Polls Pick W. Hockey Third

The Harvard women’s hockey team earned a No. 3 national ranking in both the USCHO and USA Today/AHM pre-season polls that were released earlier this week.

The Crimson was selected behind defending national champion Minnesota-Duluth and 2001 WCHA champion Minnesota. Ivy rivals Dartmouth and Brown were ranked No. 4 and No. 5 respectively.

The poll comes a week after the Crimson was selected by ECAC coaches to finish first in its conference. The ranking was the Crimson’s highest since it finished third at the 2001 Frozen Four. Harvard finished with a No. 9 national ranking at the end of last season, which three of its players deferred for the Olympics.

The highly regarded Crimson will be tested early as three of its first four contests come on the road against the other three Frozen Four favorites—No. 1 Minnesota-Duluth, No. 2 Minnesota and Dartmouth. The Frozen Four will be held at Duluth this year.

The ECAC led all conferences with four teams in the USA Today/AHM poll and five teams in the USCHO poll.