Photo credit Brian Smith

OTTAWA (CIS) – For the second consecutive year, the University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds head into the CIS men’s hockey championship as the No. 1 seed on home ice.

The seeding was announced on Tuesday for the 50th anniversary edition of the Cavendish University Cup tournament, which will once again take place at UNB’s Aitken University Centre in Fredericton. The six-team competition gets under way on Thursday, March 22 and concludes on Sunday, March 25 with the gold medal final at 8 p.m. Atlantic.

Rogers Sportsnet will carry two of the seven games live, including the last pool play match-up on the Saturday (except on Sportsnet West) and the championship final. SSN Canada will have live webcasts of all contests.

Joining the AUS champion Varsity Reds in the Maritimes will be the second-ranked McGill Redmen (OUA champs), No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champs), No. 4 Western Mustangs (OUA finalists), No. 5 Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalists) and No. 6 UQTR Patriotes (OUA bronze medallists).

UNB, Western and UQTR will battle in Pool A in the preliminary round, while McGill, Saskatchewan and Moncton skate in Pool B. The first-place finishers from each group advance to the national final.

The Redmen and Aigles Bleus face off in the tournament opener on March 22 at 2 p.m. AT, while the V-Reds and Patriotes kick off Pool A action at 7 p.m.

The Huskies and Mustangs take the ice on Day 2 against the losing teams from opening day.

UNB and McGill were also seeded 1-2 a year ago when they went on to meet in the championship match. The V-Reds prevailed 4-0 to claim a remarkable third University Cup title in five seasons, and the fourth in program history.

Western also competed for the trophy last spring and finished second behind UNB in pool play. UQTR returns after a one-year absence, while Saskatchewan and Moncton last played in the tournament in 2008.

Like the V-Reds, the Aigles Bleus and Patriotes have hoisted the University Cup on four occasions. The Huskies and Mustangs each have one CIS title, while the Redmen are still looking for a first triumph.

SEEDING & POOLS

1. UNB Varsity Reds (AUS champions: 20-5-3 regular season / 6-0 playoffs)
2. McGill Redmen (OUA champions: 22-4-2 regular season / 7-0 playoffs)
3. Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champions: 19-6-3 regular season / 6-2 playoffs)
4. Western Mustangs (OUA finalists: 21-4-3 regular season / 6-2 playoffs)
5. Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalists: 18-9-1 regular season / 5-5 playoffs)
6. UQTR Patriotes (OUA bronze medallists: 19-7-2 regular season / 5-4 playoffs)

Pool A

1. UNB
4. Western
6. UQTR

Pool B

2. McGill
3. Saskatchewan
5. Moncton

TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE (Atlantic Time)

Wednesday, March 21
12:45 Meet The Teams Media Conference (Aitken University Centre)
19:00 All-Canadian Awards Presentation (The Playhouse)

Thursday, March 22
14:00 Pool B #1: McGill vs. Moncton (ssncanada.ca)
19:00 Pool A #1: UNB vs. UQTR (ssncanada.ca)

Friday, March 23
14:00 Pool B #2: Loser Pool B #1 vs. Saskatchewan (ssncanada.ca)
19:00 Pool A #2: Loser Pool A #1 vs. Western (ssncanada.ca)

Saturday, March 24
11:30 Pool B #3: Winner Pool B #1 vs. Saskatchewan (ssncanada.ca)
16:30 Pool A #3: Winner Pool A #1 vs. Western (Rogers Sportsnet / ssncanada.ca) *

Sunday, March 25
20:00 University Cup Final (Rogers Sportsnet / ssncanada.ca)

Note: The last game of pool play (Saturday, 4:30 p.m. AT) will air live on all Sportsnet stations, except on Sportsnet West, which will air the game on a tape delay at 8 p.m. Mountain.

-CIS-