The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) has announced the 2023-24 Coaches’ Poll and Preseason Awards and Michigan Technological University edged out rival Northern Michigan University for the top spot, while Bowling Green State University rounded out the top three. Individually, Huskies senior goaltender Blake Pietila and Falcons junior forward Austen Swankler were named Co-Preseason Player of the Year, while Bemidji State University defenseman Eric Pohlkamp was selected as the Preseason Rookie of the Year. Four other student-athletes earned Preseason All-CCHA honors. 

Michigan Tech tallied 67 points out of a possible 70, including a league-high four first-place votes, in taking home the top spot in the poll, with the Wildcats grabbing 66 (3 first-place votes) and Bowling Green picking up 55. Bemidji State University had 49 points, which was good for fourth, while the University of St. Thomas claimed the eighth and final first-place vote and was tied with Minnesota State with 45 points apiece. Ferris State University and Lake Superior State University captured 36 and 29 points in the poll, respectively.

The eight CCHA head coaches competing in a full conference schedule ranked each school in projected order of finish for the regular season, excluding their own. Points were awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4 basis. 

The reigning CCHA Player and Goaltender of the Year, Pietila (Howell, Mich.) returns to Tech after going 23-11-3 with a 2.15 goals-against average and a .924 save percentage in 37 starts last season. An All-America selection, he led the nation in shutouts with 10, while also holding the school record in that category for both a single-season and career (20). Helping the Huskies to a second straight NCAA Tournament appearance, he finished with 951 total saves in 2173:57 minutes. 

Swankler (North Huntingdon, Pa.) led the CCHA in points (32) and assists (19), while scoring 13 goals in 26 conference games for Bowling Green in 2022-23, earning All-CCHA First Team honors. Notching at least one point in 22 contests, he amassed a nation-best 19-game points streak across all competitions. Four of his goals came on the power play and two were game-winners. Recording 65 shots on goal, the two-time CCHA Forward of the Month ranked second in the league in plus-minus (+12).

A fifth-round pick by the San Jose Sharks in the 2023 NHL Entry Draft, Pohlkamp (Brainerd, Minn.) joins the Beavers after a pair of seasons with the Cedar Rapids RoughRiders of the United State Hockey League (USHL). Named the USHL Defenseman of the Year in 2022-23, he led all defensemen with 51 points on 16 goals and 35 assists in 59 games. He also paced league defensemen in power-play goals (9), power-play assists (18) and power-play points (27). He helped the United States Junior Select squad win the gold medal at the World Junior A Challenge in December 2022. 

Joining Pietila and Swankler on the Preseason All-CCHA team were Andre Ghantous (Northern Michigan), Kyle Kukkonen (Michigan Tech), Ben Wozney (Bowling Green) and Josh Zinger (Northern Michigan).

Ghantous (Glendale, Calif.) closed out the 2022-23 regular season on a tear, finishing with nine goals and 17 assists for 26 points in 26 CCHA contests. He was a +2 with four power-play tallies and one game-winner. Notching 52 shots, he was second among conference skaters with seven multi-point games. Third in points and points per game (1.00), he was sixth in assists and assists per game (0.65) and was the only player to record two multi-goal games.

The CCHA Rookie of the Year a season ago, Kukkonen (Maple Grove, Minn.) played in all 39 games for the Huskies last season and led the team in goals (18), power-play goals (5) and game-winning goals (5). Also collecting nine assists, he was second in points (27), with two shorthanded tallies and a +5 rating. The CCHA leader in game-winning tallies, he was third in shorthanded goals, shots (120) and shots per game (3.16), fourth in goals and goals per game (0.47) and his eight multi-point games are seventh-most in the league.

A junior blueliner, Wozney (Richmond, B.C.) played in all 36 games for the Falcons in 2022-23, totaling two goals and 13 assists for 15 points. Second among Bowling Green defensemen in assists and points, he was the only blue-liner on the team to record a three-point game, tallying a goal and two assists in a 5-3 win over Lake Superior State (January 7). He also notched six power-play assists and blocked 24 shots at the defensive end of the ice.

Zinger (Red Deer, Alb.) recorded three goals and 13 assists for 16 points while playing in all 38 games for the Wildcats as a freshman last year. He was even in plus/minus with 20 blocked shots at the defensive end of the ice. Helping Northern Michigan to a 2.71 team goals against average, the Wildcats finished fourth in the league, earning a home series in the Mason Cup Playoffs and advancing all the way to the Mason Cup Championship Game.

2023-24 CCHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll:   
Michigan Tech - 67 (4 first-place votes)  
Northern Michigan - 66 (3)  
Bowling Green - 55  
Bemidji State - 49  
St. Thomas - 45 (1)  
Minnesota State - 45  
Ferris State - 36  
Lake Superior State - 29

Co-Preseason Players of the Year 
Austen Swankler, JR, F, BGSU 
Blake Pietila, SR, G, MTU 

Preseason Rookie of the Year 
Eric Pohlkamp, FR, D, BSU

Preseason All-CCHA 
Andre Ghantous, SR, F, NMU 
Kyle Kukkonen, SO, F, MTU 
Austen Swankler, JR, F, BGSU 
Ben Wozney, JR, D, BGSU 
Josh Zinger, SO, D, NMU 
Blake Pietila, SR, G, MTU

The CCHA Media Poll and Preseason Awards will be released this afternoon at 1pm ET / 12pm CT.

CCHA Media Day will take place on Tuesday, September 19, beginning at 10:50am ET / 9:50am CT. Along with CCHA Commissioner Don Lucia and CCHA Director of Officiating Marco Hunt, all nine CCHA Head Coaches will preview the upcoming season and be available to answer questions from local, regional and national media outlets via Zoom.

The CCHA officially drops the puck on year three of the reconfigured league on Saturday, October 7. Seven CCHA teams will be in action across opening weekend, with conference play getting underway with a pair of series on October 27.

Fans can stream all CCHA games live and on-demand, on their home televisions, computers, tablets, and mobile devices via the FloSports app. The FloSports App can be accessed on all screens and streaming devices by downloading the FloSports app on Amazon Fire TV, Roku, Apple TV, the App Store and Google Play Store. Additionally, FloSports can be accessed on any smart device browser by visiting FloHockey.tv. 
  
For more information, contact:  
  
Perry Laskaris  
Director of Strategic Communications & Brand Advancement  
Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA)  
Laskaris@ccha.com  
(651) 308-1065