BEMIDJI, Minn. – The Central Collegiate Hockey Association (CCHA) 2025-26 Preseason Coaches' Poll and awards have been announced and the Bemidji State University Men's Hockey team was voted to finish sixth by league head coaches. Sophomore defenseman Isa Parekh highlighted the Beavers in the preseason awards after he was named to the Preseason All-CCHA Team.
 
Bemidji State garnered 54 points in the poll, just five points back of third, while University of St. Thomas was named the CCHA preseason favorite after earning 72 points and three first-place votes. St. Thomas edged out defending MacNaughton Cup Champion Minnesota State University, Mankato by a single point for first place in the coaches' poll. The Mavericks, who topped the Tommies in last year's Mason Cup title game, picked up a league-best four first-place votes, with St. Thomas garnering three and Michigan Tech claiming a pair.
 
Coaches were not allowed to vote for their own team and points were awarded on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3 scale. 

2025-26 CCHA Preseason Coaches Poll:  
St. Thomas – 72 (3 first-place votes) 
Minnesota State – 71 (4) 
Michigan Tech – 59 (2) 
Augustana – 59 
Bowling Green – 58
Bemidji State – 54 
Lake Superior State – 38  
Ferris State – 33  
Northern Michigan – 24

2025-26 Preseason Players of the Year 
Lucas Wahlin, UST 

2025-26 Preseason Co-Rookie of the Year
Nathan Pilling, UST
Dominik Rymon, BGSU

2025-26 Preseason All-CCHA Team
Lucas Wahlin, UST*
Isaac Gordon, MTU
Stiven Sardarian, MTU
Evan Murr, MSU*
Isa Parekh, BSU
Alex Tracy, MSU

* - Unanimous
 
The CCHA Preseason Media Poll & Awards will be announced this afternoon at 2pm ET / 1pm CT. 
 
CCHA Media Day will take place on Tuesday, September 16, beginning at 11am ET / 10am 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 five of the reconfigured league on Friday, Oct. 3. Eight of the CCHA's nine teams will be in action on opening weekend, with Minnesota State getting its season underway on October 10.
  
Fans can stream all CCHA games live and on-demand, on their home televisions, computers, tablets, and mobile devices via Midco Sports Plus. The app is available on mobile/tablet apps (iOS and Android), connected TV device apps (AppleTV, FireTV and Roku) and a web-based browser interface. If you have additional questions or want to see more information about coverage or subscriptions, go to midcosports.com/ccha. 
 
The Beavers begin their 2025-26 season Oct. 3-4 when they travel to Anchorage, Alaska for a series against University of Alaska Anchorage. BSU then hosts its home opener Oct. 10 to begin a home-and-home series with regional rival St. Cloud State University.
 
Season ticket packages are on sale now with packages starting as low as $225. Season tickets can be purchased at the Sanford Center Box Office or online, here.
 
Head coach Tom Serratore returns 18 letterwinners from the 2024-25 season with eight newcomers making their debuts for the green and white this season.
 
For more information on the Bemidji State men's hockey program, tickets or schedules, visit BSUBeavers.com, follow the Beavers on X or Instagram or like them on Facebook.
 
Located on the shore of Lake Bemidji, Bemidji State University sponsors 15 varsity athletic programs with NCAA Division I men's hockey in the Central Collegiate Hockey Association and women's hockey in the Western Collegiate Hockey Association, while its 13 NCAA Division II programs hold membership in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference (NSIC).
 
--bsu—