COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – National Collegiate Hockey Conference (NCHC) teams are picking up where they left off. After ending last season with five teams in the top 11 nationally, including No. 1, the NCHC has five squads, including No. 1, ranked in the top 14 of both the USCHO.com and USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason Polls, which were released Monday with less than two weeks until the 2022-23 campaign commences.

The NCHC’s five ranked teams tie with Hockey East for the most from one conference, but the NCHC is the only conference with three teams in the top five of both polls. Defending national champion Denver sits atop both polls, the same spot they ended the 2021-22 season, while North Dakota and Minnesota Duluth are both ranked in the top five. Western Michigan and St. Cloud State reside within the top 15 of each poll, while Omaha is receiving votes in each ranking.

Denver won the program’s ninth NCAA national championship last season and begins this year once again No. 1 in both polls. The Pioneers, which went 31-9-1 a season ago, received 37 of 50 first-place votes in the USCHO Poll and 25 of 34 first-place votes in the USA Hockey Magazine Poll to start 2022-23. Minnesota sits behind DU in both polls at No. 2. Denver opens the season Saturday, Oct. 1 with an exhibition game against UNLV’s ACHA team.

North Dakota is ranked fourth in both preseason polls, after ending 2021-22 ninth in each. The Fighting Hawks shared the Penrose Cup with Denver last season as co-regular season champions and made the NCAA Tournament, posting a 24-14-1 record. Minnesota State is just in front of UND in both polls at No. 3, while fellow NCHC foe Minnesota Duluth is right behind at No. 5. The Fighting Hawks open the season with an exhibition game against Manitoba on Saturday, Oct. 1.

UMD starts this season in the same spot they ended last year – No. 5 in both polls. The Bulldogs compiled a 22-16-4 record in 2021-22, while winning the NCHC Frozen Faceoff and making a NCAA regional final. UMD is sandwiched between UND and No. 6 Michigan in both preseason rankings. Minnesota Duluth begins the new campaign by hosting Arizona State for two games on Oct. 1-2.

St. Cloud State comes in at No. 13 in both preseason national polls after ending last year No. 11. The Huskies finished fourth in the NCHC a season ago, while making the NCAA Tournament and posting an 18-15-4 record in 2021-22. SCSU ranks between Boston University and fellow NCHC foe Western Michigan in both polls. The Huskies drop the puck for the first time in 2022-23 on Saturday, Oct. 1 at St. Thomas in the first half of a home-and-home series.

The final ranked NCHC team is Western Michigan, which is the lone NCHC team with different rankings in the polls. The Broncos check in at No. 12 in the USA Hockey Magazine Poll, but reside two spots back at No. 14 in the USCHO Poll. WMU is sandwiched between No. 13 SCSU and No. 15 Providence in the USCHO Poll and No. 11 Harvard and No. 13 SCSU in the USA Hockey Magazine Poll. Western Michigan ended last season ranked sixth nationally after racking up a 26-12-1 record and winning the program’s first NCAA Tournament game. WMU opens the new season Oct. 1-2 up north at Alaska Anchorage.

In addition to the five ranked NCHC teams, Omaha is receiving votes in both polls. The Mavericks would be 24th in the USCHO Poll if it continued beyond 20 teams, while UNO would rank 28th in the 20-team USA Hockey Magazine Poll. Omaha, which posted a 21-17-0 record last season, begins the 2022-23 campaign with an exhibition game against No. 3 Minnesota State on Oct. 1.

All eight NCHC teams begin the 2022-23 season, which is the Conference’s 10th of competition, on Saturday, Oct. 1. Four teams play exhibition games and four teams open the regular season against non-conference foes. Five of the eight games on opening night can be seen on NCHC.tv. Early Bird pricing is available for NCHC.tv annual pass subscriptions through Sept. 21.