in the top 20 at the beginning of the year. I think at the end of the season, we want to be a team that’s playing its best and has a chance to advance.”

Harvard has been tabbed to finish in the middle-of-the-pack in the ECAC coaches’ preseason poll and tenth in the writers’ poll. A record six different teams received first-place votes in the coaches’ poll, with Yale taking the top spot.

The media poll also reflected the conference’s parity, with five teams receiving first-place votes.

The Crimson will jump into conference play against media-favorite RPI in a home-and-home series Oct. 29 and Nov. 1. Regular season highlights will include a nationally televised game versus Yale at Madison Square Garden Jan. 11 and the 62nd Beanpot Tournament Feb. 3 and 11.

The team that will take the ice at the Bright-Landry Hockey Center this Saturday versus Bentley will look considerably different than the one that left Dartmouth’s Thompson Arena on the heels of a 6-3 elimination-game loss at the end of last season. Donato feels that Harvard has taken extra motivation from last season’s frustrations.

“After last year our team certainly has a little bit of a chip on their shoulder, and we have a lot to prove,” Donato said. “We’re excited to go forward and prove that we can be a good team.”

—Staff writer Michael D. Ledecky can be reached at michael.ledecky@thecrimson.com.