Boland, Dove-McFalls, McEwan And Rassell To Return
(FREDERICTON, NB) The defending U SPORTS men’s hockey champion UNB REDS, winners of three straight Atlantic University Sport titles, will welcome back four recent graduates for another season.
Forwards Tyler Boland, Samuel Dove-McFalls, James McEwan and Mark Rassell have all committed to returning for the 2021-2022 season.
“To have these student-athletes returning for another season is huge for our group,” said REDS head coach Gardiner MacDougall. “It’s a talented foursome. They’ve all contributed a great deal to our success over the past couple of seasons, and they’ll bring that experience and leadership to our group as we get back to a regular AUS season.”
Boland, Dove-McFalls and Rassell will enter UNB’s renown Sports and Recreation Management MBA program, while McEwan will pursue a Bachelor of Education.
“This has always been my plan, from day one,” said McEwan. “My goal was to finish my undergrad in three years and then get my Education degree while playing the best hockey I can.”
All four student-athletes are two-time Academic All-Canadians, and all are expected to achieve that prestigious status in the 2020-21 school year as well.
“A big part in me deciding to come back was another opportunity to compete for a national championship, but also continuing my development on the ice and in the classroom,” said Boland, named a 1st Team All-Canadian in 2019-20 after leading the country in scoring.
Since arriving at UNB in 2017, Boland has been an almost-unstoppable offensive force.
In 90 regular season games, he’s scored 46 goals and added 67 assists. He’s on the verge of breaking into the REDS career top 20 lists in a number of categories, but is focused on team goals for the coming season.
“I want to win a national championship,” he said. “That was the goal starting back when we found out about the cancellation of last year. Individually, I want to continue growing my game and be able to continue to build on what I’ve done for the team in previous seasons.”
All four players returned to Fredericton for this past season, which was shelved due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Despite not playing a game in 2020-21, all four players say a relentless training and practice schedule helped their development. They also say that lost year factored in their decision to return.
“The pandemic definitely played a role in my decision to come back,” said Dove-McFalls, who’s scored 15 goals and 20 assists in 49 games over two seasons with the REDS. “After having the national championship cancelled last year and no competition this past season, I think there’s still a lot for me to accomplish at this level. It feels like I have some unfinished business here with UNB, and the opportunity to do my MBA while playing hockey was very enticing.”
“The pandemic not only cancelled our season, it disrupted a lot of pro leagues around the world, which led to a large number of players competing for fewer roster spots,” said Rassell. A former 50-goal scorer with the Western Hockey League’s Medicine Hat Tigers, Rassell has amassed 27 goals and 34 assists in just 59 games as a RED. “Remaining in school and continuing my development as a player, and waiting for pro hockey to, presumably, return to normal next season, are all factors in my choice.”
“I can’t say enough about what Tyler, Sam, James and Mark have done as REDS,” said MacDougall. “They’re talented hockey players, solid teammates, and they’re all excellent students. They continuously strive, as our team culture demands, to get better every day, and to know that they’ll be doing that with us again this season is just fantastic.”
MacDougall, known for his ability to motivate and inspire, wasn’t about to leave anything to chance.
In fact, according to Rassell, MacDougall was hard to ignore.
“It’s not unknown that Gardiner is an unbelievable recruiter. His energy and enthusiasm for this program sparks excitement and belief for the season to come. I decided to return to further my education and for another chance to win a national championship, and he helped me make that decision.”
The pandemic-cancelled season saw a number of REDS leave upon graduation and pursue professional opportunities.
MacDougall is excited to see this group remain for another season.
“We’ve got a really good core group, and they’re certainly a big part of that core,” he said. “They will have a great opportunity to help lead our group and continue to grow their value and impact for our team. We’ve had two excellent recruiting classes and although we haven’t seen them in game action yet, we think the ‘combo’ recruiting class has the potential to be one of the best ever in UNB’s illustrious history. Our staff, and certainly our faithful fans, are all excited to see what this team can do, and we’re eager to get started.”
“The absence of the 2020-21 season made for a different year here,” said Boland. “We had the group focus on practice for development, maybe more than previously, as we didn’t have games. Now we’re eager to put that development to use.”
“We had our hearts ripped out last year, in Halifax, when the national championship tournament was halted,” said McEwan. “So, we’re looking to pick up right where we left off. Our sights are set on everyone getting better this summer in preparation for an exciting season. We’ve got a lot of hungry players on this team and I believe our group is ready to seize the opportunity before us.”
“Our goal is to be the most improved team in the country,” said Dove-McFalls. “Personally, I want to have my best season in a REDS jersey.”
“Any player that chooses to come to UNB does so because they want to win a national championship. That’s our team goal every year, and this year especially,” said Rassell. “I plan to step into a larger role, on and off the ice, and help lead us to that goal.”
Atlantic University Sport announced its return to play plans for 2021-2022 on Wednesday.
Schedules for both fall and winter sport seasons, including men’s hockey, are due to be released next week.
PHOTOS: James West/for UNB Athletics