COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The University of North Dakota hockey program is selected to finish second, as the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) unveiled its 2022-23 Preseason Poll Wednesday, with Denver being picked by the media to win the Penrose Cup for a second straight year.
 
The Pioneers collected 19 of 23 first-place votes and 180 points total to finish first in the media poll. North Dakota, which split the Penrose Cup with DU a season ago as co-regular-season champions, placed second in the poll, garnering 160 points and the four remaining first-place votes. Minnesota Duluth (136 points) and St. Cloud State (115) round out the top half of the preseason poll. Western Michigan (86) comes in fifth in the poll, followed by Colorado College (64), Omaha (59) and Miami (28), respectively.
 
A total of 23 ballots were submitted by local media members from each school, as well as select national media. Points were awarded on a descending scale with a first-place vote worth eight points, a second-place vote worth seven points and so on. 
 
North Dakota won its third straight Penrose Cup in 2021-22, which was the first time the NCHC has seen co-champions. UND has also won Penrose Cups in 2014-15, 2015-16, 2019-20 and 2020-21. The Fighting Hawks bring back 20 letterwinners from last year's team, including First-Team All-NCHC honoree junior forward Riese Gaber, who was also named Preseason All-NCHC. UND is ranked No. 4 in both national preseason polls released Monday. If UND were to capture the crown once again, it would become the first team in NCHC history to win four straight Penrose Cups and the first in the program's history to win four consecutive conference titles.
 
Tomorrow, NCHC Media Day takes place on Thursday, Sept. 22 at Xcel Energy Center in Saint Paul, Minn., the home of the 2023 NCHC Frozen Faceoff. Fans can take part in 2022 NCHC Media Day by asking questions during the Twitter Takeovers in the morning, watching Instagram Live interviews in the afternoon, and streaming the State of the Conference address for free on NCHC.tv.
 
While Media Day serves as the unofficial start of the 2022-23 season, the NCHC officially drops the puck on its 10th season on Saturday, Oct. 1 with four non-conference contests and a quartet of exhibition games, as all eight NCHC teams are in action. Fans can watch more than 150 games live this season on NCHC.tv, including eight games opening weekend. To subscribe to NCHC.tv, click here.
 
2022-23 NCHC Preseason Media Poll

1. Denver – 180 points (19 first-place votes)
2. North Dakota – 160 (4)
3. Minnesota Duluth – 136
4. St. Cloud State – 115
5. Western Michigan – 86
6. Colorado College – 64
7. Omaha – 59
8. Miami - 28