What to know about (and how to watch) the 2025 U Sports hockey championships
Live coverage on CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, YouTube
Ontario universities host both the men's and women's U Sports hockey championship tournaments this week, and those host clubs both found a way to upset the top-seeded teams from New Brunswick and Alberta in the quarterfinals.
The men play their University Cup games at The Arena at TD Place in Ottawa with the seeding order as follows:
- UNB (AUS champions: 28-1-1 regular season, 5-0 playoffs)
- Saskatchewan Huskies (CW champions: 23-5-0, 4-2)
- Concordia Stingers (OUA champions: 21-5-2, 5-1)
- Toronto Metropolitan Bold (OUA finalists: 17-10-1, 4-2)
- Mount Royal Cougars (CW finalists: 22-6-0, 3-3)
- Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS finalists: 19-9-2, 3-4)
- Queen's Gaels (OUA bronze medallists: 22-6-0, 3-2)
- Ottawa Gee-Gees (hosts: 19-6-3, 2-2)
In men's hockey, the three conference champions are seeded in the top three based on their final national ranking, while the OUA finalist is automatically placed in the No. 4 spot. The remaining teams are then placed to avoid intraconference matchups in the first round.
The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday and Friday, as follows:
- No. 4 Toronto Metropolitan def. No. 5 Mount Royal, 5-4 (5OT)
- No. 8 Ottawa def No. 1 UNB, 3-2 (OT)
- Friday, 1 p.m. ET: No. 6 Moncton vs. No. 3 Concordia
- Friday, 7 p.m. ET: No. 7 Queen's vs. No. 2 Saskatchewan
The semifinals will take place on Saturday at 1 p.m. and 7 p.m. On Sunday, the bronze medal game is set for at 11 a.m. with the championship game at 5 p.m.
Host Waterloo upsets top seed
The women's tournament is being held at the Woolwich Memorial Centre in Elmira, Ont., and the seeding is as follows:
- Alberta Pandas (CW Champions: 24-3-1 regular season, 4-1 playoffs)
- Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA champions: 17-8-1, 5-0)
- Bishop's Gaiters (RSEQ champions: 10-8-3, 4-1)
- STFX X-Women (AUS champions: 18-5-5, 5-2)
- Concordia Stingers (RSEQ finalists: 20-1-0, 3-2)
- UBC Thunderbirds (CW finalists: 24-5-1, 2-2)
- UNB (AUS finalists: 21-5-2, 3-2)
- Waterloo Warriors (hosts: 18-2-6, 4-1)
In women's hockey, the four conference champions are seeded in the top four based on their final national ranking. The four other participants are placed so that each side of the draw includes one team from each conference.
The quarterfinals will be played on Thursday and Friday, as follows:
- No. 5 Concordia def. No. 4 STFX, 5-2
- No. 8 Waterloo def. No. 1 Alberta, 3-0
- Friday, 1 p.m. ET: No. 6 UBC vs. No. 3 Bishop's
- Friday, 7 p.m. ET: No. 7 UNB vs. No. 2 Toronto
Saturday's action starts with two consolation games at 10 a.m. ET and 1 p.m. ET, with the semifinals set for 4 p.m. ET and 7 p.m. ET. On Sunday, the bronze-medal game begins at 2 p.m. ET and the championship at 6 p.m. ET.
Games from both tournaments will be broadcast live on CBC Sports digital platforms (CBCSports.ca, CBC Gem, CBC Sports YouTube channel) in English. For the full CBC Sports broadcast schedule, click here.
In French, the games will be carried on Radio Canada's digital platforms, with Sunday's gold-medal games to be aired on TVA Sports.
