Top 10: No. 1 Bears, No. 2 Redmen keep pace
OTTAWA (CIS) - The reigning national champion Alberta Golden Bears top the CIS men's hockey poll for the third straight week.
The No. 1 Golden Bears (20-4-2) beat the Lethbridge Pronghorns (3-19-4) 5-2 and 8-2 over the weekend to clinch first place in the Canada West combined standings for the sixth consecutive season, and reach the 20-win mark in conference play for the eighth year in a row. Alberta, which had long secured the top spot in the conference Mountain Division to earn a bye in the first round of the playoffs, rounds out the regular season this weekend with a doubleheader against provincial rivals, the Calgary Dinos (12-12-2).
The McGill Redmen (20-1-3), second in the Top 10 for a second straight week, racked three wins, including two more shutouts, to complete one of the best regular seasons in school history. McGill posted 2-0 victories over both Concordia and Ottawa before defeating the No. 8 UQTR Patriotes (16-6-2) 5-3 to finish in a tie with the No. 4 Western Ontario Mustangs (21-2-1) for first place overall in the OUA, and earn a bye in the opening round of the post-season.
The Redmen's .896 winning percentage in conference play is their best in 67 years, dating back to 1938-39, when they went 9-1 (.900). McGill set a CIS regular-season record with an amazing 12 whitewashes in 24 outings, and ended up allowing the fewest goals in the nation (29) to finish with a goals-against average of 1.21, the lowest in CIS history. It broke the all-time mark of 1.50, set by McGill during a 10-game season in 1937-38. In the post-war era, Saint Mary's had held the modern-day mark (1.61 GAA in 18 games) since the 1969-70 campaign.
The No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies (16-6-4) also hold on to their position in this week's poll. The Huskies enjoyed a break this week and will wrap up conference play with a pair of duels versus provincial foes, the Regina Cougars (9-15-2). Saskatchewan will also get to rest in the first round of the playoffs following a first-place finish in the Canada West Great Plains Division.
Western Ontario moves ahead of the Acadia Axemen (19-7-1-1) at No. 4 this week. The Mustangs completed the regular schedule with a pair of 4-2 wins over arch-rivals, the Lakehead Thunderwolves (13-9-2), and will now rest for a week before jumping into playoff action.
The No. 5 Axemen, which had secured first place in the AUS standings a week ago, wrapped up conference play with a 5-1 victory over Dalhousie and a 3-2 loss to StFX. Acadia will also enjoy a bye in the opening round of the playoffs.
CIS men's hockey playoff action kicks off on Wednesday, February 15 with the following match-ups, all opening games of best-of-three series.
St. Thomas at No. 7 Saint Mary's (AUS)
StFX at No. 10 UNB (AUS)
Concordia at Ottawa (OUA)
Brock at No. 9 Waterloo (OUA)
Lakehead at York (OUA)
RMC at No. 8 UQTR (OUA)
RANK TEAM CONFERENCE (Overall) RECORD PTS (1st Place) LAST WEEK
1. ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 20-4-2 (26-7-2) 76 (4) 1
2. McGILL REDMEN 20-1-3 (25-5-3) 75 (4) 2
3. SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 16-6-4 (23-7-4) 63 3
4. WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 21-2-1 (26-7-1) 53 5
5. ACADIA AXEMEN 19-8-1 (21-10-2) 51 4
6. MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 18-9-1 (22-12-1) 41 6
7. SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 16-9-3 (21-11-3) 25 7
8. UQTR PATRIOTES 16-6-2 (19-10-2) 19 9
9. WATERLOO WARRIORS 15-6-3 (20-10-3) 18 10
10. UNB VARSITY REDS 15-9-4 (19-13-4) 13 8
Other teams receiving votes: St. Thomas Tommies (3), Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (2), Ottawa Gee-Gees (1)
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.
CIS Men's Ice Hockey Top Ten Committee Chairman: Steve Knowles
For all the info on CIS (standings, results, news, etc.), visit: www.universitysport.ca
Canadian Interuniversity Sport (CIS) is the national governing body of university sport in Canada. Fifty universities, 10,000 student-athletes and 550 coaches vie for 19 National Championships in 11 different sports.
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