DANBURY, Conn. – In a vote of the ECAC Northeast's nine head coaches, the Wentworth Institute of Technology ice hockey team has been picked to finish sixth in the pre-season coaches' poll released this afternoon.

Wentworth picked up 37 total points, with two-time defending league champion Nichols (78 points, six first-place votes) selected as the favorite to claim the conference title. Last year's runner-up, Salve Regina, picked up a first-place vote and 67 points to be ranked second, while Johnson & Wales and Endicott each picked up one first place vote and garnered 64 and 51 points, respectively.

Second-year head coach Jay Pecora and his squad open the 2015-2016 campaign against Worcester State at the ICFCU Shootout at Fitchburg State on Friday, October 30. The Leopards welcome back 12 returners from last season, including sophomores Erik Andersson (Madison, N.J.) and Chris Sattler (East Longmeadow, Mass.) who tallied 14 points apiece as freshmen and sophomore Jake McDonough (Marshfield, Mass.) who had 12 points during his rookie campaign. Senior Joel Miller (Calgary, Alta.) returns between the pipes after a junior season that saw him record a 6-7-2 record with a 2.81 goals against average and a .896 save percentage.

The Leopards finished the 2014-2015 campaign with an 11-12-3 record. This is the final season of the ECAC Northeast Conference as all nine teams plus the University of the New England will compete in the Commonwealth Coast Conference beginning in the 2016-2017 season.

2015-2016 ECAC Northeast Pre-Season Coaches' Poll