U of T, Ryerson kick off regular season in front of sold-out crowd
Nineteen more women’s games are scheduled on opening weekend in the OUA and Canada West conferences, including the Laurentian Voyageurs making their CIS debut at home against Guelph on Saturday night. League play gets under way on Oct. 18 in the RSEQ and AUS.
On the men’s side, the 2013-14 regular season also starts this weekend with a trio of Friday-Saturday doubleheaders in Canada West, including Calgary at Regina, Alberta at Manitoba and Saskatchewan at Mount Royal. Conference action in the OUA and AUS begins on Oct. 10 and Oct. 18, respectively.
The Laurentian men, who return after a 13-year hiatus, have the honour of playing in the OUA opener next Thursday, when they visit York.
The CIS hockey season will culminate in March with the women’s national championship in Fredericton (hosted by St. Thomas University – March 13-16) and the PotashCorp University Cup men’s tournament at the Credit Union Centre in Saskatoon (hosted by University of Saskatchewan – March 20-23).
Last winter, the Montreal Carabins captured their first-ever CIS women’s banner in only their fourth year of competition thanks to a thrilling 3-2 gold-medal win over defending champion Calgary. The new champs open their RSEQ schedule at home against Ottawa on Oct. 18.
Meanwhile, the UNB Varsity Reds edged AUS archrival Saint Mary’s 2-0 in the CIS men’s final to claim the University Cup for the fourth time in seven years. The powerhouse from Fredericton hosts StFX for its league opener, also on Oct. 18.
The first women’s and men’s national rankings of 2013-14 will be released on Tuesday.
CIS WOMEN’S HOCKEY: OPENING WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all times local)
Oct. 3
11:00 Toronto 5, Ryerson 3
Oct. 4
19:00 Manitoba at Alberta
19:00 UBC at Lethbridge
19:00 Regina at Calgary
19:00 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
19:30 Windsor at Laurier
19:30 UOIT at Queen’s
Oct. 5
14:00 Brock at Nipissing
14:00 York at Ryerson
14:30 Windsor at Waterloo
16:00 UOIT at Toronto
18:00 Regina at Calgary
18:00 Manitoba at Alberta
19:00 UBC at Lethbridge
19:00 Mount Royal at Saskatchewan
19:30 Western at Laurier
19:45 Guelph at Laurentian
Oct. 6
14:00 Guelph at Nipissing
14:30 Western at Waterloo
14:45 Brock at Laurentian
CIS MEN’S HOCKEY: OPENING WEEKEND SCHEDULE (all times local)
Oct. 4
19:00 Calgary at Regina
19:00 Alberta at Manitoba
19:00 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
Oct. 5
18:00 Alberta at Manitoba
19:00 Saskatchewan at Mount Royal
19:00 Calgary at Regina
Source: CIS