UMass Lowell hockey was selected to finish second in the Hockey East Preseason Coaches Poll, as revealed by commissioner Joe Bertagna at the annual Hockey East Media Day at the TD Garden on Tuesday.

The River Hawks received 74 total votes following a 24-13-1 (17-9-1 HE) season that saw the program reach the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1996. It marks UMass Lowell's highest predicted finish since the 2009-10 season.

Reigning NCAA Champion Boston College (33-10-1, 19-7-1) claimed the top spot with 90 points and nine first-place votes. The River Hawks edged Boston University (23-15-1, 17-9-1) by one point for second, while New Hampshire (15-19-3, 11-14-2) collected the final first-place vote and 63 points for fourth. Maine (23-14-3, 15-10-2) earned 56 points for fifth and Northeastern (13-16-5, 9-14-4) and Providence (14-20-4, 10-14-3) received 44 each to tie for sixth. Merrimack (18-12-7, 13-9-5), Massachusetts (13-18-5, 9-14-4) and Vermont (6-27-1, 3-23-1) rounded out the bottom three.

The honor is the second in as many days for UMass Lowell after being ranked seventh in the nation in the USA Today/USA Hockey Magazine Preseason Poll on Monday.

“We're very excited about the upcoming season," said head coach Norm Bazin. "Every year presents different sets of challenges with outside expectations or predictions. We look to control our own standard for excellence on and off the ice. We want to be one of the teams in contention at the end of the season in what is arguably the best hockey conference in the country.”

The River Hawks return 18 players for 2012-13, including their three top scorers. Senior captain Riley Wetmore (Swanton, Vt.) tallied 39 points (14g, 25a) last season, while Hockey East Rookie of the Year Scott Wilson (Oakville, Ont.) scored 38 points (16g, 22a) and junior sniper Derek Arnold (Foxboro, Mass.) had 34 points (17g, 17a).

UMass Lowell also features Hockey East Second Team All-Star Doug Carr (Hanover, Mass.) between the pipes. Carr compiled a 22-10-1 record with a .928 save percentage and 2.13 goals against average, ranked 10th and 11th in the nation, respectively.

The 2012-13 season opener is slated for Oct. 12 in the Tsongas Center against Hockey East foe Vermont—the night will feature a post-game fireworks display, the first of its kind at the Tsongas Center.

Tickets for all home games will be available for public purchase beginning at 10 a.m. next Wednesday. Game tickets are $15 for adults and $10 for seniors (65+) and children (12 and under). As always, UMass Lowell students receive free admission by scanning their ID as part of the Mission: All In campaign.

Season tickets will continue to be on sale through the River Hawk Marketing office and can be purchased by calling 978-934-4988.