Southern Maine was picked fifth in the Little East Conference men’s ice hockey preseason poll, as the Huskies look to build on a returning core led by last season’s top three scorers. Norwich is the preseason favorite, while Southern Maine opens its regular season at home against Endicott on Oct. 30.

By the Numbers
  • Southern Maine: 49 poll points, fifth place.
  • Norwich: 79 points and 8 first-place votes; Babson: 70 points and 2 first-place votes.
  • Ben Aucoin led the Huskies with 17 goals and 25 points; Kayde Kinaschuk added 11 goals and 20 points.
  • Gavin Simopoulos recorded 9 goals and 10 assists; goaltender Loic Morin went 10-10-1 with a .901 save percentage and 2 shutouts.
State of Play
  • Southern Maine returns its three leading scorers, along with captain Ethan MacDuff and key defenders Adrian Jubran and Hunter Svicki.
  • The Huskies have exhibition games Oct. 23 against the University of New England and Oct. 24 at Curry College.
  • The regular season begins Oct. 30 against Endicott at the USM Ice Arena.
Bottom Line

Fifth place sets the preseason expectations, but Southern Maine brings back much of its scoring and several key contributors. The returning group gives the Huskies a chance to challenge the coaches’ projection once the season begins.