2006 Telus University Cup Seeding and Draw announced
HUSKIES SEEDED NO. 5
OTTAWA (CIS) – The reigning national champion University of Alberta Golden Bears, host of the event for the second consecutive year, have been established tournament favourites for the 2006 Canadian Interuniversity Sport men’s hockey championship, the Telus University Cup, to be held in Edmonton, March 23-26.
Championship web site: www.cisport.ca/e/championships/m_hockey/2006
The Bears became the most decorated team in CIS men’s hockey history a year ago when they edged the Saskatchewan Huskies 4-3 in overtime in front of 10,331 fans at Rexall Place to capture their 11th University Cup. Toronto boasts 10 CIS titles but hasn’t hoisted the trophy since the spring of 1984.
No. 1 Alberta is enjoying another stellar season in 2005-06 under the leadership of first-year head coach Eric Thurston. The Golden Bears finished first in the Canada West combined standings for the sixth consecutive campaign with a 21-5-2 record, before claiming their sixth straight conference banner with a two-game sweep of Saskatchewan in the championship series. Alberta was defeating Saskatchewan for the fifth year in a row in the conference final.
The Bears, making their 10th straight appearance at the nationals, have repeated three times as University Cup champions in their storied history, winning back-to-back titles in 1999 and 2000 under head coach Rob Daum, and pulling a three-peat from 1978-80 with legendary coach Clare Drake behind the bench for the first two championship wins, and Bill Moores completing the hat trick. Daum left the U of A following last year’s triumph to become head coach of the Minnesota Wild AHL affiliate in Houston.
The five teams with hopes of leaving Edmonton with the University Cup in their luggage on the morning of March 27 are the second-seeded Acadia Axemen (AUS champions), the No. 3 Lakehead Thunderwolves (OUA champions), the No. 4 McGill Redmen (OUA finalists), the No. 5 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West finalists), and the No. 6 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA bronze medalists).
Alberta, McGill and Laurier will make up Pool A for the round-robin portion of the tournament, while Acadia, Lakehead and Saskatchewan will compete in Pool B. All round-robin contests will be played at Clare Drake Arena on the campus of the University of Alberta, with the top finishers in each pool moving to Rexall Place for the gold-medal game on Sunday.
The No. 5 Huskies are the only returning team from the 2005 CIS tournament, aside from the defending champions. Saskatchewan claimed its lone CIS title in 1983 with former NHL and national team coach Dave King behind the bench, and current head coach Dave Adolph on the ice as a co-captain.
No. 2 Acadia swept UNB in three games in the AUS final to earn its first University Cup berth since 1998, one year after losing in overtime to Moncton in the fifth and decisive game of the conference championship series. The Axemen won the national title in 1996 and 1993.
No. 3 Lakehead is 0-4 lifetime in two University Cup appearances. The ‘Wolves lone participation before this season since returning to CIS competition in 2001-02 was in March of 2003 in Fredericton. The old ‘Wolves had advanced to the nationals back in 1972-73.
No. 4 McGill, which set a number of CIS defensive records in conference play this season including 12 shutouts in 24 games and a 1.21 goals against average, advances to the University Cup for the first time in history, dating back to the inaugural CIS tourney in 1962-63. The 2005-06 campaign marks the 129th anniversary of Redmen hockey.
No. 6 Laurier, also vying for its first-ever CIS banner, returns to the championship for the first time since co-hosting the event in 2000-01, and only the second time since the 1991-92 season.
The 2006 Telus University Cup tournament gets under way on Thursday, March 23 with round-robin match-ups between Acadia and Saskatchewan (1 p.m. MST), and McGill and Laurier (7 p.m. MST).
Two games from the championship will be televised live nationally on TSN: the last duel of the round-robin tournament on Saturday (4 p.m. MST, from Clare Drake Arena), and the championship final on Sunday (7 p.m. MST, from Rexall Place).
SEEDING & SCHEDULE (All times LOCAL / Mountain Time)
1. Alberta Golden Bears
2. Acadia Axemen
3. Lakehead Thunderwolves
4. McGill Redmen
5. Saskatchewan Huskies
6. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks
Thursday, March 23
13:00 Game 1 (Clare Drake Arena): Acadia (2) vs. Saskatchewan (5)
19:00 Game 2 (Clare Drake Arena): McGill (4) vs. Wilfrid Laurier (6)
Friday, March 24
13:00 Game 3 (Clare Drake Arena): Lakehead (3) vs. Loser Game 1
19:00 Game 4 (Clare Drake Arena): Alberta (1) vs. Loser Game 2
Saturday March 25
11:00 Game 5 (Clare Drake Arena): Lakehead vs. Winner Game 1
16:00 Game 6 (Clare Drake Arena): Alberta vs. Winner Game 2 (Live on TSN)
Sunday March 26
19:00 Championship final (Rexall Place): (Live on TSN)
PARTICIPATING TEAMS
1. Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West champions / 21-5-2 regular season, 4-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (CIS champions)
Previous appearances: 30
Last title: 2005
Number of titles: 11
2. Acadia Axemen (AUS champions / 19-7-1-1 season, 5-0 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 1998 (finalists)
Previous appearances: 5
Last title: 1996
Number of titles: 2
3. Lakehead Thunderwolves (OUA champions / 13-9-2 season, 7-2 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2003 (0-2)
Previous appearances: 2
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
4. McGill Redmen (OUA finalists / 20-1-3 season, 4-2 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): -
Previous appearances: 0
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
5. Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West finalists / 17-7-4 season, 2-2 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2005 (finalists)
Previous appearances: 10
Last title: 1983
Number of titles: 1
6. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA bronze medalists / 13-8-2-1 season, 4-3 playoffs)
Last appearance (result): 2001 (1-1)
Previous appearances: 6
Last title: -
Number of titles: 0
UNIVERSITY CUP CHAMPIONS
Year - Champions (Coach) / Host
2004-05 Alberta (Rob Daum) / Alberta
2003-04 StFX (Danny Flynn) / UNB
2002-03 UQTR (Jacques Laporte) / UNB
2001-02 Western (Clarke Singer) / Guelph, Laurier & Waterloo
2000-01 UQTR (Jacques Laporte) / Guelph, Laurier & Waterloo
1999-00 Alberta (Rob Daum) / Saskatchewan
1998-99 Alberta (Rob Daum) / Saskatchewan
1997-98 UNB (Mike Kelly) / Saskatchewan
1996-97 Guelph (Marlin Muylaert) / CIS Maple Leaf Gardens
1995-96 Acadia (Mark Hanneman) / CIS Maple Leaf Gardens
1994-95 Moncton (Pete Belliveau) / CIS Maple Leaf Gardens
1993-94 Lethbridge (Mike Babcock) / CIS Maple Leaf Gardens
1992-93 Acadia (Tom Coolen) / CIS Maple Leaf Gardens
1991-92 Alberta (Bill Moores) / Toronto
1990-91 UQTR (Dany Dubé) / Toronto
1989-90 Moncton (Len Doucet) / Toronto
1988-89 York (Graham Wise) / Toronto
1987-88 York (Graham Wise) / Toronto
1986-87 UQTR (Clément Jodoin) / Alberta
1985-86 Alberta (Clare Drake) / Alberta
1984-85 York (Dave Chambers) / Toronto
1983-84 Toronto (Mike Keenan) / UQTR
1982-83 Saskatchewan (Dave King) / Moncton
1981-82 Moncton (Jean Perron) / Moncton
1980-81 Moncton (Jean Perron) / Calgary
1979-80 Alberta (Bill Moores) / Regina
1978-79 Alberta (Clare Drake) / Concordia
1977-78 Alberta (Clare Drake) / Moncton
1976-77 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Alberta
1975-76 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Toronto
1974-75 Alberta (Clare Drake) / Alberta
1973-74 Waterloo (Bob McKillop) / Toronto
1972-73 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Toronto
1971-72 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Bishop's & Sherbrooke
1970-71 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Laurentian
1969-70 Toronto (Tom Watt) / UPEI
1968-69 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Alberta
1967-68 Alberta (Clare Drake) / SGW, Loyola, MacDonald
1966-67 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Calgary & Alberta
1965-66 Toronto (Tom Watt) / Laurentian
1964-65 Manitoba (Bill Robinson (Manitoba)
1963-64 Alberta (Clare Drake) / Queen's & RMC / CMR
1962-63 McMaster (Les Prince) / Queen's & RMC / CMR
