UNB men's hockey team blanks UQTR to complete perfect season, repeat as University Cup champion
Concordia wins women's hockey title for 2nd time in 3 years with victory over Toronto
The University of New Brunswick Reds had one more smashing performance to cap off a perfect season and successfully defend their University Cup title in Toronto.
Austen Keating's goal and two assists pushed the Reds to a 4-0 victory against the Université du Québec a Trois-Rivières Patriotes on Sunday for the Fredericton school's 10th national championship, ninth under legendary head coach Gardiner MacDougall.
After the gold medals were presented, the University Cup was passed around, and the good vibrations of a championship were shared on the ice with family and friends. The Reds returned to their dressing room for one of their post-game traditions: smashing a figurine painted in the opposition's team colours.
"It's a tradition that started well before I got here," said third-year captain Jason Willms of Kitchener, Ont. "It's important to celebrate, and we like to have fun when it's all said and done.
"But our most important tradition with this program is winning, and we accomplished that again."
WATCH l UNB Reds successfully defend national title:
When the Reds arrived in Toronto on Monday, they brought a small treasure chest with them. Inside were seven figurines. When they pull the proper one after a win, the player of the game takes two cautious swings with his stick, coming close to the figurine, and his teammates yell, "Fake."
With the third swat, the figurine is smashed, and the team goes bonkers.
The Reds breezed through 2023-24 with a combined exhibition, regular and post-season record of 43-0, and have gone 47-0 dating back to last year's playoff run and national championship.
In the eight-team University Cup tournament at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, the Reds eased their way to the school's 10th title with shutout wins against Brock, the host Toronto Metropolitan University and the Patriotes by a combined score of 15-0.
Samuel Richard was in net for the three shutouts. Combined with his backup, Griffen Outhouse, the UNB goalies finished the season with four consecutive shutouts. They did not allow a goal in the final 298 minutes and two seconds. The Reds outshot their opponents 33-23.
Not only has he won back-to-back Canadian championships, but MacDougall was lured 75 minutes south in May 2022 to take over the Saint John Sea Dogs on an interim basis and steered the junior team to a Memorial Cup title.
"He recruits people first instead of players," said UNB defenceman Kale McCallum of Quispamsis, N.B. "There's not a single guy on this team who isn't a great guy. They are character people, and they do everything they have to to get the job done.
"This is the best group of guys I've ever played with. Everybody is so dialled into winning, and it's an honour to be a part of this team."
WATCH l Full replay of University Cup final:
McCallum was named to the tournament all-star team with Keating, UNB forward Brady Gilmour, Patriotes forward Simon Lafrance, McGill defenceman Scott Walford and Richard.
Richard's closest call was a chance from Patroites centre Conor Frenette in front with 6:37 left in the second period. But his shot hit Richard in the stomach.
The speedy and skilled Reds received a solid final-game effort from all four lines and three defence pairings.
But Keating, his linemates Gilmour, the tournament MVP, and Cody Morgan provided the offence. Gilmour and Morgan scored first-period goals to give the team a 2-0 lead.
The 25-year-old Keating, a former Ottawa 67's standout, collected a rebound off the end boards early in the final period, giving the team a three-goal advantage. Keating, of Guelph, Ont., was coming off an Atlantic MVP season.
Isaac Nurse, Sarah, Nurse's brother, added an empty-net goal before the celebration in front of a pro-UNB crowd began.
Brandon Frattaroli scored twice in the final six minutes to lift McGill to a 3-2 comeback win against Toronto Metropolitan University in the third-place game.
Jackson Doherty gave the host team a 2-1 lead at the 7:52 mark of the final frame, but Frattaroli, a third-year centre, tied the game and scored the winner with 1:21 remaining.
Concordia wins women's final
On Sunday night at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon, the Concordia Stingers beat the Toronto Varsity Blues 3-1 in the final of the U Sports women's hockey championship. The win marked the second time in three years the Stingers have captured the U Sports women's hockey crown, and it is the team's fourth U Sports women's hockey championship win in team history.
The Stingers won the U Sports title in 2022 downing the Nipissing Lakers 4-0 in the final, when the tournament was held in Charlottetown, P.E.I. Last year, the Stingers fell 4-3 in overtime in the U Sports title game to the Mount Royal Cougars in Montreal.
"I think it is the best way to finish your career as a university athlete and as a senior," said Stingers fifth-year right-winger Rosalie Begin-Cyr. "We have a great team, and I think it was like what we expected.
"We wanted to finish better than last year, so it was perfect."
WATCH l Concordia downs Toronto for women's hockey gold:
The Stingers got off to a hot start in Sunday's final. Just 69 seconds into the opening frame, Stinger left-winger Emilie Lussier collected the rebound of her own shot at the left side of the Varsity Blues goal. She quickly tucked home a second shot to give her team a 1-0 lead.
At the 8:19 mark of the first period, Stingers third-year left-winger Jessymaude Drapeau skated just below the icing line at the right side of the Varsity Blues net. Drapeau, who would later be named tournament MVP, deflected the puck from that spot off the pads of Varsity Blues netminder Erica Fryer into the Toronto net to boost the Stingers lead to 2-0.
The Stingers proceeded to seal the victory going up 3-0 on a power-play goal by Begin-Cyr at the 5:10 mark of the third.
The Varsity Blues were making their first appearance in the U Sports title game since losing the 2003 championship final. Toronto went into this year's tournament as the sixth seed. The Varsity Blues placed second in OUA East at 19-8-1 and fell in the OUA final 2-1 in overtime to the visiting Waterloo Warriors on March 9.
Varsity Blues head coach Vicky Sunohara said her players could hold their head high in reaching the title game.
"I'm really proud of our team," said Sunohara. "We battled all season. To be able to play for a gold medal, it is pretty special for our program."
WATCH l Full replay of women's gold-medal game:
Jordyn Verbeek stopped 19 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Stingers. Fryer turned away 22 shots for the Varsity Blues.
The Stingers entered the championship tournament as the No. 1 seed having posted a perfect 25-0 regular-season record and captured the RSEQ title. Stingers head coach Julie Chu was proud of her team's journey in 2023-24.
"Getting to win is definitely something we don't take for granted," said Chu. "We know there are tremendous teams that are here at nationals.
"For us, it is a huge accomplishment. It is something that we take a lot of pride in. If we would have lost today, there is a lot of pride in that locker room and a lot of pride in the journey that we took to be able to be the team that we are today, win or lose."
The Montreal Carabins slipped past the Warriors 2-1 after taking a tiebreaking shootout 1-0 in Sunday's bronze-medal game.
Sunday's consolation final saw the Canada West Conference champion and second-seeded UBC Thunderbirds down the host and eighth-seeded Saskatchewan Huskies 4-1.
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