, Dartmouth
F - David McIntyre, Colgate
F - Riley Nash, Cornell
F - Sean Backman, Yale

ECAC Hockey Writers and Broadcasters Association Preseason All-Conference Team:
G -Zane Kalemba, Princeton
D - Alex Biega, Harvard
D - Brendon Nash, Cornell
F - David McIntyre, Colgate
F - Riley Nash, Cornell
F - Mark Arcobello, Yale

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Zane Kalemba