Top 10: Top three teams upset, first Regina win in 10 years over No. 3 Alberta
OTTAWA (CIS) - It was a week of upsets in Canadian Interuniversity Sport men's hockey as the top three teams in the national poll all suffered a loss over the past seven days. However, No. 1 Saskatchewan, No. 2 McGill and reigning CIS champion, No. 3 Alberta all managed to hold on to their respective position in the rankings.
The Saskatchewan Huskies (15-4-3) rule the CIS poll for the tenth consecutive week despite a 4-3 defeat at the hands of the UBC Thunderbirds (8-11-1) on Saturday. The up-and-coming 'Birds have now won four of their last five duels to move into second place in the Canada West Mountain Division, one point ahead of Calgary. The Huskies had taken the first end of their two-game series versus UBC 3-2 on Friday.
Top-ranked Saskatchewan travels to Edmonton this weekend for a doubleheader against the No. 3 Alberta Golden Bears, in what will without a doubt prove the marquee match-ups of the week. The two arch-rivals met in conference play in early November, with the Huskies taking three out of a possible four points thanks to a 6-2 win and a 3-3 tie. Alberta beat Saskatchewan 4-3 in overtime in last year's CIS championship game.
The No. 2 McGill Redmen (13-1-2), the last undefeated team in the nation in regular-season play entering the past week, finally dropped a first conference game in 2005-06. The Redmen lost to their old nemesis, the No. 9 UQTR Patriotes (12-5-1) by a score of 4-2 in Trois-Rivieres. McGill got back on track right away on Friday with a 4-2 victory over Concordia.
No. 3 Alberta (14-4-2) suffered its fourth loss of the regular campaign on Friday when they were surprised, 4-2 by the Regina Cougars (9-9-2). It marked a first win for Regina over the Bears in conference play since Feb. 3, 1996. The defending CIS champions rebounded on Saturday with a 4-2 victory of their own in the closing end of the weekend doubleheader.
The No. 4 Western Ontario Mustangs (17-1-1) and No. 5 UNB Varsity Reds (14-4-4) once again round out the top 5 in the national poll this week. Both teams enjoyed perfect weekends, the Mustangs sweeping a doubleheader against Windsor, and the V-Reds racking up no less than three wins, over St. Thomas, the No. 8 Moncton Aigles Bleus (4-3 in OT) and UPEI.
UNB will be involved in a pair of exciting Top-10 battles this weekend as it visits the No. 7 Saint Mary's Huskies (13-6-2) on Friday, and the No. 6 Acadia Axemen (14-7-1) on Saturday. The Varsity Reds (32 points) hold a slight two-point lead over Acadia and a three-point advantage over Saint Mary's atop the standings of the ever-competitive AUS conference.
RANK TEAM CONFERENCE (Overall) RECORD PTS (1st Place) LAST WEEK
1. SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 15-4-3 (22-5-3) 78 (6) 1
2. McGILL REDMEN 13-1-2 (18-5-2) 71 (2) 2
3. ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 14-4-2 (20-7-2) 63 3
4. WESTERN ONTARIO MUSTANGS 17-1-1 (22-6-1) 53 4
5. UNB VARSITY REDS 14-4-4 (18-8-4) 50 5
6. ACADIA AXEMEN 14-7-1 (16-9-2) 42 6
7. SAINT MARY'S HUSKIES 13-6-2 (18-8-2) 32 8
8. MONCTON AIGLES BLEUS 13-8-1 (17-11-1) 18 7
9. UQTR PATRIOTES 12-5-1 (15-9-1) 17 10
10. WATERLOO WARRIORS 11-4-3 (16-8-3) 12 9
Other teams receiving votes:
Ottawa Gee-Gees (3), St. Thomas Tommies (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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