After winning the College Hockey America tournament last March, Bemidji State was chosen as the team to beat by the league coaches. The Beavers received all four first-place votes (coaches could not vote for their own team) and 16 points. Niagara, the regular-season champion a year ago, was picked second with 13 points.
Robert Morris came in third with nine points, while Alabama-Huntsville came in fourth and Wayne State rounded out the group with seven and five points, respectively.
BSU senior forward Luke Erickson and Niagara senior forward Sean Bentivoglio were picked as CHA Co-Players of the Year by the coaches. Erickson played in all 37 games for the Beavers, totaling 16 goals and 19 assists for 35 points. Bentivoglio played in 33 games for the Purple Eagles and tallied 16 goals and 22 assists for 38 points. He joined Erickson on the All-CHA First Team last March.
Joining Erickson and Bentivoglio on the Preseason All-CHA team are Niagara’s Co-Rookies of the Year last season, Ted Cook and Les Reaney. Cook and Reaney led the Purple Eagles in points as they both notched 40 apiece. Cook scored an even 20 goals and 20 assists, while Reaney added 13 goals and 27 assists.
Alabama-Huntsville senior Shaun Arvai and BSU junior Riley Weselowski were chosen as the Preseason All-CHA blueline. Last season, Arvai played in all 34 games and led all Charger defensemen with 20 points on two goals and 18 assists. Weselowski posted similar results for the Beavers after playing in all 37 games.
Both Robert Morris junior Christian Boucher and Bemidji State senior Layne Sedevie were picked as the Preseason All-CHA goaltenders. Boucher played in 33 games for the Colonials, posting a 10-18-3 record, a .903 save percentage, and a 3.21 goals-against-average. Sedevie played in 20 games and had a 12-7-1 record, including a 2.48 goals-against-average, and a .918 save percentage, all league bests.
The 2006-07 CHA schedule consists of 50 league contests between the five-team league. The 2007 CHA championship tournament will be held in Des Moines, Iowa, at the 95KGGO Arena.
CHA Preseason Coaches’ Poll
Rk Team (First-Place Votes) Record Points
1. Bemidji State (4) 20-14-3 16
2. Niagara (1) 20-15-1 13
3. Robert Morris 12-20-3 9
4. Alabama-Huntsville 19-13-2 7
5. Wayne State 6-23-6 5
2006-07 Preseason All-CHA Team
Player, Year, Position, School
Sean Bentivoglio, Sr, F, Niagara
Ted Cook, So, F, Niagara
Luke Erickson, Sr, F, Bemidji State
Les Reaney, So, F, Niagara
Shaun Arvai, Sr, D, Alabama-Huntsville
Riley Weselowski, Jr, D, Bemidji State
Christian Boucher, Jr, G, Robert Morris
Layne Sedevie, Sr, G, Bemidji State
