CIS men's hockey season gets under way Friday, marking 50th anniversary of University Cup championship
OTTAWA (CIS) - Following a month of pre-season action, CIS men's hockey conference play finally gets under way this weekend with four games out west and one in Ontario.
The puck officially drops Friday night with a pair of Canada West contests, including Manitoba at Calgary and Saskatchewan at Lethbridge. Opening weekend resumes on Saturday evening with the same Canada West matchups, as well as an OUA battle between Ottawa and Nipissing in North Bay.
In the Atlantic conference, the 28-game regular season starts on Oct. 14 with four games, including the reigning University Cup champion UNB Varsity Reds kicking off their title defence at home against StFX.
UNB captured its third CIS title in five years - and fourth in history - last March in Fredericton with a 4-0 shutout of the McGill Redmen, who were making their first-ever appearance in the national final. The reigning AUS champions hope for a repeat performance in six months when they once again host the University Cup tournament, which will celebrate its 50th anniversary.
The V-Reds are off to a good start in 2011-12 with three wins in as many pre-season contests, including an 8-0 domination of Dalhousie as well as 3-1 and 2-0 victories over Calgary. They face a busy exhibition schedule over the next two weeks before their AUS opener with a home date with UQTR and a quartet of road games against New Hampshire, Maine, Holy Cross and Massachusetts-Lowell of the NCAA.
The two other conference champions a year ago were McGill, which claimed a second straight OUA banner, and the Alberta Golden Bears, who have won 10 of the last 11 Canada West titles.
McGill is a surprising 0-2 so far in pre-season action with 5-4 (OTS) and 4-3 home losses to UPEI. The Redmen hit the road this weekend to face NCAA opponents Denver, Colorado College and U.S. Air Force Academy before kicking off the OUA schedule with a doubleheader in Thunder Bay against Lakehead, on Oct. 7 and 8.
Alberta is 5-1 overall this fall, including a 2-1 record versus CIS rivals. The Bears enjoy a break this weekend before opening conference play at home against Regina on Oct. 7 and 8.
NOTES: The first CIS Top 10 national ranking of the season will be published on Tuesday, Oct. 18, once all teams have started conference play... A team-by-team Canada West preview and a pre-season poll of Canada West coaches can be found at www.cis-sic.ca or www.canadawest.org...
CIS MEN'S HOCKEY SCHEDULE (all times LOCAL)
September 30
19:00 Manitoba at Calgary
19:00 Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
October 1
19:00 Ottawa at Nipissing
19:00 Manitoba at Calgary
19:00 Saskatchewan at Lethbridge
October 6
19:00 Toronto at York
October 7
19:00 Regina at Alberta
19:00 Calgary at UBC
19:15 Carleton at Brock
19:30 Concordia at Windsor
19:30 RMC at Western
19:30 Nipissing at Laurier
19:30 Queen's at Toronto
19:30 Ottawa at Guelph
19:30 McGill at Lakehead
19:30 UQTR at Waterloo
October 8
14:00 RMC at Ryerson
14:00 Concordia at Windsor
14:15 Queen's at Brock
19:00 Regina at Alberta
19:00 Calgary at UBC
19:30 Ottawa at Laurier
19:30 UQTR at Guelph
19:30 McGill at Lakehead
19:30 Carleton at Western
19:30 York at UOIT
19:30 Nipissing at Waterloo
AUS opening night on Oct. 14:
19:00 Saint Mary's at UPEI
19:00 St. Thomas at Dalhousie
19:00 StFX at UNB
19:00 Moncton at Acadia
UNIVERSITY CUP CHAMPIONS (last 20 years)
2010-2011 UNB
2009-2010 Saint Mary's
2008-2009 UNB
2007-2008 Alberta
2006-2007 UNB
2005-2006 Alberta
2004-2005 Alberta
2003-2004 StFX
2002-2003 UQTR
2001-2002 Western
2000-2001 UQTR
1999-2000 Alberta
1998-1999 Alberta
1997-1998 UNB
1996-1997 Guelph
1995-1996 Acadia
1994-1995 Moncton
1993-1994 Lethbridge
1992-1993 Acadia
1991-1992 Alberta
1990-1991 UQTR
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For more information contact:
Michel Bélanger
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Ph: (613) 562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: (613) 447-6334
Fax: (613) 562-5669
belanger [at] universitysport.ca