CIS tourney to feature 13 QMJHL grads on Redmen Mar 18, 08 Ice Hockey (M)

By Karl Jahnke, QMJHL.com

(PHOTO: Simon Courcelles, a Quebec Remparts & Lewiston MAINEiacs alumni now playing for the McGill Redmen, will compete in the CIS men's hockey championship this week -- PHOTO CREDIT: Steve Deschênes)

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BOUCHERVILLE – When the CIS men’s hockey championship kicks off in Moncton on Thursday, some 140 players will compete for the national crown, including 39 former players from the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League.

The four-day event features six of the best university hockey teams from across Canada: the Alberta Golden Bears, Brock Badgers, UNB Varsity Reds, McGill Redmen, Moncton Aigles Bleus and the Saskatchewan Huskies.

The 39 players are divided among four clubs, including Moncton (20), McGill (13), New Brunswick (5) and Brock (1).

"I’d like to wish all of them the best of luck," said Denis Arsenault, the Commissioner’s consultant as well as the coordinator of the QMJHL education policy. "I’m very proud of the fact that so many of our former players have chosen to pursue both their hockey careers and their education at the University level.

"It says a lot about the progress we’ve made as a League'" he added. "I believe that once they have finished their major junior internship, our players possess the necessary tools to succeed. Although consolidating school and hockey is not an easy task, earning a University degree is certainly a feasible with the help of self-discipline and hard work."