CIS University Cup preview: Axemen all business
OTTAWA (CIS) – The University of Alberta Golden Bears hope to repeat as University Cup champions later this week when the top CIS men’s hockey programs gather in Halifax for the first time in history.
Championship website: www.universitycup.ca
St. Francis Xavier University hosts the 2015 tournament at the Scotiabank Centre. The national competition, using a new eight-team format this year, gets underway on Thursday and culminates Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Atlantic Time (5:30 p.m. ET) with the gold-medal final, live on Sportsnet 360.
Saturday’s semifinals are also live on Sportsnet 360 (noon & 4 p.m. Atlantic), while the quarter-finals and the bronze-medal match are set to air on Eastlink TV. All eight games from the tourney will be webcast on www.CIS-SIC.tv.
The Golden Bears, who won their record 14th University Cup title a year ago and successfully defended the Canada West banner over the weekend, will be joined in Nova Scotia’s capital by the second-seeded UNB Varsity Reds (AUS champions), No. 3 Guelph Gryphons (OUA champs), No. 4 UQTR Patriotes (OUA finalists), No. 5 Acadia Axemen (AUS finalists), No. 6 Calgary Dinos (Canada West finalists), No. 7 Windsor Lancers (OUA bronze medallists) and No. 8 StFX X-Men (AUS semi-finalists).
The quarter-final matchups, split over two days, include Calgary vs. Guelph at 1 p.m. and Windsor vs. UNB at 7 p.m. on Thursday, as well as Acadia vs. UQTR at 1 p.m. and StFX vs. Alberta at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Alberta was a logical choice to earn the top seed for a third straight year as the reigning champions led all 20 weekly national polls this season, posted a CIS-best 24-3-1 mark in league play and added four straight wins in the Canada West playoffs, including a two-game sweep against Calgary in the conference final.Read more »
Game Preview: University Cup Quarter Finals
Acadia Axemen vs UQTR Patriotes
Unfinished Business
Axemen Return to the University Cup for 2nd Straight Year
The Acadia Axemen will take the ice on Friday afternoon at 1pm at Halifax’s Scotiabank Centre, when they face the UQTR Patriotes. This year’s University Cup tournament features a new format, with 8 teams, separated into two brackets, in a win and move on, lose and go home format.
The Axemen return to Nationals after an unfulfilling finish to last year, as they went out to Saskatoon as AUS champions, with high hopes of bringing home a CIS title to Wolfville, NS. But the opening game of the tournament all but dashed those hopes, dropping the opener 4-2 to the Windsor Lancers. In the past 6 team format, although it wasn’t a single game knockout, an opening loss would mean a lot would need to go right the rest of the way, with some help from another team to advance. It wasn’t meant to be as Acadia was knocked off by the tournament host University of Saskatchewan Huskies 3-2. Despite the two close games, the Axemen wanted more… another chance.Read more »
CIS University Cup Schedule & Seedings
Acadia ranked #5, face UQTR Friday at 1pm
The Acadia Axemen received the #5 ranking for the CIS University Cup tournament in Halifax this week; with that seed, they will take on the #4 seeded UQTR Patriotes on Friday at 1pm at the Scotiabank Centre. The UQTR were OUA finalists, falling to the tournament #3 ranked Guelph Gryphons. Acadia lost in the AUS finals to the tournament #2 ranked UNB Varsity Reds.
Hockey Axemen fall short in repeating as AUS champs
UNB downs Acadia 4-2, Wins Series 2-0
WOLFVILLE, N.S. – After an 8-2 loss to the Varsity Reds in game one in Fredericton, Acadia had hope to pull off a home rink win to tie the best of three series at one game apiece.
Facing elimination, the CIS No. 3 ranked Acadia Axemen fell short in pushing the series to a third and final game, losing 4-2 to the eventual AUS champions and CIS No. 2 ranked UNB Varsity Reds.
In front of a capacity crowd of 2100 at the Andrew H. McCain arena, the Axemen struck first on an even handed goal at 3:53 by second year Axeman Taylor Makin (Lethbridge, Alta.). On a giveaway by a UNB defenseman, Makin capitalized on the opportunity.Read more »
2014-15 AUS men’s hockey major awards and all-stars announced
Axemen Thompson & Cazzola named to All-Stars, Franko & Giftopoulos to Rookie Team
(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2014-15 AUS men’s hockey major award winners and all-stars as selected by the conference’s eight head coaches following regular season play.
Second-year forward Philippe Maillet of Lachenaie, Que. has been named the Atlantic University Sport most valuable player.
Other AUS major award winners announced today were UNB’s Randy Gazzola of Thorold, Ont., who was named rookie of the year; Saint Mary’s Ben Duffy of Lower Sackville, N.S., who was selected as the most sportsmanlike player; StFX’s Rob Slaney of Portugal Cove, N.L., who earned the Godfrey award for student-athlete community service; and UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who was named the AUS coach of the year for the fourth time in his career.Read more »
AUS Finals: Game 2
UNB Varsity Reds @ Acadia Axemen
Acadia Down 1-0 in Best of 3 AUS Finals
UNB takes Game 1 of Subway AUS Men’s Hockey Championship final series with 8-2 win over Acadia
(FREDERICTON, N.B.) – UNB put on an offensive show on a busy night at the Aitken Centre taking the first game of the 2015 Subway AUS final series over the Acadia Axemen by a score of 8-2 in front of a paid attendance of 3,119.
“We’ve been close, but it’s nice to break through,” said UNB’s head coach Gardiner MacDougall on the goal-scoring outburst.
Acadia won the opening faceoff but things would go down-hill quickly for the Axemen as UNB would score on their first two shots of the game.
The first, a backhand shot from Philippe Maillet (Lachenaie, Que.) on the power play and the second from Cam Brace (Toronto, Ont.) who slid the puck under the pad of starting goalie Brandon Glover (Victoria, B.C.).
UNB added another power play goall to tally eight minutes into the first period as Maillet scored his second goal in as many shots.
Goalie Robert Steeves (Moncton, N.B.) stepped in for the Axemen at that point and went on to play well in relief. Acadia turned up the intensity after the goalie change and managed to capitalize on one of many UNB turnovers in the period with a goal from Travis Randall (Twillingate, N.L.) that would bring Acadia within two goals.
From that point, the Axemen had momentum on their side and they were able to produce several nice scoring chances. UNB, however was able to grab it back when Dana Fraser (Tatamagouche, N.S.) got into the opposition zone on an odd man rush where he fed Jordan Murray (Moncton, N.B.) for the Varsity Reds’ fourth goal of the game.
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