CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 (#12) Saskatchewan returns to No. 1
CIS – OTTAWA (CIS) – For the second time this season, the University of Saskatchewan Huskies are the top-ranked team in CIS men’s hockey.
The Huskies (19-3-0), who previously topped the Nov. 24 poll, move up one position this week after receiving 12 first-place votes and 155 points from the 16-member media panel.
The remaining first-place nods were split between the second-ranked UNB Varsity Reds (16-3-2 / 142 points), who earned a pair, as well as the No. 3 Acadia Axemen (16-4-2 / 122) and No. 4 UQTR Patriotes (19-3-1 / 112), who merited one apiece. UNB is up two spots in the new poll, UQTR is up one, while Acadia is down two after spending the last three ranking periods at No. 1.
Rounding out the new Top 10 are the No. 5 Alberta Golden Bears (15-5-2 / 89 / up one), No. 6 McGill Redmen (19-4-1 / 84 / down three), No. 7 St. Francis Xavier X-Men (15-3-3 / 73 / no change), No. 8 Carleton Ravens (17-5-0 / 44 / up one), No. 9 Western Mustangs (15-8-0 / 23 / up one) and No. 10 Mount Royal Cougars (13-6-3 / 21 / down two).
Top-ranked Saskatchewan extended its conference winning streak to seven games this past weekend – including a perfect six-for-six in 2016 – with a two-game sweep against UBC in Vancouver, 2-0 and 6-2. The Huskies, who lead the Canada West standings by six points with six contests remaining in the regular season, host Manitoba (10-10-2) on Friday and Saturday.
After dropping all the way down to seventh in the national rankings in December, UNB is back in a more familiar position following a pair of crucial road victories over Saint Mary’s, 6-5, and Acadia, 4-0. The V-Reds, who are also riding a seven-game winning streak, are now tied with the Axemen atop the AUS standings, with one game in hand.
Acadia started the past week by defeating Dalhousie 5-2 last Wednesday but then suffered back-to-back losses on home ice over the weekend, dropping a 3-1 decision to UPEI before being blanked by UNB.
In the only other Top-10 confrontation of the past week, Saturday in Montreal, Western used three power-play goals to double McGill 4-2.
This week’s schedule includes a pair of Top-10 battles, both on Wednesday at 7 p.m. local time. StFX visits Acadia in Wolfville, N.S., live on AUStv.ca, while McGill and UQTR square off in Trois-Rivières, Que., live on OUA.tv and patriotes.tv.
CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#12)
Voting is based on a 10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1 basis, with a 1st place vote worth 10 points. The CIS Men’s Ice Hockey Top Ten Committee is made up of media members from across Canada.
(regular season record) / votes (first-place votes) / (previous ranking)
1. Saskatchewan (19-3-0) / 155 points (12) / (2)
2. UNB (16-3-2) / 142 (2) / (4)
3. Acadia (16-4-2) / 122 (1) / (1)
4. UQTR (19-3-1) / 112 (1) / (5)
5. Alberta (15-5-2) / 89 / (6)
6. McGill (19-4-1) / 84 / (3)
7. StFX (15-3-3) / 73 / (7)
8. Carleton (17-5-0) / 44 / (9)
9. Western (15-8-0) / 23 / (10)
10. Mount Royal (13-6-3) / 21 / (8)
Other teams receiving votes: York (12), Saint Mary’s (3).
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