Varsity Reds Regain CIS No. 1

(FREDERICTON, NB) It hasn’t taken the 2016 CIS men’s hockey champions long to re-establish themselves.

Four games into the 2016-17 season the UNB Varsity Reds have regained top spot in the Canadian Interuniversity Sport hockey rankings.

“Any time you get ranked number one in the country, it’s special recognition that is well earned and will provide a foundation,” said Varsity Reds head coach Gardiner MacDougall. “That said, our team is on a special journey to continually build on getting better every time we get together.”

Last week, the CIS released its first hockey rankings of the year, which saw last season’s runner-up, the St. FX X-Men, ranked first.

Wins last week over UPEI and Moncton moved UNB into the top spot this week.

The Varsity Reds earned 14 of a possible 15 first place votes.

The X-Men, Saskatchewan, Alberta and the University of Ontario Institute of Technology round out this week’s top five.

Ryerson, UQTR, Mount Royal, UPEI and Guelph are ranked sixth through tenth.

While he’s happy with the new top ten list, Coach MacDougall is focusing on the future.

“We have two quality opponents this weekend that will certainly challenge us,” he said.

The Varsity Reds visit Dalhousie University on Friday.

On Saturday, UNB will be in Antigonish to face X. It's a match-up of the nation’s top ranked teams, and a re-match of last season’s national finalists.

PHOTO BY: Brian Smith