Both the ECAC Hockey coaches and media expect the St. Lawrence University men’s hockey team to be home for the playoffs, but only the media thinks Clarkson will earn a home playoff series.

The predictions by both the coaches and media, as well as preseason all-conference teams by both groups, were announced Wednesday. Canton native Kyle Flanagan was named to the coaches’ preseason team.

SLU was picked by both the coaches and media to finish in sixth place in the conference, which would give the Saints home ice for a first-round series. Clarkson was picked to finish 10th by the coaches, which would send the Golden Knights on the road for the first round, but was picked to finish seventh by the media.

Both groups were in complete agreement on the top six, with defending champion Union College being selected to repeat. The Dutchmen earned 18 first-place votes out of 30 cast by the media and earned eight of the 12 coaches’ votes.

Cornell was picked second, with 11 first-place votes from the media and three from the coaches. Harvard, which received no first-place votes from the media and one from the coaches was picked third. Quinnipiac was picked fourth and Yale, which earned one media first-place vote, was picked fifth.

The coaches picked Dartmouth seventh, followed by Rensselaer, Colgate, Clarkson, Princeton and Brown. The media’s bottom half of the league was Clarkson, Colgate, Rensselaer, Dartmouth, Princeton and Brown.

Both groups almost picked the same all-conference team. Union’s Troy Grosenick is a goalie on both teams and defensemen Danny Biega (Harvard) and Mat Bodie (Union) also made both squads. Both groups also agreed on forwards Daniel Carr (Union) and Connor Jones (Quinnipiac).

SLU’s Flanagan was on the coaches’ team and Saints forward Greg Carey was a media selection.

Union’s selection by the media is the first time the Dutchmen have ever been selected in the preseason poll.

St. Lawrence begins the season with an exhibition game against Carleton on Oct. 6 in Canton. Carleton plays Clarkson on Oct. 7 in Potsdam.

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