CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#10): McGill remains No. 2 in nation for 8th consecutive week
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OTTAWA (CIS) - Despite a rare winless weekend, the reigning national champion University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds top the CIS men's hockey rankings for the 10th time in as many polls this season.
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In the closest Top 10 of the campaign, the V-Reds (13-3-2) received nine of 17 first-place votes - five less than a week ago - and 160 points from the national media panel, compared to six first-place nods and 146 points for the McGill Redmen (16-2-2), who remain at No. 2 for the eighth consecutive week, and two first-place votes and 132 points for the No. 3 Saskatchewan Huskies (15-3-2), who move up two spots to match their best ranking of the season.
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Rounding out the new poll are No. 4 Western Ontario (16-2-2), down one position from last week; No. 5 Alberta (13-5-2), also down one spot; No. 6 Acadia (12-6-1), up a pair; No. 7 Moncton (12-6-0) and No. 8 Lakehead (16-4-0), both down one; No. 9 Manitoba (12-4-2), which stays put; and No. 10 Saint Mary's (12-7-1), unranked a week ago.
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It was a wild week in CIS men's hockey, with seven of the top eight teams in the country losing at least one game.
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Top-ranked UNB dropped a pair of close-fought decisions on the road, 2-1 against No. 10 Saint Mary's last Friday and 5-4 in a shootout versus St. Francis Xavier the following night. It marked the first time since November of 2010 that the V-Reds lost both ends of a two-game set in conference play.
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The defending CIS champs, who still hold a three-point lead atop the AUS standings, play three games in four nights this week including Wednesday against St. Thomas (3-13-2), Friday versus No. 7 Moncton and Saturday against UPEI (11-7-0).
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In Ontario, division leaders McGill (East) and Western (West) both went 1-1 last week, while in Canada West, Saskatchewan made a statement with a two-game sweep of archrival Alberta.
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The No. 2 Redmen easily handled RMC 5-0 Friday in Kingston but lost 4-3 at Toronto on Saturday.
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In the most anticipated series of the past week, in Saskatoon, the No. 3 Huskies beat the No. 5 Golden Bears 5-2 and 5-4. Saskatchewan captain Kyle Ross was spectacular with four goals and one assist, including a hat trick in Game 2 on Saturday.
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The No. 4 Mustangs were defeated 2-1 by Brock last Wednesday but rebounded on Saturday with a 5-2 victory over Windsor.
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CIS MEN'S HOCKEY TOP 10 (#10)
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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 rankings)
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1. UNB (13-3-2) / 160 pts (9) / (1)
2. McGill (16-2-2) / 146 (6) / (2)
3. Saskatchewan (15-3-2) / 132 (2) / (5)
4. Western Ontario (16-2-2) / 117 / (3)
5. Alberta (13-5-2) / 85 / (4)
6. Acadia (12-6-1) / 73 / (8)
7. Moncton (12-6-0) / 53 / (6)
8. Lakehead (16-4-0) / 49 / (7)
9. Manitoba (12-4-2) / 48 / (9)
10. Saint Mary's (12-7-1) / 41 / (NR)
Other teams receiving votes: UQTR (24).
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-CIS-
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For more information contact:
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Michel Bélanger
Manager, Communications & Media Relations
Canadian Interuniversity Sport
Off: 613-562-5670 ext. 25
Cell: 613-447-6334
belanger [at] universitysport.ca
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