KALAMAZOO, Mich. – The Western Michigan hockey team was picked to finish sixth in the National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) preseason poll, which was released this afternoon by the league office. 

A total of 30 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 nine points, a second-place vote worth eight points and so on. 

The Broncos were one of four teams to receive a first-place vote in the poll, marking the second consecutive season the team has been picked by at least one voter to lead the conference. 

In total, the Brown and Gold collected 127 points in the poll. Denver was selected as the preseason favorite, while North Dakota and Colorado College rounded out the top three. DU, UND and CC were the other three teams to receive at least one first-place vote. 

Western Michigan is coming off of a historic season, which saw the program make the NCAA Tournament for the third consecutive season. That is the longest NCAA Tournament streak in program history and is the fourth longest active streak in the NCAA. 

The Broncos will have Cameron Rowe at NCHC Media Day on Thursday at Xcel Energy Center. Rowe will take over the NCHC's Twitter account at 10:15 a.m. EDT, and fans are encouraged to ask questions anytime before Thursday's event by using #NCHCAskCameron. Rowe will also talk to local and national media throughout the day. 

WMU opens its season with a home exhibition against the USNTDP on Oct. 5 at 6 PM. The regular season opener is set for Oct. 11 at Lawson Arena against Ferris State. Puck drop is at 7 PM. To purchase tickets, visit WMUBroncos.com/Tickets or contact the ticket office at 1-888-496-8849.

PRESEASON POLL
1.    Denver, 263 points (24 first-place votes)
2.    North Dakota, 241 (4)
3.    Colorado College, 200 (1)
4.    St. Cloud State, 149
5.    Omaha, 137
6.    Western Michigan, 127 (1)
7.    Minnesota Duluth, 115
8.    Arizona State, 80
9.    Miami, 38