2008 Woodie Awards
Hockey: Icers picked to finish near top of conference
Coach Jackson names Condra captain
Sam Werner
Issue date: 10/2/08 Section: Sports
After edging out Michigan in last year's national semifinals, Notre Dame finds itself knotted with the rival Wolverines atop the CCHA preseason polls, which were announced at Tuesday's CCHA Media Day in Grand Rapids, Mich.
The Irish took the top spot in the coach's poll, with 128 points and eight first-place votes. Michigan ranked a close second, with 122 points and three first-place votes.
It was a different story in the media poll, though, with the Wolverines topping the rankings with 945 points and 43 first-place votes. The Irish were No. 2, earning 915 points and 35 first-place votes.
Either way, the Irish are certainly one of the top dogs in the CCHA.
"It's always nice to get ranked high, but it doesn't have a whole lot of meaning at this point," Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. "It just speaks for how we finished the season last year and the group of guys we've got coming back."
Michigan State, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Michigan rounded out the top five, albeit in a different order in each poll.
This year marked the first time the Irish were picked No. 1 in either CCHA preseason poll, but captain Erik Condra said he knows the team has a long way to go to make good on their ranking.
"The CCHA is so tight, you never know who's going to come out and be the lead dog in the race," Condra said. "Some teams are picked first in the league in the beginning and they end up in the bottom six."
Last year, Notre Dame was ranked third in both preseason polls. The Irish finished fourth, but mainly because of a red-hot start, as the team struggled during the middle part of the season.
"Being ranked that high, there's always a target on your chest," Condra said. "Teams aren't going to take you lightly and we saw that in the middle of last year."
Jackson named Condra team captain Monday, along with alternates Christian Hanson, Ryan Thang and Kyle Lawson. A senior right wing from Livonia, Mich., Condra led the Irish in scoring in each of his three years with the team. Last year, he tallied 38 points despite missing the last six games of the season with a knee injury.
The Irish took the top spot in the coach's poll, with 128 points and eight first-place votes. Michigan ranked a close second, with 122 points and three first-place votes.
It was a different story in the media poll, though, with the Wolverines topping the rankings with 945 points and 43 first-place votes. The Irish were No. 2, earning 915 points and 35 first-place votes.
Either way, the Irish are certainly one of the top dogs in the CCHA.
"It's always nice to get ranked high, but it doesn't have a whole lot of meaning at this point," Notre Dame coach Jeff Jackson said. "It just speaks for how we finished the season last year and the group of guys we've got coming back."
Michigan State, Miami (Ohio) and Northern Michigan rounded out the top five, albeit in a different order in each poll.
This year marked the first time the Irish were picked No. 1 in either CCHA preseason poll, but captain Erik Condra said he knows the team has a long way to go to make good on their ranking.
"The CCHA is so tight, you never know who's going to come out and be the lead dog in the race," Condra said. "Some teams are picked first in the league in the beginning and they end up in the bottom six."
Last year, Notre Dame was ranked third in both preseason polls. The Irish finished fourth, but mainly because of a red-hot start, as the team struggled during the middle part of the season.
"Being ranked that high, there's always a target on your chest," Condra said. "Teams aren't going to take you lightly and we saw that in the middle of last year."
Jackson named Condra team captain Monday, along with alternates Christian Hanson, Ryan Thang and Kyle Lawson. A senior right wing from Livonia, Mich., Condra led the Irish in scoring in each of his three years with the team. Last year, he tallied 38 points despite missing the last six games of the season with a knee injury.