The Franklin Pierce University women’s ice hockey team has been picked to finish sixth in the New England Hockey Conference Preseason Coaches’ Poll, as announced on Thursday afternoon by the Conference office.
Franklin Pierce (17-8-1, 10-7-0 NEHC in 2015-16) finished sixth in the league a year ago, exactly where it was picked in advance of the upcoming 2016-17 campaign. The Ravens collected 118 points in the poll, and four of the five teams picked in front of them are teams which finished in front of Franklin Pierce last season.
At the top of the poll, Norwich (21-7-0, 16-1-0 NEHC) – which claimed the regular-season title last year – earned 181 points and seven of 14 available first-place votes and was picked to repeat at the top of the NEHC.
The Ravens open their season on Friday, Oct. 28, when they travel to Saint Anselm for an NEHC contest. Opening faceoff is set for 7 p.m. at Sullivan Arena in Manchester, N.H.