CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 (#8) - Aigles Bleus No. 1 heading into Christmas break
CIS Men’s Hockey Top 10 (#8) - Aigles Bleus No. 1 heading into Christmas break
OTTAWA (CIS) – The University of Moncton Aigles Bleus top the eighth and final CIS men’s hockey poll of the first half of the season as they head into the Christmas break with the best conference record in the nation.
The AUS-leading Aigles Bleus (13-2-0-0), first in Atlantic conference scoring with 74 goals and second in team defence with 45 goals allowed, head into the university exam period on a roll having won eight in a row, including a 6-2 domination of the No. 3-ranked UNB Varsity Reds (10-3-0-2) last Wednesday in their only outing of the final week.
Moncton is ranked No. 1 in CIS men’s hockey for three consecutive weeks for the first time in team history. The “Blue Eagles” had spent three weeks at the top in 1985-86, including two straight in late February – early March.
While the two-time defending CIS champion Alberta Golden Bears (12-2-0-2) and UNB still round out the leading trio, there is a lot of movement behind in this week’s Top 10.
Teams moving up significantly include the No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies (10-5-0-1), up two spots following a relatively easy two-game sweep of Manitoba – 7-2, 4-0; the No. 6 Waterloo Warriors (13-2-1-0), up four positions thanks to a pair of wins including a 5-1 domination of the No. 8 UQTR Patriotes; and the No. 7 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (12-3-1-0), up two places despite a weekend split with Brock.
This marks the best ranking for Waterloo since spending the first two weeks of the 1996-97 campaign at No. 3, while Laurier hadn’t reached seventh place in the national poll since 1988-99 – for three weeks.
No. 8 UQTR (9-2-1-3) and the No. 10 St. Thomas Tommies (10-5-0-0) drop four and three spots this week, respectively.
UQTR followed up its loss to Waterloo with a 2-0 defeat at Western on Sunday. St. Thomas lost 6-3 to UPEI in its lone outing of the past week.
CIS men’s hockey conference play resumes on January 4, 2007.
CIS men’s hockey Top 10 (#8)
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.
RANK TEAM CONFERENCE (Overall) RECORD PTS (1st Place) LAST WEEK
1. MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 13-2-0-0 100 (10) 1
2. ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 12-2-0-2 90 2
3. NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 10-3-0-2 76 3
4. SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 10-5-0-1 67 6
5. McGILL REDMEN 8-3-3-1 49 5
6. WATERLOO WARRIORS 13-2-1-0 46 10
7. WILFRID LAURIER GOLDEN HAWKS 12-3-1-0 31 9
8. TROIS-RIVIERES PATRIOTES 9-2-1-3 30 4
9. CALGARY DINOS 9-5-0-2 25 8
10. ST. THOMAS TOMMIES 10-5-0-0 19 7
Other teams receiving votes: Lakehead Thunderwolves (12), St. Francis Xavier X-Men (2), Western Ontario Mustangs (2), Saint Mary’s Huskies (1)
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