Mar 16-17: U-Cup Quarter-Finals "Upsets"
York beat Queen's 4-3 to take the Queen's Cup in a one-game showdown and claim the automatic 3rd seed, whilst Queen's was awarded the 4th seed. Why they continue to do this makes little sense, especially given the quarter-final results.
ALBERTA GOLDEN BEARS 1
ACADIA AXEMEN 4
Links:
Boxscores: [USports]
Stories: [US] : [AUS] : [rp @UofA]
Officially, the Monkeys were seeded #1 and Acadia #8. P-shaw! In the final OHT35, Acadia was #3 and Alberta #4, making this the feature game of the opening round. Alberta (like always) held the edge in shots on goal. But Acadia won. The Apes opened the scoring and led 1-0 after the 1st, with a 13-9 lead in shots. In the 2nd period Acadia scored twice on 7 shots then coasted through the 3rd before sealing the deal with an empty-netter.
QUEEN'S GOLDEN GAELS 1
NEW BRUNSWICK VARSITY REDS 5
Links:
Boxscores: [USports]
Stories: [USports] : [rp @UNB] : [rp @OUA] : [AUS]
As the OUA runner-up, the Queens had to be seeded 4th. Weird, eh? As the AUS runner-up, UNB had to be seeded 5th or lower. So this was another "upset". However, under the OHT35, the Squirrels were 1st and the Queens were 9th. So this was no upset. The Windbags got the opening goal just over 2 minutes into the game. And that was the highlight of their season. By the end of the 2nd period the shots were 33-10 in favour of UNB and it was 5-1. Queen's then surrendered meekly in the 3rd, mounting a mere 5 shots.
YORK LIONS 0
SASKATCHEWAN HUSKIES 1
(in overtime)
Links:
Boxscores: [USports]
Stories: [USports] : [rp @CW] : [rp @OUA] : [UofS]
Last year the Mutts played way too much OT and seemed to be trying that failed formula again. This time, though, the opening OT was barely a minute's worth. There were quite a number of poenalties in this one (40 minutes). Jordon Cooke got the shutout, with 24 saves. Mack Shields stopped 31 of 32, which makes for a tough loss. This was another oddly seeded game. As OUA champs, York had to be seeded in the top 3 (and were 3rd) and Sask, as CW runner-up, had to be 5th or lower (and were 6th). So this was another techinical "upset", the 3rd in the first three games. But the OHT35 rankings say that Sask is #2 and York is #14. The Mutts can't be happy about having to play in the morning again. But they will benefit by getting some extra rest for Saturday's semi-final round.
ST. FRANCIS XAVIER X-MEN 4
MCGILL REDMEN 1
Links:
Boxscores: [USports]
Stories: [USports] : [rp @OUA] : [SFX]
The Jeremies scored early and led throughout. They outshot the McGilligutties 35-22 and it seems coasted to a win. This was the only "non-upset" of the opening round. SFX was ranked 2nd (as AUS champion) and McGill 7th (as pre-assigned qualifier #3 from the OUA). But in the OHT35, SFX was #8 and McGill was #5. McGill's playoff loss to Queen's and X's wins over Acadia and UNB would, of course, change that. Anyhow, a repeat of last year's OT semi-final between Sask and X is now on the agenda. Starts at 2:00 CDT on Sportsnet360 according to my PVR.
Links:
• [USports Post-season/Links]
• [USports U-Cup Schedule/Links]
• [USports U-Cup Home]
* Indicates link not available at the time of posting.