Coaches pick MSU as preseason favorite to win Big Ten hockey title

Spartans receive eight first-place votes in Big Ten preseason poll

Michigan State has been picked to win the Big Ten hockey title in the preseason coaches poll, the conference announced on Tuesday.

The Spartans received eight first-place votes and 72 points in the poll, which was voted on by the league's 14 head coaches.

MSU is coming off a season in which it went 23-11-5 and finished second in the Big Ten standings with a 13-7-2 conference record.

The Spartans return several key players from last year's team, including senior captain Mitchell Lewandowski, who led the team in scoring with 14 goals and 29 assists.

Other key returnees for MSU include junior goaltender Drew DeRidder, who was named the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year last season, and senior defenseman Dennis Cesana, who was named to the All-Big Ten First Team.

The Spartans will open their season on Oct. 8 at home against UMass.

Other teams receiving first-place votes

In addition to MSU, four other teams received first-place votes in the preseason poll:

• Penn State (3 first-place votes)
• Michigan (2 first-place votes)
• Ohio State (1 first-place vote)
• Wisconsin (1 first-place vote)

Penn State, Michigan, Ohio State, and Wisconsin are all coming off NCAA Tournament appearances last season.

The Big Ten hockey season is scheduled to begin on Oct. 7.