Two-time defending NCAA champion Minnesota Duluth is the near-unanimous pick as the No. 1 team in the first U.S. College Hockey Online poll of the 2019-20 season.
The Bulldogs, who beat Massachusetts 3-0 on Buffalo, N.Y., in April to repeat as national champions, received 59 of 60 first-place votes and 996 points to easily outdistance Denver, a fellow NCHC member that also advanced to the Frozen Four last season. The Pioneers had 891 points.
The other first-place vote went to defending WCHA champion Minnesota State, which is No. 3 with 788 points. Rounding out the top five were Massachusetts and Cornell. St. Cloud State, the reigning NCHC regular-season champion, is ranked No. 6, followed by Providence, Quinnipiac, Notre Dame and Clarkson.
Joining Notre Dame among Big Ten teams in the top 20 are No. 12 Ohio State, No. 13 Penn State and No. 16 Wisconsin. The Gophers were the top team among others receiving votes, checking in at No. 21.
From the NCHC, Western Michigan was No. 14 and North Dakota was No. 18. Bowling Green of the WCHA was No. 17.
