Windsor Lancers ready to host McGill Redmen for the 103rd Queen's Cup
The McGill Redmen completed the regular season in third place in the OUA East. They entered the playoffs as winners of nine of their final 10 regular season games. In the opening round of the postseason, the Redmen swept the Concordia Stingers, outscoring their cross-town rivals 11-4 in two games. The veteran squad then ran away with a series against the defending Queen’s Cup champions UQTR in the second round to force an OUA East final match-up with the first-place Carleton Ravens.
The Redmen opened the East final with a 5-2 loss to the Ravens after they surrendered an early lead. McGill bounced back to earn one-goal wins in games two and three to punch their ticket to the Queen’s Cup.
OUA East top defenceman Ryan McKiernan (White Plains, N.Y.) and electric forward Cedric McNicoll (Thetford Mines, Que.) were vital to the success of the Redmen. McKiernan posted a team-high 37 points on the season, collecting 13 goals and 24 assists. McNicoll paced the team with 15 goals on the year.
The Windsor Lancers posted a regular season record of 17-11-0 and earned the fourth seed on the OUA West. Though they stumbled slightly to close the regular season, going 6-4 in their final 10 games, Windsor peaked at the right time. They opened the playoffs with a sweep of Toronto to set up a meeting with first-place Western. The Lancers dropped game one to Western but roared back taking games two and three by identical 3-1 scores.
In the OUA West final the Lancers locked horns with the Lakehead Thunderwolves. With a berth in the OUA final in sight, the Lancers kicked it into high gear posting 7-1 and 6-2 wins to sweep Lakehead and earn the right to play for the Queen’s Cup.
Captain Drew Palmer (Tecumseh, Ont.) and third-year forward Spencer Pommells (Grand Prairie, Alta.) were the top scorers for the Lancers during the regular season. Pommells led the team in goals, assists and points (13G, 19A, 32PTS) while Palmer added eight goals and 17 helpers to finish behind Pommells in points.
McGill and Windsor met twice during the regular season. Windsor visited Montreal for games on January 31 and February 1. The Lancers claimed a 4-3 win in their first meeting, but McGill rebound to claim a 6-2 win in the second contest.
Though recent Queen’s Cup history would appear to give McGill an advantage, the Lancers will enter the 103rd Queen’s Cup, presented by ArcelorMittal Dofasco, with something to prove. The Redmen have won four of the last six Queen’s Cup titles and Windsor will be looking to deny them another. The Lancers will be in search of their second Queen’s Cup in school history, with the first coming in 1998.
The 2013-14 edition of the Queen’s Cup will take place on Saturday, March 15 at the South Windsor Arena. Game time is slated for 8 p.m.