OTTAWA (CIS) – The reigning University Cup champion
Alberta Golden Bears top the CIS men’s hockey rankings for
the second time in as many national polls this season.
After receiving only five of 16 first-place votes – and 132
points - in the inaugural poll last Tuesday, the Bears earned 14
first-place nods and 157 points from the media panel this week
following a two-game sweep against Lethbridge that pushed their
record to 3-1 after two weekends of Canada West action.
Behind Alberta, the No. 6 UQTR Patriotes (1-0) are the only team to
stay put in the new Top 10.
Rounding out the second rankings of the fall are the No. 2 UNB
Varsity Reds (0-0 / up one position), No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies
(4-0 / up one), No. 4 Acadia Axemen (0-0 / up one), No. 5 Mount
Royal Cougars (4-0 / previously unranked), No. 7 Calgary Dinos (2-2
/ down five), No. 8 Carleton Ravens (1-0 / down one), No. 9 McGill
Redmen (0-0 / down one) and No. 10 Saint Mary’s Huskies (0-0
/ down one).
The Bears, who opened league play two weeks ago with a two-game
split against UBC, were simply too much for Lethbridge this past
weekend, dominating the visiting Pronghorns 10-0 and 7-3 in
Edmonton.
Meanwhile, Mount Royal cracks the national Top 10 for the first
time since joining CIS in 2012-13 thanks to a two-game sweep (3-1,
2-1) of cross-town rival Calgary, which had opened the campaign at
No. 2.
The past week also marked the start of conference play in the OUA,
including nationally-ranked UQTR and Carleton kicking off their
schedule with one-goal wins over Nipissing and Concordia,
respectively.
The AUS joins the action this week. Second-ranked UNB opens against
UPEI, while reigning conference champ Acadia faces Dalhousie, both
on Saturday.
CIS MEN’S
HOCKEY TOP 10 (#2)
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) / (previous
ranking)
1. Alberta (3-1-0) / 157 points (14) / (1)
2. UNB (0-0-0) / 124 (1) / (3)
3. Saskatchewan (4-0-0) / 121 / (4)
4. Acadia (0-0-0) / 111 / (5)
5. Mount Royal (4-0-0) / 82 / (NR)
6. UQTR (1-0-0) / 68 (1) / (6)
7. Calgary (2-2-0) / 59 / (2)
8. Carleton (1-0-0) / 57 / (7)
9. McGill (0-0-0) / 35 / (8)
10. Saint Mary’s (0-0-0) / 20 / (9)
Other teams receiving votes: Waterloo (18), StFX (12), Western (9),
Concordia (3), Laurentian (3), Manitoba (1).
