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CIS Championships Preview

Tue Mar 22, 2005
Written by CIS & Mike Aylward
Photo by James Mirabelli

OTTAWA (CIS) - The University of Alberta Golden Bears host the CIS national championships this week in Edmonton, with action beginning Thursday and running through to the championship game on Monday night. Joining the home team in the battle for the University Cup are the No. 2-Moncton Aigles Bleus (AUS champions), No. 3-Western Ontario Mustangs (OUA champions), No. 4-UQTR Patriotes (OUA finalists), No. 5-Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West finalists), and No. 6-Manitoba Bisons (Canada West bronze medallists).

Although Lakehead won't be playing for the University Cup, Lakehead Captain Joel Scherban is up for the Joseph E. Sullivan Trophy awarded each year to the Oustanding Player in Canadian university hockey. All the major awards and the naming of the All Canadian Teams will be done at the CIS University Cup Awards Night which will be held Wednesday night at the Alberta Provincial Museum in Edmonton.

Sunday's semi-finals will be broadcast live on TSN while Monday's championship gamewill be broadcast Tuesday night ontape delay.

Team Previews:

The University of Alberta Golden Bears hockey team knows only too well that entering the University Cup as the No. 1-seed doesn't guarantee a championship ring at the end of the tournament.

"Being the number one seed is irrelevant," says 10-year head coach Rob Daum, whose Bears have come home without the coveted trophy the past three seasons after entering the nationals as the top-ranked team.

"I think like always it will be an extremely competitive tournament," continues the 2003-04 CIS coach of the year, who also claimed the Father George Kehoe Memorial Award in 2000-01. "Every season any team can win the tournament, and it has been proven year after year."

Yet, the Golden Bears, ranked first nationally since the second week of the campaign and established No. 1-seed for the 2005 nationals on Monday, have to be considered overwhelming tournament favourites once again this year as they prepare to host the TELUS University Cup, March 24-28, marking the first presentation of the event in Edmonton since 1986-87.

The five-time defending Canada West champions hope that support from the home crowd will finally lift them to that elusive 11th University Cup win, which would set a new CIS record and separate them from the Toronto Varsity Blues. Making their ninth straight appearance at the championship, the Bears last won the Cup in 1999-00, the second of back-to-back CIS titles.

Alberta didn't miss a beat in 2004-05 despite the loss of numerous fifth-year veterans to graduation, including all-Canadians Blair St. Martin, Clayton Pool and Ryan Wade, the all-time University Cup leader in goals (13) and points (21). Conference all-star Kevin Marsh, second to Wade in CIS championship career scoring with 20 points, also graduated last spring.

This year's Golden Bears, which finished first in Canada West combined standings in the regular season (24-3-1) before sweeping playoff series against Calgary and Saskatchewan, boast a potent offensive lineup that includes seven players who averaged at least one point per outing in overall games, and five conference all-stars. Fourth-year senior Brad Tutschek led the team with 39 points in 28 regular-season games, while defenceman Jeff Zorn became the first player in conference history to be named a first-team all-star on four occasions.

"We have a well-balanced and deep team," adds Daum, whose defensive corp includes five former NHL draft choices. "We are going to enjoy playing in front of our hometown crowd."

The most decorated team in AUS history with four University Cup titles, No. 2 Moncton advances to the CIS championship for the first time since 1998-99 following a 3-2, double-overtime win over Acadia in game 5 of the best-of-five conference final. No small feat considering the Aigles Bleus finished last in<