V-Reds still No. 1 heading into playoffs
Canadian Interuniversity Sport – OTTAWA (CIS) – The University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds are the top-ranked team in CIS men’s hockey heading into the playoffs.
The V-Reds (23-3-2) received 14 first-place votes and 158 points from the 16-member media panel to lead the national poll for the second straight week and for the fifth time overall this season.
The remaining first-place nods went to the UQTR Patriotes (24-3-1), who remain comfortably at No. 2 thanks to their 143-point tally.
Rounding out the 15th poll of the campaign are the third-ranked Saskatchewan Huskies (22-6-0 / 123 points / no change), No. 4 Alberta Golden Bears (19-7-2 / 111 / up one position), No. 5 Acadia Axemen (19-7-2 / 81 / down one), No. 6 St. Francis Xavier X-Men (18-6-4 / 80 / up two), No. 7 McGill Redmen (21-6-1 / 76 / down one), No. 8 Carleton Ravens (20-7-1 / 41 / up one), No. 9 Mount Royal Cougars (17-8-3 / 29 / down two) and No. 10 Saint Mary’s Huskies (17-8-3 / 27 / no change).
The regular season came to an end this past weekend in all three CIS conferences with UNB, UQTR and Saskatchewan finishing atop the standings.
The V-Reds extended their impressive winning streak to 14 consecutive league games – including a perfect 13-0 record in 2016 – thanks to a pair of road victories, 4-0 against St. Thomas and 4-1 over UPEI.
The Patriotes ended the regular schedule with a 6-5 double-overtime win at Concordia and a 3-2 shootout success at Carleton to set a single-season program record with 24 conference victories. UQTR is undefeated in nine straight and has won its last 11 road games.
In Canada West, the Huskies wrapped up league play with a two-game split against cross-town rival Regina but the Golden Bears are the red-hot team going into the post-season after sweeping Top-10 foes Saskatchewan and Mount Royal the past two weekends.
The playoffs get under way across the country this week with 12 best-of-three series, including conference quarter-finals in the AUS and Canada West and divisional quarter-finals in the OUA. Top-10 teams earning a first-round bye include UNB, Saskatchewan, Alberta and Acadia.
A complete first-round schedule is included below.
CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#15)
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. UNB (23-3-2) / 158 points (14) / (1)
2. UQTR (24-3-1) / 143 (2) / (2)
3. Saskatchewan (22-6-0) / 123 / (3)
4. Alberta (19-7-2) / 111 / (5)
5. Acadia (19-7-2) / 81 / (4)
6. StFX (18-6-4) / 80 / (8)
7. McGill (21-6-1) / 76 / (6)
8. Carleton (20-7-1) / 41 / (9)
9. Mount Royal (17-8-3) / 29 / (7)
10. Saint Mary’s (17-8-3) / 27 / (10)
Other teams receiving votes: Western (6), UOIT (2), York (2), Queen’s (1).
BEST-OF-3 QUARTER-FINALS (ALL TIMES LOCAL)
AUS (AUStv.ca)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – UPEI at Acadia (19:00)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – Acadia at UPEI (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – UPEI at Acadia (19:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Moncton at Saint Mary’s (19:00)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – Saint Mary’s at Moncton (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Moncton at Saint Mary’s (19:00 – if necessary)
OUA WEST (OUA.tv)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Toronto at York (19:30)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – York at Toronto (19:30)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Toronto at York (14:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Wilfrid Laurier at Western (19:00)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – Western at Wilfrid Laurier (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Wilfrid Laurier at Western (19:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Ryerson at Waterloo (19:00)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – Waterloo at Ryerson (19:30)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Ryerson at Waterloo (19:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Windsor at Guelph (19:30)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – Guelph at Windsor (19:30)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Windsor at Guelph (19:30 – if necessary)
OUA EAST (OUA.tv)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – UQTR at Laurentian (19:45)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – Laurentian at UQTR (16:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Laurentian at UQTR (16:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Concordia at McGill (19:00)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – McGill at Concordia (19:30)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Concordia at McGill (17:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Carleton at Nipissing (19:00)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – Nipissing at Carleton (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Nipissing at Carleton (19:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Wednesday, Feb. 17 – Queen’s at UOIT (19:30)
Game 2: Friday, Feb. 19 – UOIT at Queen’s (19:30)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Queen’s at UOIT (19:30 – if necessary)
CANADA WEST (CanadaWest.tv)
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 19 – UBC at Mount Royal (19:00)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – UBC at Mount Royal (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – UBC at Mount Royal (19:00 – if necessary)
Game 1: Friday, Feb. 19 – Calgary at Manitoba (19:00)
Game 2: Saturday, Feb. 20 – Calgary at Manitoba (19:00)
Game 3: Sunday, Feb. 21 – Calgary at Manitoba (15:00 – if necessary)
About Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Canadian Interuniversity Sport is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Every year, over 11,500 student-athletes and 700 coaches from 56 universities and four regional associations vie for 21 national championships in 12 different sports. CIS also provides high performance international opportunities for Canadian student-athletes at Winter and Summer Universiades, as well as numerous world university championships. For further information, visit www.cis-sic.ca or follow us on:
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For further information, please contact:
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Canadian Interuniversity Sport
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