V-Reds ranked No. 1 and on home ice
March 14, 2012
University Cup | Play begins next Thursday
For the second straight year, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds head into the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey championship as the No. 1 seed on home ice.
The seeding was announced Tuesday for the 50th anniversary edition of the Cavendish Farms University Cup tournament, which will once again take place at the Aitken University Centre.
The six-team competition gets underway Thursday, March 22 and concludes Sunday, March 25 with the gold medal final at 8 p.m.
Rogers Sportsnet will carry two of the seven games live, including the last pool play matchup on the Saturday and the championship final. SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all contests.
Joining the AUS champion Varsity Reds will be the second-ranked McGill Redmen (OUA champs), No. 3 Saskatchewan Husk ies (Canada West champs), No. 4 Western Mustangs (OUA finalists), No. 5 Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalists) and No. 6 UQTR Patriotes (OUA bronze medallists).
UNB, Western and UQTR will battle in Pool A in the preliminary round, while McGill, Saskatchewan and Moncton skate in Pool B. The first-place finishers from each group advance to the national final.
The Redmen and Aigles Bleus face off in the tournament opener on March 22 at 2 p.m., while the V-Reds and Patriotes kick off Pool A action at 7 p.m.
The Huskies and Mustangs take the ice on Day 2 against the losing teams from opening day. Those games are at 2 and 7 p.m., respectively.
Saturday, the McGill-Moncton winner will play Saskatchewan at 11:30 a.m. and the UNB-UQTR winner will face Western at 4:30 p.m. UNB and McGill were also seeded 1-2 a year ago when they went on to meet in the championship match. The V-Reds prevailed 4-0 to claim their third Universit y Cup title in five seasons, and the fourth in program h i stor y.
Western also competed for the trophy last spring and finished second behind UNB in pool play. UQTR returns after a one-year absence, while Saskatchewan and Moncton last played in the tournament in 2008.
Like the V-Reds, the Aigles Bleus and Patriotes have hoisted the University Cup on four occasions. The Huskies and Mustangs each have one CIS title, while the Redmen are still looking for a first triumph.
In the final Top 10 poll of the season, UNB was on top for the 15th time in 18 polls. The V-Reds received 13 firstplace votes and 166 points from the 17-member media panel. The Redmen earned the remaining four first-place nods and 156 points.
Saskatchewan is ranked third, followed by Western, Moncton, the Calgary Dinos, UQTR, Alberta Golden Bears, Manitoba Bisons and Saint Mary's Huskies.
For the second straight year, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds head into the Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey championship as the No. 1 seed on home ice.
The seeding was announced Tuesday for the 50th anniversary edition of the Cavendish Farms University Cup tournament, which will once again take place at the Aitken University Centre.
The six-team competition gets underway Thursday, March 22 and concludes Sunday, March 25 with the gold medal final at 8 p.m.
Rogers Sportsnet will carry two of the seven games live, including the last pool play matchup on the Saturday and the championship final. SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all contests.
Joining the AUS champion Varsity Reds will be the second-ranked McGill Redmen (OUA champs), No. 3 Saskatchewan Husk ies (Canada West champs), No. 4 Western Mustangs (OUA finalists), No. 5 Universite de Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalists) and No. 6 UQTR Patriotes (OUA bronze medallists).
UNB, Western and UQTR will battle in Pool A in the preliminary round, while McGill, Saskatchewan and Moncton skate in Pool B. The first-place finishers from each group advance to the national final.
The Redmen and Aigles Bleus face off in the tournament opener on March 22 at 2 p.m., while the V-Reds and Patriotes kick off Pool A action at 7 p.m.
The Huskies and Mustangs take the ice on Day 2 against the losing teams from opening day. Those games are at 2 and 7 p.m., respectively.
Saturday, the McGill-Moncton winner will play Saskatchewan at 11:30 a.m. and the UNB-UQTR winner will face Western at 4:30 p.m. UNB and McGill were also seeded 1-2 a year ago when they went on to meet in the championship match. The V-Reds prevailed 4-0 to claim their third Universit y Cup title in five seasons, and the fourth in program h i stor y.
Western also competed for the trophy last spring and finished second behind UNB in pool play. UQTR returns after a one-year absence, while Saskatchewan and Moncton last played in the tournament in 2008.
Like the V-Reds, the Aigles Bleus and Patriotes have hoisted the University Cup on four occasions. The Huskies and Mustangs each have one CIS title, while the Redmen are still looking for a first triumph.
In the final Top 10 poll of the season, UNB was on top for the 15th time in 18 polls. The V-Reds received 13 firstplace votes and 166 points from the 17-member media panel. The Redmen earned the remaining four first-place nods and 156 points.
Saskatchewan is ranked third, followed by Western, Moncton, the Calgary Dinos, UQTR, Alberta Golden Bears, Manitoba Bisons and Saint Mary's Huskies.