Opening Faceoff
St. Lawrence is up next in our preseason power rankings.
The Saints are an interesting group. Last year’s team was loaded with freshmen, most of whom return and could form the foundation of a team that’s ready to make some noise in the ECAC.
Also in this newsletter, we have an update on the ongoing situation at Arizona State, where a player was hospitalized after suffering a heat-related illness during an outdoor workout last week.
As of late Sunday, the player — whom College Hockey Insider is not naming out of respect for him and his family — remained hospitalized in Arizona in critical condition.
Our thoughts are with the player, his family, and everyone at Arizona State.
You can keep up with all of my preseason power rankings and team previews using the link below:
Preseason Power Rankings: No. 55 St. Lawrence
Storylines
— The Saints finished last season 7-25-3, but they showed some signs of turning a corner late in the year. From Feb. 23 through the end of the season, St. Lawrence went 5-5-1 over its final 11 games.
— Brent Brekke enters his third season behind the St. Lawrence bench. The Saints are 68-141-26 under his direction, highlighted by the program’s 2021 ECAC Tournament championship.
— St. Lawrence will be the first Division I program to face Maryville, hosting the Saints for a two-game series on Oct. 2-3.
The rest of the non-conference schedule includes road games at Providence, UMass Lowell, and Robert Morris, along with a home-and-home series against Vermont and appearances in two holiday tournaments.
St. Lawrence will face Merrimack and RIT at the Adirondack Invitational over Thanksgiving weekend in Lake Placid. Then, on Dec. 28-29, the Saints will travel to Long Island for the Empire State Hockey Invitational, where they’ll face Ferris State before playing either Long Island or Army.
— Every player on last season’s roster was named to the ECAC All-Academic Team.
