Mercyhurst – 22 points (3 first place votes) Robert Morris – 20 points (1 first place vote) Syracuse – 19 points (2 first place votes) Penn State – 15 points RIT – 8 points Lindenwood – 6 points

College Hockey America (CHA) released its preseason coaches poll on Monday and defending CHA champion Syracuse was picked to finish third in the conference. The Orange received 10 total votes and two first-place votes.'Cuse has been picked to finish in the top-three for five consecutive seasons now. Syracuse was the league's preseason favorite in both 2015 and 2016, was predicted to finish second in 2017, and was tabbed to finish third last season.Mercyhurst was picked as this season's favorite after receiving 22 points and three first-place votes. In second was Robert Morris with 20 points and one first-place vote. Rounding out the poll was Penn State (15), RIT (eight), and Lindenwood (six).The reigning champs are coming off a 13-22-3 season that saw them take down Lindenwood, Mercyhurst and Robert Morris en route to the first conference title in program history. Syracuse returns seven of its nine leaders in points from last season, along with four of its top five goal scorers. Captains for the 2019-20 season are redshirt senior, senior, and juniorThe Orange open the 2019-20 season on Sunday, Sept. 22 at 3 p.m. with an exhibition against Montreal at the Tennity Ice Pavilion.For complete coverage of the Syracuse ice hockey team, follow them on Facebook ( Syracuse Women's Ice Hockey ), Twitter ( @CuseIce ) and Instagram ( @CuseIce ).