Hockey rankings: Regis Jesuit leads the preseason poll

Matt Mathewes/MVPSportsPics.com

Fresh off its 2016 state hockey championship, Regis Jesuit will begin the 2016-17 campaign as the No. 1 team in the state.

The Raiders take the top spot in the preseason CHSAANow.com hockey rankings with just over a week to go to the official start of regular season play.

They beat Monarch 6-1 in the state title game in early March.

The Coyotes come in at No. 2 and will look to bounce back from the heartbreaking loss and make another deep playoff run.

Sitting at No. 3 is Ralston Valley who advanced to the state semifinals before falling 6-2 to Monarch.

After failing to defend its 2015 state title last year, Cherry Creek is looking to regain its championship form and grabbing the No. 4 spot in the rankings is the first step in doing so. The Bruins lost to Mountain Vista in the quarterfinals.

Resurrection Christian snags the No. 5 spot after making a run to the quarterfinals last year. The Cougars lost to Ralston Valley 4-3 in last year’s quarterfinals.

Dakota Ridge takes the No. 6 spot and is the lowest team in the poll to receive a first-place vote.

The No. 7 spot goes to Mountain Vista who made a strong run to the state semifinals.

Denver East lands at No. 8 after an impressive 12-2 season in 2015-16. The Angels made the state playoffs, but were beaten by Resurrection Christian in the first round.

Just two years ago, Valor Christian went 2-10 prompting much-needed changes in the program. They’ve paid so far as the Eagles come in at No. 9 to start the season.

Rounding out the preseason poll at No. 10 is Lewis-Palmer. The Rangers made the state playoffs last season but were beaten by Steamboat Springs in the first round.

The rankings, voted upon by coaches and select media members, are the official polls of the Association. During the regular season, the poll will release each Monday.

Complete rankings are below.

CHSAANow.com Hockey Poll

Voted upon by coaches and media members around the state. These rankings have no bearing on postseason seeding.

First-place votes are in parentheses.

Coaches and media members looking to vote should email rcasey@chsaa.org.