GUELPH, ON – There are a total of 35 universities from across the country with teams competing in CIS men's hockey. Of those 35 teams, only 8 will get the opportunity to compete for a national championship. 7 of those 8 spots have already been filled. The Gryphons and Ravens each have one hand on that final spot. On Saturday night (March 12) in Ottawa, the Guelph Gryphons and Carleton Ravens will square off in a one-game, winner-take-all OUA Bronze medal match with the winner clinching the OUA's final berth into the University Cup.
TEAMS WHO HAVE QUALIFIED FOR THE CIS CHAMPIONSHIPS
*Note: these are not the final seedings for the tournament. The final seedings for the University Cup will be announced Sunday, March 13 at 1pm.
- UQTR (OUA)
- WESTERN (OUA)
- ST. FX (AUS)
- UNB (AUS)
- SASKATCHEWAN (CANADAWEST)
- ALBERTA (CANADAWEST)
- ST. MARY'S (AUS – HOST)
- GUELPH/CARLETON (OUA
There's no doubt that there are some terrific men's hockey programs both out west and out east. In fact, 11 of the last 12 CIS Champions have come from either the Canada West or the AUS conferences. However, when you talk about the process of simply making it to nationals, the numbers don't lie…getting out of the OUA is no small feat. With Quebec not having a conference of their own in CIS men's hockey, a trio of Quebec-based teams (UQTR, McGill & Concordia) joined the OUA to form the largest of the three conferences in the country. While both the Canada West and AUS (Atlantic University Sport) conferences have 8 teams, the OUA has a total of 19. Both the Canada West and AUS receive two spots in the University Cup, meaning each of the schools in those conferences, mathematically speaking, have a 25% chance of making it to nationals. Add to the fact that this year's CIS Championship is taking place in Halifax (with St. Mary's University serving as host) and you have a total of three teams from an eight team conference represented at the University Cup. When it comes to the OUA, simple math tells us that the chances of reaching the national stage becomes more difficult than the bordering conferences, with each school in the OUA having just a 15.78% chance of being one of the final three teams standing. Regardless of what the format is or what the mathematical chances calculate, all the Gryphons men's hockey team need to know is this: there are 15 other schools in the OUA and 12 other schools around the country who would do anything to have this opportunity right now. One win…and you're in. There just so happens to be a tough opponent standing in the way.
The Carleton Ravens posted an impressive 20-7-1 record during the regular season and are currently the No. 7-ranked team in the country (with the Gryphons not far behind, ranked No. 9). These two teams met just once during the regular season, with the Gryphons winning 2-0 at Carleton back on November 27 on the strength of an
Andrew D'Agostini 33-save shutout. That result becomes even more impressive for D'Agostini and company when you consider the fact that the Ravens own one of the most prolific offensive attacks in the country. Carleton finished 5
th in the CIS in both goals (115) and goals per game (4.11) during the regular season. Aside from needing to be sound defensively on Saturday night, the Gryphons will also have to make a concerted effort to be disciplines as they face a physical Ravens team who also finished in the top five in the country with 600 penalty minutes during the season.
While both Guelph and Carleton are coming off losses to Western and UQTR respectively, each team now enters Saturday night's contest knowing that the stakes are at an all-time high. One win, and you're in. And once you get to nationals,
how you got there simply does not matter. Both the Gryphons and Ravens started the season with a 15.78% chance of making it to Halifax for nationals. Six months (and a lot of hard work) later…those odds have improved dramatically. It's 50-50 now. Puck drop is set for 7pm and can be seen live online at
www.oua.tv.
Notes:
- The 2016 CIS University Cup Men's Hockey Championship takes place March 17-20 at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
- The Gryphons are looking to return to nationals for a second straight season after having claimed a CIS Bronze a year ago
- The Carleton Ravens are looking to return to the CIS Championships for the second time in the last three seasons after qualifying during the 2013-14 season.
