Ravens on the rise to No. 9, Lions fall to 10th in CIS rankings
OTTAWA (CIS) – For the second time in three weeks, the McGill University Redmen are the top-ranked team in CIS men's hockey.
OTTAWA (CIS) – For the second time in three weeks, the McGill University Redmen are the top-ranked team in CIS men's hockey.
McGill (14-2-0) and No. 2 Acadia (12-2-1) both received six first-place votes in the eighth media poll of the campaign but the Redmen edged the Axemen 123 to 121 in total points. The two powerhouses were ranked second and fourth, respectively, last Tuesday.
The reigning two-time University Cup champion Alberta Golden Bears (12-3-1) are also on the rise this week, moving up one spot to No. 3 after meriting the other two first-place nods and 114 points. The Saskatchewan Huskies (13-3-0), who a week ago reached No. 1 for the first time in three years, fall all the way to fourth in the new rankings with 113 points.
Rounding out the penultimate Top 10 of the fall semester are the No. 5 St. Francis Xavier X-Men (11-2-2 / 82 / up one position), No. 6 UQTR Patriotes (13-2-1 / 68 / up one), No. 7 UNB Varsity Reds (10-3-2 / 64 / down two), No. 8 Carleton Ravens (10-4-0 / 30 / up one), No. 9 Mount Royal Cougars (9-5-2 / 20 / up one) and No. 10 York Lions (9-3-3 / 10 / down two).
A week after dropping only its second league game of the season, against York, top-ranked McGill got back on track this past weekend with a 7-3 domination of UOIT on home ice and a 3-2 win against Queen's in Kingston. Holding a slim one-point lead over archrival UQTR in the OUA East standings with two games to go before the exam break, the Redmen host the Patriotes on Wednesday night (7 p.m. EST on Stretch TV) before travelling back to Kingston on Friday to face RMC.
The other members of the top three, Acadia and Alberta, also ended November with two-game sweeps and are both riding six-game winning streaks heading into the December break. The Axemen downed Saint Mary's 3-1 and Dalhousie 5-1, while the Bears swept Lethbridge 10-1 and 4-1.
Saskatchewan, meanwhile, split its home doubleheader against Mount Royal, losing the opener 5-3 but winning the rematch 4-2.
Seventeen contests are on the OUA schedule this week, from Wednesday to Saturday, while conference action in the AUS and Canada West will resume in January.
CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#8)
Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a 1st place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Men's Ice Hockey Top Ten Committee is made up of media members from across Canada.
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. McGill (14-2-0) / 123 points (6) / (2)
2. Acadia (12-2-1) / 121 (6) / (4)
3. Alberta (12-3-1) / 114 (2) / (3)
4. Saskatchewan (13-3-0) / 113 / (1)
5. StFX (11-2-2) / 82 / (6)
6. UQTR (13-2-1) / 68 / (7)
7. UNB (10-3-2) / 64 / (5)
8. Carleton (10-4-0) / 30 / (9)
9. Mount Royal (9-5-2) / 20 / (10)
10. York (9-3-3) / 19 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: Western (6), UOIT (5), UPEI (3), Queen's (1), UBC (1).
