March 18, 2008
CIS MEN'S HOCKEY CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
MONCTON (CIS) - Coming off one of the best seasons in Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey history, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds hope to pick up where they left off a year ago this week at the Moncton Coliseum as they look to repeat as University Cup champions.
The Cavendish University Cup tournament, hosted for the second straight year by Université de Moncton, gets under way Thursday, March 20. The gold-medal final is slated for Sunday, March 23 at 8 p.m. Atlantic Time (7 p.m. Eastern), live on Rogers Sportsnet. Saturday's two pool-play duels will also air live on Rogers Sportsnet, at 2 p.m. (AT) and 8 p.m. (AT).
Joining top-seeded UNB for the six-team national championship will be the No.2-Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions), No.3-McGill Redmen (OUA champions), No.4-Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West finalists), No.5-Brock Badgers (OUA finalists) and No.6-Moncton Aigles Bleus (championship hosts).
UNB, Saskatchewan and Brock will battle in Pool A for a berth in Sunday's final, while Alberta, McGill and Moncton make up Pool B.
Opening day match-ups will see defending champion UNB begin its title defence against Brock at 2 p.m. (AT), and Alberta square off against host Moncton at 7 p.m. (AT).
The V-Reds, who captured the second University Cup title in school history in 2007 with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the hometown Aigles Bleus, have been nearly unstoppable thus far this season.
UNB (26-1-0-1 / 5-0 playoffs) set AUS single-season records in conference play for most wins (26) and points (53), the best regular-schedule tallies in CIS hockey since Alberta finished the 2003-04 campaign with 26 wins and two ties for 54 points in 28 outings.
The V-Reds held the previous Atlantic conference marks of 24 victories and 49 points since 1997-98, the year they went on to claim their first CIS banner.
After sweeping their semi-final series against cross-town rival St. Thomas, the defending champions survived a scare in the best-of-three AUS final, notching a pair of 3-2 overtime victories. Forward Kyle Bailey (Ponoka, Alta.) scored the series clincher on a penalty shot in double overtime.
"I've always believed a scare is more valuable than good advice and we had two scares in that series," stated UNB eight-year head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
The 2007-08 V-Reds finished first in the nation in conference play with 136 goals scored and tied for first with UQTR with 59 goals allowed. They are led by the dynamic duo of fourth-year forward Rob Hennigar (Jordan, Ont.) and super rookie Hunter Tremblay (Timmins, Ont.), who placed first and third in CIS scoring.
Hennigar, named the AUS player of the year, won the national scoring race by seven points with 15 goals and a CIS-high 43 assists for 58 points. Tremblay, who joined UNB following three straight 30-goal campaigns with the OHL's Barrie Colts, tied for the team lead with 16 goals and finished with 50 points in his university debut, one behind Saint Mary's Marc Rancourt, en route to AUS rookie-of-the-year honours.
The V-Reds will be challenged in Pool A by a perennial powerhouse, the Saskatchewan Huskies (17-5-0-6 / 2-2 playoffs), and a new kid on the block, the Brock Badgers (17-8-0-3 / 4-3 playoffs).
The Huskies, who claimed their lone CIS title in Moncton in 1983 with current head coach Dave Adolph patrolling the blue line, are set to make their eighth University Cup appearance in 11 years and their 13th in school history, which ranks fifth on the all-time list.
Saskatchewan is coming off a difficult Canada West best-of-three final where they were swept 8-3 and 5-0 by Alberta.
UNB and Saskatchewan met a year ago in the University Cup tournament opener with the V-Reds rallying from an early deficit for a 2-1 win.
Brock, coached by former UNB captain Murray Nystrom, will compete for the University Cup for the very first time.
The Badgers make the trip to New Brunswick following a spectacular playoff ride that saw them upset both No.8-Western Ontario and No.3-Lakehead, before falling 4-1 to McGill in the OUA single-game final. Three of their four wins over Western and Lakehead required overtime, including a 1-0 thriller in front of a hostile crowd at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay in the series finale against the Thunderwolves.
The highest-seeded team in Pool B, Alberta returns to the Nationals after a one-year absence for its 11th appearance in 12 years, after claiming a seventh Canada West banner in eight seasons.
The Golden Bears (21-5-0-2 / 4-0 playoffs), who were crowned in their last two participations when they hosted the championship in Edmonton in 2005 and 2006, hold all major University Cup tournament team records including 32 appearances (including 2008), 83 games, 12 titles, 16 gold-medal finals, 56 wins, 25 losses, two ties, 388 goals scored and 250 goals against.
Like UNB, the Bears can score at will thanks to a roster that includes nine forwards who had at least one 60-point season in the WHL and 14 skaters who scored 20 goals at least once at the major junior level. Alberta led the Canada West and finished fourth in the nation in conference play with 126 goals.
Fifth-year senior Tim Krymusa (27 GP, 12-17-29) of Morden, Man., Ian McDonald (28 GP, 11-17-28) of Edmonton, Dylan Stanley (27 GP, 10-18-28) of Edmonton, defenceman Harlan Anderson (22 GP, 11-16-27) of Vernon, B.C., and freshman Eric Hunter (24 GP, 11-15-26) of Oakbank, Man. all averaged at least a point a game in the regular season.
Anderson, the University Cup tournament MVP in 2006, was chosen Canada West player of the year, while Hunter was named top rookie.
Alberta has a 3-0 all-time record at the University Cup versus its two Pool B opponents. The Bears beat McGill 5-1 in 2006 in the lone meeting between the two teams, and defeated Moncton 6-2 in the 1999 title match and 5-4 in a 1986 semi-final.
The No.3-seeded Redmen (18-9-0-1 / 7-0 playoffs) enter the second CIS tourney in team history following a magical 7-0 run that culminated with a 4-1 victory over Brock and their first conference title since 1946.
In the midst of its 132nd season, the world's oldest existing hockey team, founded in 1877, is led by former first-team all-Canadian (2005-06) goaltender Mathieu Poitras, a fourth-year senior from Gatineau, Que. who has allowed only eight goals on 161 shots in seven playoff outings for a stingy 1.14 goals against average and a spectacular .950 save percentage.
Tournament host Moncton (17-10-0-1 / 2-3 playoffs) will play in the University Cup championship for the 14th time, good for fourth on the all-time list.
The Aigles Bleus, the only team to beat No.1-UNB in the regular season - a 5-4 shootout win on November 21 and a 5-3 victory on November 30 -, will take the ice for the first time since March 1 when they square off against Alberta Thursday night. They were swept in three games by Saint Mary's in the AUS semi-finals.
"After a couple of days off, the guys have come back mentally ready," said U de M head coach Robert Mongrain. "I love their concentration. At every second practice we play a game. We need to play to stay competitive and keep up our fighting spirit."
"We know that on Thursday, we're going to meet a good team. I hope my players will give their best performance and go all-out. It's the small details that determine whether or not you win the game. I know they're ready."
Moncton was the top seed going into last year's national championship following a 22-4-0-2 and a 5-0 AUS playoff run.
"We have a lot of experience on the ice with eight or nine players who were at last year's championship," Mongrain indicated. "In addition, we're not the favourites this year. The fact that we're even more determined could turn out to be an advantage for us."
TEAM PROFILES
No. 1 UNB Varsity Reds
Head Coach: Gardiner MacDougall (8th season)
Regular season record: 26-1-0-1
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 5-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 1 (15 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Rob Hennigar (MVP), Hunter Tremblay (rookie), Gardiner MacDougall (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Michael Ouzas (G), Rob Hennigar (F), Hunter Tremblay (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Dustin Friesen (D)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 9th
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 4th in 6 years
CIS championship best result: 2-time champions (2007, 1998)
No. 2 Alberta Golden Bears
Head Coach: Eric Thurston (3rd season)
Regular season record: 21-5-0-2
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 4-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 2 (10 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Harlan Anderson (MVP / best defenceman), Eric Hunter (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Harlan Anderson (D), Ian McDonald (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Aaron Sorochan (G), Eric Hunter (F)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 32nd
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: return after one-year absence, 11th appearance in 12 years
CIS championship best result: 12-time champions (2006, 2005, 2000, 1999, 1992, 1986, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1975, 1968, 1964)
No. 3 McGill Redmen
Head Coach: Martin Raymond (13th season)
Regular season record: 18-9-0-1
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA Far East Division (4th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 7-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 10
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 9 (3 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 9
Conference award winners (OUA East): Simon Courcelles (rookie), David Urquhart (outstanding student-athlete)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): David Urquhart (D)
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Mathieu Poitras (G)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 2nd
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (3rd)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years, 2nd in history
CIS championship best result: third place in 2006
No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies
Head Coach: Dave Adolph (15th season)
Regular season record: 17-5-0-6
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West
Playoff record: 2-2
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 6
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 2 (4 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Curtis Austring (outstanding student-athlete / most sportsmanlike player)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Jeff Harvey (G), Mason Wallin (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 13th
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 4th straight appearance, 8th in 11 years
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (1983)
No. 5 Brock Badgers
Head Coach: Murray Nystrom (10th season)
Regular season record: 17-8-0-3
Regular season standing: 1st OUA Mid West Division (5th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 4-3
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 5 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 6
Conference award winners (OUA West): Murray Nystrom (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA West): none
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA West): none
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 1st
CIS championship last appearance: N/A
CIS championship sequence: first appearance in history
CIS championship best result: N/A
No. 6 Moncton Aigles Bleus
Head Coach: Robert Mongrain (3rd season)
Regular season record: 17-10-0-1
Regular season standing: 3rd AUS
Playoff record: 2-3
Playoff finish: AUS semi-finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 9
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 3 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: none
Conference 1st team all-stars: Francis Trudel (D)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Pierre-Luc Laprise (F)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 14th
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (finalists)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 3rd in 4 years
CIS championship best result: 4-time champions (1995, 1990, 1982, 1981)
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL: Atlantic Time)
All games video webcast: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_hockey/2008
Wednesday, March 19
12:00 Media Conference (Moncton Coliseum)
18:00 All-Canadian Award Banquet
Thursday, March 20
14:00 Pool A #1: No. 1 UNB vs. No. 5 Brock
19:00 Pool B #1: No. 2 Alberta vs. No. 6 Moncton
Friday, March 21
14:00 Pool A #2: No. 4 Saskatchewan vs. Loser Pool A #1
19:00 Pool B #2: No. 3 McGill vs. Loser Pool B #1
Saturday, March 22
14:00 Pool A #3: No. 4 Saskatchewan vs. Winner Pool A #1 (Rogers Sportsnet)
20:00 Pool B #3: No. 3 McGill vs. Winner Pool B #1 (Rogers Sportsnet)
Sunday, March 23
20:00 Final (Rogers Sportsnet)
- CIS -
For more information please contact:
Michel Bélanger
Communications manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
The Cavendish University Cup tournament, hosted for the second straight year by Université de Moncton, gets under way Thursday, March 20. The gold-medal final is slated for Sunday, March 23 at 8 p.m. Atlantic Time (7 p.m. Eastern), live on Rogers Sportsnet. Saturday's two pool-play duels will also air live on Rogers Sportsnet, at 2 p.m. (AT) and 8 p.m. (AT).
Joining top-seeded UNB for the six-team national championship will be the No.2-Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions), No.3-McGill Redmen (OUA champions), No.4-Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West finalists), No.5-Brock Badgers (OUA finalists) and No.6-Moncton Aigles Bleus (championship hosts).
UNB, Saskatchewan and Brock will battle in Pool A for a berth in Sunday's final, while Alberta, McGill and Moncton make up Pool B.
Opening day match-ups will see defending champion UNB begin its title defence against Brock at 2 p.m. (AT), and Alberta square off against host Moncton at 7 p.m. (AT).
The V-Reds, who captured the second University Cup title in school history in 2007 with a thrilling 3-2 overtime victory over the hometown Aigles Bleus, have been nearly unstoppable thus far this season.
UNB (26-1-0-1 / 5-0 playoffs) set AUS single-season records in conference play for most wins (26) and points (53), the best regular-schedule tallies in CIS hockey since Alberta finished the 2003-04 campaign with 26 wins and two ties for 54 points in 28 outings.
The V-Reds held the previous Atlantic conference marks of 24 victories and 49 points since 1997-98, the year they went on to claim their first CIS banner.
After sweeping their semi-final series against cross-town rival St. Thomas, the defending champions survived a scare in the best-of-three AUS final, notching a pair of 3-2 overtime victories. Forward Kyle Bailey (Ponoka, Alta.) scored the series clincher on a penalty shot in double overtime.
"I've always believed a scare is more valuable than good advice and we had two scares in that series," stated UNB eight-year head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
The 2007-08 V-Reds finished first in the nation in conference play with 136 goals scored and tied for first with UQTR with 59 goals allowed. They are led by the dynamic duo of fourth-year forward Rob Hennigar (Jordan, Ont.) and super rookie Hunter Tremblay (Timmins, Ont.), who placed first and third in CIS scoring.
Hennigar, named the AUS player of the year, won the national scoring race by seven points with 15 goals and a CIS-high 43 assists for 58 points. Tremblay, who joined UNB following three straight 30-goal campaigns with the OHL's Barrie Colts, tied for the team lead with 16 goals and finished with 50 points in his university debut, one behind Saint Mary's Marc Rancourt, en route to AUS rookie-of-the-year honours.
The V-Reds will be challenged in Pool A by a perennial powerhouse, the Saskatchewan Huskies (17-5-0-6 / 2-2 playoffs), and a new kid on the block, the Brock Badgers (17-8-0-3 / 4-3 playoffs).
The Huskies, who claimed their lone CIS title in Moncton in 1983 with current head coach Dave Adolph patrolling the blue line, are set to make their eighth University Cup appearance in 11 years and their 13th in school history, which ranks fifth on the all-time list.
Saskatchewan is coming off a difficult Canada West best-of-three final where they were swept 8-3 and 5-0 by Alberta.
UNB and Saskatchewan met a year ago in the University Cup tournament opener with the V-Reds rallying from an early deficit for a 2-1 win.
Brock, coached by former UNB captain Murray Nystrom, will compete for the University Cup for the very first time.
The Badgers make the trip to New Brunswick following a spectacular playoff ride that saw them upset both No.8-Western Ontario and No.3-Lakehead, before falling 4-1 to McGill in the OUA single-game final. Three of their four wins over Western and Lakehead required overtime, including a 1-0 thriller in front of a hostile crowd at the Fort William Gardens in Thunder Bay in the series finale against the Thunderwolves.
The highest-seeded team in Pool B, Alberta returns to the Nationals after a one-year absence for its 11th appearance in 12 years, after claiming a seventh Canada West banner in eight seasons.
The Golden Bears (21-5-0-2 / 4-0 playoffs), who were crowned in their last two participations when they hosted the championship in Edmonton in 2005 and 2006, hold all major University Cup tournament team records including 32 appearances (including 2008), 83 games, 12 titles, 16 gold-medal finals, 56 wins, 25 losses, two ties, 388 goals scored and 250 goals against.
Like UNB, the Bears can score at will thanks to a roster that includes nine forwards who had at least one 60-point season in the WHL and 14 skaters who scored 20 goals at least once at the major junior level. Alberta led the Canada West and finished fourth in the nation in conference play with 126 goals.
Fifth-year senior Tim Krymusa (27 GP, 12-17-29) of Morden, Man., Ian McDonald (28 GP, 11-17-28) of Edmonton, Dylan Stanley (27 GP, 10-18-28) of Edmonton, defenceman Harlan Anderson (22 GP, 11-16-27) of Vernon, B.C., and freshman Eric Hunter (24 GP, 11-15-26) of Oakbank, Man. all averaged at least a point a game in the regular season.
Anderson, the University Cup tournament MVP in 2006, was chosen Canada West player of the year, while Hunter was named top rookie.
Alberta has a 3-0 all-time record at the University Cup versus its two Pool B opponents. The Bears beat McGill 5-1 in 2006 in the lone meeting between the two teams, and defeated Moncton 6-2 in the 1999 title match and 5-4 in a 1986 semi-final.
The No.3-seeded Redmen (18-9-0-1 / 7-0 playoffs) enter the second CIS tourney in team history following a magical 7-0 run that culminated with a 4-1 victory over Brock and their first conference title since 1946.
In the midst of its 132nd season, the world's oldest existing hockey team, founded in 1877, is led by former first-team all-Canadian (2005-06) goaltender Mathieu Poitras, a fourth-year senior from Gatineau, Que. who has allowed only eight goals on 161 shots in seven playoff outings for a stingy 1.14 goals against average and a spectacular .950 save percentage.
Tournament host Moncton (17-10-0-1 / 2-3 playoffs) will play in the University Cup championship for the 14th time, good for fourth on the all-time list.
The Aigles Bleus, the only team to beat No.1-UNB in the regular season - a 5-4 shootout win on November 21 and a 5-3 victory on November 30 -, will take the ice for the first time since March 1 when they square off against Alberta Thursday night. They were swept in three games by Saint Mary's in the AUS semi-finals.
"After a couple of days off, the guys have come back mentally ready," said U de M head coach Robert Mongrain. "I love their concentration. At every second practice we play a game. We need to play to stay competitive and keep up our fighting spirit."
"We know that on Thursday, we're going to meet a good team. I hope my players will give their best performance and go all-out. It's the small details that determine whether or not you win the game. I know they're ready."
Moncton was the top seed going into last year's national championship following a 22-4-0-2 and a 5-0 AUS playoff run.
"We have a lot of experience on the ice with eight or nine players who were at last year's championship," Mongrain indicated. "In addition, we're not the favourites this year. The fact that we're even more determined could turn out to be an advantage for us."
TEAM PROFILES
No. 1 UNB Varsity Reds
Head Coach: Gardiner MacDougall (8th season)
Regular season record: 26-1-0-1
Regular season standing: 1st AUS
Playoff record: 5-0
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 1 (15 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Rob Hennigar (MVP), Hunter Tremblay (rookie), Gardiner MacDougall (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Michael Ouzas (G), Rob Hennigar (F), Hunter Tremblay (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Dustin Friesen (D)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 9th
CIS championship last appearance: 2008 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 4th in 6 years
CIS championship best result: 2-time champions (2007, 1998)
No. 2 Alberta Golden Bears
Head Coach: Eric Thurston (3rd season)
Regular season record: 21-5-0-2
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 4-0
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 2
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 2 (10 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Harlan Anderson (MVP / best defenceman), Eric Hunter (rookie)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Harlan Anderson (D), Ian McDonald (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Aaron Sorochan (G), Eric Hunter (F)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 32nd
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (champions)
CIS championship sequence: return after one-year absence, 11th appearance in 12 years
CIS championship best result: 12-time champions (2006, 2005, 2000, 1999, 1992, 1986, 1980, 1979, 1978, 1975, 1968, 1964)
No. 3 McGill Redmen
Head Coach: Martin Raymond (13th season)
Regular season record: 18-9-0-1
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA Far East Division (4th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 7-0
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 10
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 9 (3 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 9
Conference award winners (OUA East): Simon Courcelles (rookie), David Urquhart (outstanding student-athlete)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): David Urquhart (D)
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Mathieu Poitras (G)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 2nd
CIS championship last appearance: 2006 (3rd)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd appearance in 3 years, 2nd in history
CIS championship best result: third place in 2006
No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies
Head Coach: Dave Adolph (15th season)
Regular season record: 17-5-0-6
Regular season standing: 2nd Canada West
Playoff record: 2-2
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 6
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 2 (4 weeks)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Curtis Austring (outstanding student-athlete / most sportsmanlike player)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Jeff Harvey (G), Mason Wallin (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: none
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 13th
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (5th)
CIS championship sequence: 4th straight appearance, 8th in 11 years
CIS championship best result: 1-time champions (1983)
No. 5 Brock Badgers
Head Coach: Murray Nystrom (10th season)
Regular season record: 17-8-0-3
Regular season standing: 1st OUA Mid West Division (5th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 4-3
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): not ranked
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 5 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 6
Conference award winners (OUA West): Murray Nystrom (coach)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA West): none
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA West): none
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 1st
CIS championship last appearance: N/A
CIS championship sequence: first appearance in history
CIS championship best result: N/A
No. 6 Moncton Aigles Bleus
Head Coach: Robert Mongrain (3rd season)
Regular season record: 17-10-0-1
Regular season standing: 3rd AUS
Playoff record: 2-3
Playoff finish: AUS semi-finalists
Final Top 10 ranking (Feb. 19): No. 9
Best Top 10 ranking (15 weeks): No. 3 (1 week)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (15 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: none
Conference 1st team all-stars: Francis Trudel (D)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Pierre-Luc Laprise (F)
CIS championship appearances (46th U Cup): 14th
CIS championship last appearance: 2007 (finalists)
CIS championship sequence: 2nd straight appearance, 3rd in 4 years
CIS championship best result: 4-time champions (1995, 1990, 1982, 1981)
TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL: Atlantic Time)
All games video webcast: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_hockey/2008
Wednesday, March 19
12:00 Media Conference (Moncton Coliseum)
18:00 All-Canadian Award Banquet
Thursday, March 20
14:00 Pool A #1: No. 1 UNB vs. No. 5 Brock
19:00 Pool B #1: No. 2 Alberta vs. No. 6 Moncton
Friday, March 21
14:00 Pool A #2: No. 4 Saskatchewan vs. Loser Pool A #1
19:00 Pool B #2: No. 3 McGill vs. Loser Pool B #1
Saturday, March 22
14:00 Pool A #3: No. 4 Saskatchewan vs. Winner Pool A #1 (Rogers Sportsnet)
20:00 Pool B #3: No. 3 McGill vs. Winner Pool B #1 (Rogers Sportsnet)
Sunday, March 23
20:00 Final (Rogers Sportsnet)
- CIS -
For more information please contact:
Michel Bélanger
Communications manager
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
belanger@universitysport.ca
www.universitysport.ca
