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OTTAWA (CIS) – Despite finishing their campaign with a pair o victories, the º«¹úÂãÎè Redmen slipped one notch in the CIS men's hockey rankings this week. The reigning University Cup champion New Brunswick Varsity Reds top the CIS men’s hockey rankings for the 14th time in as many media polls this year.

The Varsity Reds, who were a unanimous choice at No. 1 for the 13th straight week thanks to 16 first-place votes, suffered a heartbreaking loss to StFX last Friday that prevented them from becoming the sixth team in CIS men’s hockey history to post a perfect record in conference play. They rebounded with a win over Dalhousie on Saturday to complete the regular season with a 27-1 mark, setting AUS records for most wins and points (54) in a single campaign.

The V-Reds looked well on their way to a 27th straight victory against StFX (11-12-5) building a 3-0 lead one minute into the second period, but the X-Men scored four unanswered goals to steal a 4-3 decision. UNB got win No. 27 the next night with a 5-2 defeat of Dalhousie (8-16-4).

After topping the Atlantic standings by 13 points, the defending national champions enjoy a bye in the first round of the AUS playoffs. They’ll get back on the ice next week for the start of a best-of-five conference semifinal series.

Following UNB in this week’s national media poll are No. 2 Alberta (21-4-1), No. 3 UQTR (23-3-2), No. 4 Acadia (19-7-2), No. 5 Western Ontario (21-7-0), No. 6 º«¹úÂãÎè (22-6-0), No. 7 Waterloo (20-7-1), No. 8 Lakehead (19-7-2), No. 9 Manitoba (14-8-2) and No. 10 Saint Mary’s (16-8-4).

The only change in the new Top 10 sees Western leapfrog º«¹úÂãÎè to reach fifth place.

Ranked second in the nation for the 14th time in 14 weeks, Alberta split a two-game series with UBC (8-17-1) over the past weekend, losing the opener 4-1 and winning the rematch 7-1. The Golden Bears, who had already clinched first place in Canada West before facing the T-Birds, wrap up conference play this weekend with two contests at Regina (9-14-1).

UQTR stays put at No. 3 for the third straight week. The Patriotes completed the regular schedule with a 6-1 domination of Ottawa (6-20-2) and a 6-4 win over Carleton (15-10-3), results that allowed them to finish first in the OUA East, four points clear of º«¹úÂãÎè. The Pats host Concordia (8-16-4) Wednesday night for Game 1 of a best-of-three OUA East quarter-final series.

Acadia remains at No. 4 for the eighth consecutive week. The Axemen secured second place in the AUS and a bye in the first round of the playoffs last Friday with a 5-2 defeat of St. Thomas (7-19-2), before dropping their season finale 2-1 to Moncton (9-16-3).

In a wild finish in the OUA West, No. 5 Western clinched first place, one point ahead of No. 7 Waterloo, thanks to a 3-2 shootout victory over UOIT (11-15-2) and a 3-2 overtime decision over Laurier (17-8-3). The Mustangs host UOIT Wednesday evening for the opening contest of a best-of-three OUA West quarter-final.

º«¹úÂãÎè wrapped up conference play with a pair of wins, 4-3 in OT against Concordia and 9-0 over Ottawa, but had to settle for second place in the OUA East after a season-long battle for first with UQTR. The Redmen open the playoffs at home Wednesday against first-year Nipissing (12-15-1).

Waterloo had a chance to finish first in the OUA West after a 4-3 OT win over Windsor (10-13-5) on Friday, but had to settle for second position following a 6-4 loss to UOIT on Saturday. The Warriors kick off post-season play at home Wednesday against Windsor.

No. 8 Lakehead ended conference play with a 4-2 loss to Laurier and a 3-2 OT win over Brock (9-17-2) to take third place in the OUA West. The Thunderwolves, who will once again host the University Cup national championship in Thunder Bay from March 25-28, visit York (12-13-3) Wednesday for their playoff opener. Games 2 and 3 (if necessary) will be played in Thunder Bay.

Manitoba enjoyed a bye last week and gets back on the ice this weekend with a two-game set at Saskatchewan (13-7-4). With four games left in the regular season, the Bisons and Huskies are tied for second place in the Canada West standings with 30 points apiece.

Saint Mary’s ended conference play on a four-game winning streak and in third place in the Atlantic standings thanks to a 6-1 victory over Moncton and a 7-4 win over St. Thomas. The Huskies host Moncton Wednesday in Game 1 of a best-of-three AUS quarter-final.

Other playoff series on this week’s schedule that do not involve Top-10 teams include (all best-of-three series starting Wednesday): StFX vs. UPEI, Toronto vs. Ryerson, Carleton vs. Queen’s, Laurier vs. Guelph.

NOTE: No. 3 UQTR beat No. 5 º«¹úÂãÎè 5-4 on Monday, February 8. That result counted towards this week’s Top 10.

CIS MEN’S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#14)

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) / (last week)

1. UNB (27-1-0) / 160 points (16) / (1)
2. Alberta (21-4-1) / 137 / (2)
3. UQTR (23-3-2) / 129 / (3)
4. Acadia (19-6-3) / 108 / (4)
5. Western Ontario (21-7-0) / 89 / (6)
6. º«¹úÂãÎè (22-6-0) / 88 / (5)
7. Waterloo (20-7-1) / 43 / (7)
8. Lakehead (19-7-2) / 42 / (8)
9. Manitoba (14-8-2) / 36 / (9)
10. Saint Mary’s (16-8-4) / 34 / (10)

Other teams receiving votes: Saskatchewan (8), Wilfrid Laurier (4), UPEI (2).


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