Hockey: AUS Exhibition Update

I've got a cold, so we must be playing hockey games in the AUS. But better than being the Athletics Director at Saint Mary's this past week. First you lose hosting the Uteck Bowl to Moncton (I know, technically the AUS "hosts" the Uteck Bowl, but it was always at Huskies Field). Then the Huskies football team loses 23-21 to Mount Allison, breaking a 23 game winning streak, in a neutral site game, in Moncton naturally. Then Saturday night the reigning CIS champion hockey team gets hammered 10-3 by UNB in Fredericton. Good thing it was an exhibition game I guess. The Huskies did win their game against UPEI 6-4 on Friday afternoon, a scrappy, chippy game that featured seven 10-minute misconduct calls.

The Acadia hockey team, projected my many (including me) to be a national contender this year, continued to struggle in the preseason. While they did beat touring UQTR 4-3 Friday in Greenwood, NS, when they got back to the Olympic ice in their own building Saturday night the Axemen lost 5-1 to les Patriotes.

In the consolation final at UNB's Fall Classic Tournament, UPEI seemed to take a while to wake up from their loss the afternoon before. Lucky for them, the Guelph Gryphons seemed to be in the same plight, as they gave their all the night before in losing to UNB 4-2. Rookie Gryphons goalie Cody St. Jacques, and the team penalty kill, was the difference between a loss and a blowout, as they were outshot 40-15. So Saturday after a slow start the UPEI-Guelph game was a pretty even back and forth affair, finally settled by Panther Graham McNabb midway through overtime for the 6-5 win. As mentioned, the evening championship game was anti-climatic, as UNB came out flying and SMU couldn't respond, not helped by only average goaltending. Kyle Bailey and Jordan Clendenning each had hat tricks for the V-Reds in the 10-3 win, while CIS player of the year Hunter Tremblay had the night off with a minor injury and Mike Danton stayed behind in Halifax, a little banged up himself.

The only other game on the weekend was in Grand Falls, NB, where STU beat UdeM 5-2 in a game that apparently got chippy in the late going.

This coming week sees four AUS teams head south of the border to play NCAA teams, with the rest of the teams playing exhibition games in the region. Wednesday night Acadia is at Dalhousie, while Thursday night the Tommies return to their roots in the Miramichi, where they host StFX. UdeM is hosting two games in the village of Cocagne, NB this weekend - UPEI on Friday and Dal on Saturday. Also on Saturday, SMU will be visiting Summerside, PE, where they meet up with UPEI.

The NCAA games Saturday see UNB at UMass (Amherst), Acadia at Northeastern, StFX at New Hampshire, and STU at Holy Cross. On Sunday afternoon UNB is at Vermont, Acadia is at Maine, StFX is at UMass-Lowell, and STU is at Quinnipiac. UNB stays in the States until Tuesday, when they play RPI.
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2 comments:

  1. I maybe a die hard Acadia Axemen fan, but i am glad to see Mount A get the SMU monkey off their back...i remember when SMU beat them 105-0 back in the early part of the decade...it does make me smile to see the Mounties at the top of the AUS standings...and who thought the Huskies would be 0-3????

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  2. Saint Mary's being 0-3? I daresay a lot of people are gladdened by that, but not me. I wish every game was a tie.

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