Penn State opens 10th in USCHO preseason poll

A new season has brought another first for the Penn State men’s hockey team.

The Nittany Lions open the season ranked 10th in the U.S. College Hockey Online preseason poll — the first time Penn State has been ranked to begin a campaign.

The Lions, who rose to No. 1 in January during last season, finished at No. 8 after winning the Big Ten tournament title and advancing to the NCAA regional finals.

The USCHO poll, topped by defending champion Denver, has five of the Big Ten’s seven teams in its top 20 list with No. 3 Minnesota, No. 8 Notre Dame, No. 12 Wisconsin and No. 19 Ohio State joining the Lions.

Penn State plays Canadian college program Ottawa at 3 p.m. Sunday at Pegula Ice Arena, and opens the regular season Oct. 6 at Clarkson.

This story was originally published September 25, 2017 at 11:26 PM with the headline "Penn State opens 10th in USCHO preseason poll."