ALBANY, N.Y. -- The 2018-19 ECAC Hockey men’s regular season is now just two weeks away, and the coaches have chosen who they think will top the league this year. Defending Cleary Cup champion Cornell tops this years pre-season poll, receiving eight-of-12 first-place votes.

Princeton, who earned an NCAA Tournament berth after winning the ECAC Hockey Tournament last year, received the remaining four first-place votes, and is ranked second. Union (97 points) comes in third in the pre-season rankings, while Clarkson, who also competed in last season’s NCAA Tournament, ranks fourth with 92 points. Harvard (fifth - 89 points), and Yale (sixth - 64 points) round out the top half of the voting.

Below is the entire 12-team pre-season poll:

1. Cornell (8) 117

2. Princeton (4) 106

3. Union 97

4. Clarkson 92

5. Harvard 89

6. Yale 64

7. Quinnipiac 63

8. Dartmouth 54

9. Colgate 36

T-10. RPI 28

T-10. St. Lawrence 28

12. Brown 18

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ABOUT ECAC HOCKEY

Established in 1961-62, ECAC Hockey is home to elite student-athletes from 12 of the nation’s most prestigious institutions: Brown University, Clarkson University, Colgate University, Cornell University, Dartmouth College, Harvard University, Princeton University, Quinnipiac University, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, St. Lawrence University, Union College and Yale University.