OTTAWA (CIS) – The Alberta Golden Bears hope to add to
their record number of national titles this week in Thunder Bay,
Ontario, where Lakehead University hosts the 48th annual CIS
men’s hockey championship.
University Cup website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mice
The 2010 Cavendish University Cup, presented by TBay Tel, gets
underway on Thursday with the first of three days of pool play and
culminates on Sunday at 7 p.m. with the gold-medal final, live on
Rogers Sportsnet and SSN Canada.
Rogers Sportsnet also has live broadcasts of the two Saturday pool
matches at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m., while SSN is set to webcast all seven
games from the tournament.
Joining top-seeded Alberta at the championship are the No. 2 McGill
Redmen (OUA champions), No. 3 Saint Mary’s Huskies (AUS
champions), No. 4 Lakehead Thunderwolves (OUA finalists), No. 5
Manitoba Bisons (Canada West finalists) and No. 6 UQTR Patriotes
(OUA bronze medallists).
Alberta, Lakehead and UQTR will battle in Pool A in the preliminary
round, while McGill, Saint Mary’s and Manitoba skate in Pool
B. The first-place finishers from each group advance to meet in the
national final.
The Redmen and Bisons face off in the tournament opener Thursday at
2 p.m., while the Golden Bears and Patriotes kick off Pool A action
at 7:30 p.m.
The Huskies and T-Wolves take the ice on Friday against the losers
of the opening-day duels.
New champions will be crowned this week as last year’s gold
medallists, the UNB Varsity Reds, fell in the semifinal round of
the Atlantic conference playoffs.
Alberta, McGill, Saint Mary’s and Lakehead return from the
2009 tournament, when they all failed to advance past pool
play.
The Golden Bears, established pre-tournament favourites for the
second straight years and making their 13th appearance in 14 years,
hold most University Cup records including all-time titles (13),
championship appearances (34th in 2010), national finals (17),
games played (88), wins (59), losses (27), goals for (404) and
goals against (264).
The Bears are enjoying yet another remarkable season in
2009-10.
Led by Canada West MVP and scoring champion Chad Klassen, a
fourth-year right winger from Saskatoon who finished fifth in the
nation with 46 points (18-28-46) in 28 games during the regular
season, Alberta posted a 23-4-1 in conference play before claiming
its third straight CWUAA title – and its ninth in 10 years
– by downing Manitoba two games to one in the conference
final.
Despite their stellar record, the Bears got all they could handle
from the Bisons this year, winning four head-to-head duels and
losing three. Alberta’s 32-5-2 overall mark against CIS
competition also includes a pair of close-fought home victories
over University Cup-bound McGill during the Christmas break, 5-4
and 6-5 in overtime.
The Bears were the last team to hoist the Cup as the No. 1 seed,
doing so in back-to-back years in Edmonton, in 2005 and 2006.
“We’re very excited to get back to the University Cup
tournament,” said U of A head coach Eric Thurston, who led
his troops to two CIS titles in his first four campaigns at the
helm. “We know how difficult it is to win, and obviously
there are six very good teams all competing for the same goal.
There are very few second chances at this stage, and we know how
important it is to be ready to go.”
Second-ranked McGill, still looking for a first University Cup
triumph, didn’t miss a beat this season despite the loss of
14-year bench boss Martin Raymond, who was hired as an assistant
with the Montreal Canadiens’ AHL affiliates, the Hamilton
Bulldogs.
Jim Webster, who captained the program back in 1972-73, took over
on an interim basis and guided the Redmen to second place overall
in Ontario during conference play and a 3-1 Queen’s Cup win
over Lakehead at Fort William Gardens for the team’s second
OUA title in three years.
Webster’s squad beat archival UQTR four times in six duels in
2009-10, including a two-game sweep of the East Division final.
Led by OUA scoring champion and East MVP Francis Verreault-Paul of
Mashteuiatsh, Que., a sophomore right winger who tied for the CIS
lead in goals (25) and was second in the country with 54 points in
27 outings, McGill was the highest-scoring team in Canada in league
action with 156 goals in 28 games – 11 more than second-place
Alberta.
“It’s a wide-open tournament this year and I like our
chances because we’re a skilled, highly-motivated and
hard-working team,” said Webster, whose team amassed a
single-season school record for wins, posting 22 in league play and
34 overall.
“Of the five teams who have qualified with us at Nationals,
the only ones that we haven’t played this season are the two
in our pool – Manitoba and Saint Mary’s – so they
are a bit of an unknown factor. But 19 of our players were here
last year and they are all coming to the dinner table hungrier
after having had a taste of how close they came.”
Third-seeded Saint Mary’s is peaking at just the right time.
Following a three-game losing streak in late January, the Huskies
closed out the regular schedule with four straight wins before
going 8-1 in the AUS playoffs, including a sweep of StFX in the
best-of-five final.
The Atlantic champions, who have not faced any of their five
University Cup rivals this year, are led by last season’s CIS
MVP, fifth-year forward Marc Rancourt of Gloucester, Ont., who
finished second in the AUS with 41 points (8-33-41) in 27 contests,
and junior Andrew Hotham of Barrie, Ont., the highest-scoring
defenceman in the nation with 39 points (6-33-39) in 27 games.
Saint Mary’s, which has never claimed the CIS banner, lost
four straight national finals from 1970 to 1973.
“We are elated to get the opportunity to come back to Thunder
Bay in hope of winning the big prize,” said two-time CIS
coach of the year Trevor Stienburg, in his 13th campaign at the
helm.
Five years after receiving the Joseph A. Sullivan trophy as CIS
most outstanding player, former team captain Joel Scherban made a
smooth transition to the coaching ranks, leading No. 4 Lakehead to
the OUA final and a 29-9-4 overall mark against CIS rivals,
including a pair of convincing non-conference wins over Manitoba,
6-3 and 8-2, at Fort William Gardens in late December.
With no players in the top 25 in OUA scoring, the T-Wolves are
producing by committee on offence thanks to four skaters averaging
over one point per game, including team leader Dan Speer, a
fifth-year right winger from Thunder Bay who finished conference
play with 32 points (9-23-32) in 26 contests.
Lakehead, which returned to CIS hockey in 2000-01 after an absence
of almost two decades, reached its only national final in 2006 in
Edmonton, losing 3-2 to tourney host Alberta.
“We look forward to the upcoming Cavendish University
Cup,” said Scherban, who was twice named CIS most
sportsmanlike player during his career. “It should be a
tightly contested tournament between six teams that are all capable
of winning the championship. We are excited to host such a
tremendous event and to compete against the top teams in the
country.”
After three years serving as head coach of the Danish national
team, Mike Sirant returned to Manitoba this season and the move
proved beneficial for the fifth-ranked Bisons, who upset
Saskatchewan on the road in the Canada West semifinals to qualify
for the University Cup for the first time since 2005.
Ranked 26th out of the 34 CIS hockey programs during the regular
season with only 80 goals scored in 28 games, the Bisons owe a
large part of their success to Steve Christie, a fourth-year
netminder from Winnipeg who was third in the nation with a .917
save percentage and seventh with a 2.51 goals against average for
Manitoba, which ranked fifth in the country in league play with 77
goals allowed.
The Bisons’ lone CIS title dates back to 1965.
“Steve has been heavily relied upon during this whole
season,” Sirant said of Christie, who increased his save
percentage to .936 in the post-season. “He has consistently
provided goaltending to win every game and more. He has played a
very large role in our success. He is very competitive, works hard
at his game and thrives in high pressure situations.”
Sixth-seeded UQTR has been a University Cup fixture for almost
three decades. The four-time national champions (2003, 2001, 1991,
1987) will be making their 16th tournament appearance this week,
good for third place on the all-time list, one behind Toronto.
After being swept by McGill in the OUA East final, the Patriotes
created their own version of Miracle on Ice against 2009 CIS
finalist Western in the conference bronze-medal game, on March 13.
With the third and final OUA berth on the line, the Pats were down
4-2 with 91 seconds left in regulation but exploded for three goals
in 31 seconds to send their home fans into a frenzy and book their
ticket to Thunder Bay.
In typical UQTR fashion, the Patriotes, who finished first in
Ontario and second in the country behind UNB in the regular season
with 48 points, have plenty of firepower starting with sophomore
right winger Francis Guérette-Charland of Victoriaville,
Que., who placed third in the nation in both goals (24) and points
(53).
2009 CHAMPIONSHIP NOTES: Alberta opened pool play with a 6-3 loss
to UNB a year ago, before edging Lakehead 2-1... Lakehead dropped
its second duel 3-1 to UNB... Saint Mary’s beat McGill 4-1 in
its pool play opener but was crushed 7-2 by Western in its second
outing... McGill rebounded from its loss to the Huskies with a 4-3
defeat of Western but it proved too little to late as Western
advanced to the final on goals differential... UNB doubled Western
4-2 to claim CIS gold...
TEAM
PROFILES
No. 1 Alberta Golden Bears
Media Guide (PDF)
Head Coach: Eric Thurston (5th season)
Regular season record: 23-4-1
Regular season standing: 1st Canada West
Playoff record: 4-1
Playoff finish: Canada West champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 32-5-2
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 6-3 (2-0 vs. McGill /
4-3 vs. Manitoba)
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): No. 1
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 1 (1 week: 16th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 16
Conference award winners: Chad Klassen (MVP), Kyle Fecho (best
defenceman), Tyler Metcalfe (Randy Gregg award nominee)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Kyle Fecho (D), Chad Klassen (F),
Derek Ryan (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: None
University Cup appearances (including 2010): 34th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
1964
University Cup last appearance: 2009 (2nd in Pool A)
University Cup all-time record: 59 wins, 27 losses, 2 ties
(.682)
University Cup titles: 13 (2008, ‘06, ‘05, ‘00,
‘99, ’92, ‘86, ‘80, ‘79, ‘78,
‘75, ‘68, ‘64)
University Cup finals: 17 (13 titles plus 1991, 1985, 1977,
1966)
University Cup best result: 13-time champions (see years above)
University Cup goals for / against: 404-264
University Cup sequence: 13th appearance in 14 years (missed
2007)
No. 2 McGill Redmen
Head Coach: Jim Webster (1st season)
Regular season record: 22-6-0
Regular season standing: 2nd OUA East (2nd overall OUA)
Playoff record: 7-1
Playoff finish: OUA champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 33-11-1
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 6-2-1 (1-0-1 vs.
Alberta / 1-0 vs. Lakehead / 4-2 vs. UQTR)
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): No. 5
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 4 (1 week: 4th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 16
Conference award winners (OUA East): Francis Verreault-Paul (MVP),
Marc-André Dorion (best defenceman)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): Marc-André Dorion
(D), Francis-Verreault-Paul (F), Alexandre Picard-Hooper (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): None
University Cup appearances (including 2010):
4th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
2006
University Cup last appearance: 2009 (2nd in Pool B)
University Cup all-time record: 3-3 (.500)
University Cup titles: 0
University Cup finals: 0
University Cup best result: 2nd in pool play (2009, 2008, 2006)
University Cup goals for / against: 16-22
University Cup sequence: 3rd straight appearance (4th in 5 years
& in history)
No. 3 Saint Mary’s Huskies
Media Guide (PDF)
Head Coach: Trevor Stienburg (13th season)
Regular season record: 16-8-4
Regular season standing: 3rd AUS
Playoff record: 8-1
Playoff finish: AUS champions
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 29-11-4
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 0-0
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): No. 8
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 3 (1 week: 5th poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 16
Conference award winners: Cam Fergus (most sportsmanlike
player)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Andrew Hotham (D), Marc Rancourt
(F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: David MacDonald (D), Cody Thornton
(F)
University Cup appearances (including 2010): 11th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
1969
University Cup last appearance: 2009 (3rd in Pool B)
University Cup all-time record: 13-15 (.464)
University Cup titles: 0
University Cup finals: 4 (1973, 1972, 1971, 1970)
University Cup best result: 4-time finalists (see years above)
University Cup goals for / against: 108-107
University Cup sequence: 2nd straight appearance
No. 4 Lakehead Thunderwolves
Media Guide (PDF)
Head Coach: Joel Scherban (1st season)
Regular season record: 19-7-2
Regular season standing: 3rd OUA West (5th overall OUA)
Playoff record: 6-2
Playoff finish: OUA finalists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 29-9-4
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 2-1 (0-1 vs. McGill /
2-0 vs. Manitoba)
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): No. 7
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 4 (1 week: 2nd poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 14
Conference award winners (OUA West): Mark Soares (most
sportsmanlike player)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA West): None
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA West): Scott Dobben (F)
University Cup appearances (including 2010): 5th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
1973
University Cup last appearance: 2009 (3rd in Pool A)
University Cup all-time record: 2-7 (.222)
University Cup titles: 0
University Cup finals: 1 (2006)
University Cup best result: 1-time finalists (2006)
University Cup goals for / against: 20-31
University Cup sequence: 2nd straight appearance
No. 5 Manitoba Bisons
Media Guide (PDF)
Head Coach: Mike Sirant (14th season)
Regular season record: 16-10-2
Regular season standing: 3rd Canada West
Playoff record: 3-3
Playoff finish: Canada West finalists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 24-15-2
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 3-6 (3-4 vs. Alberta
/ 0-2 vs. Lakehead)
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): Unranked
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 3 (1 week: 1st poll)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 15
Conference award winners: Mike Sirant (coach of the year)
Conference 1st team all-stars: Steve Christie (G)
Conference 2nd team all-stars: Stephane Lenoski (D)
University Cup appearances (including 2010): 7th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
1965
University Cup last appearance: 2005 (2nd in Pool A)
University Cup all-time record: 5-8 (.385)
University Cup titles: 1 (1965)
University Cup finals: 1 (1965)
University Cup best result: 1-time champions (1965)
University Cup goals for / against: 51-54
University Cup sequence: Return after 4-year absence
No. 6 UQTR Patriotes
Media Guide (PDF)
Head Coach: Jacques Laporte (11th season)
Regular season record: 23-3-2
Regular season standing: 1st OUA East (1st overall OUA)
Playoff record: 5-3
Playoff finish: OUA bronze medallists
Overall record vs. CIS teams: 30-8-2
Overall record vs. 2010 University Cup teams: 2-4 (2-4 vs.
McGill)
Final Top 10 ranking (March 2): No. 3
Best Top 10 ranking (16 weeks): No. 3 (8 weeks: polls 2-4,
12-16)
Number of weeks in Top 10 (16 weeks): 16
Conference award winners (OUA East): Francis
Guérette-Charland (most sportsmanlike player)
Conference 1st team all-stars (OUA East): Jean-Christophe Blanchard
(G), Francis Guérette-Charland (F)
Conference 2nd team all-stars (OUA East): Guillaume Chicoine
(D)
University Cup appearances (including 2010):
16th
University Cup first appearance (inaugural championship 1963):
1984
University Cup last appearance: 2007 (2nd in Pool B)
University Cup all-time record: 19-14 (.576)
University Cup titles: 4 (2003, 2001, 1991, 1987)
University Cup finals: 6 (2003, 2002, 2001, 1991, 1987, 1986)
University Cup best result: 4-time champions (see years above)
University Cup goals for / against: 124-130
University Cup sequence: Return after 2-year absence (10th
appearance in 15 years)
POOLS &
SCHEDULE
Pool A
1. Alberta
4. Lakehead
6. UQTR
Pool B
2. McGill
3. Saint Mary’s
5. Manitoba
Wednesday, March 24
11:00 Media Conference (Fort William Curling Club –
Fort William Gardens)
18:00 All-Canadian Awards Banquet (Fort William Historical
Park)
Thursday, March 25
14:00 Pool B #1: McGill vs. Manitoba (SSN Canada
webcast)
19:30 Pool A #1: Alberta vs. UQTR (SSN Canada
webcast)
Friday, March 26
14:00 Pool B #2: Saint Mary’s vs. Loser Pool B #1
(SSN Canada webcast)
19:30 Pool A #2: Lakehead vs. Loser Pool A #1 (SSN Canada
webcast)
Saturday, March 27
14:00 Pool B #3: Saint Mary’s vs. Winner Pool B #1
(Rogers Sportsnet / SSN Canada webcast)
19:00 Pool A #3: Lakehead vs. Winner Pool A #1 (Rogers Sportsnet /
SSN Canada webcast)
Sunday, March 28
19:00 University Cup Final (Rogers Sportsnet / SSN Canada
webcast)
-CIS-