Saint Paul, Minn. (October 23, 2009) -  After grinding through the NCHA playoffs and reaching the NCAA Frozen Four last season, the UW-Stout Blue Devils have been pegged the favorite in 2009-10 by the coaches in their annual preseason poll. UW-Stout received five of the six first-place votes, with one going to St. Norbert.

The Blue Devils lose several players off last year’s roster, most notably goaltender Matt Koenig. But the core of their scoring punch is back, including the reigning conference point champion Derek Hanson (Bemidji, MN / Danville). Hanson racked up 45 points in 08-09 on 17 goals and 28 assists. He’s joined by fellow snipers Joel Gaulrapp (Owatonna, MN / Owatonna), who bagged 21 goals, and Scott Motz (Lake Elmo, MN / Tartan), who added 14 among 37 points.

Second in the poll was St. Norbert, followed closely by last year’s regular season champ UW-Superior. The Green Knights bring back All-American defenseman Nick Tabisz (Kettering, OH) to lead a team that nearly made the NCAA tournament last year. UW-Superior has a big hole to fill in the graduation of goalie Chad Beiswenger – last year’s NCHA player of the year – but it brings back two of its top three scorers.

Read the full release from the NCHA.