Mar. 27, 2011 - 7:00 PM
Redmen Ice Hockey vs UNB (at CIS Championships; Rogers Sportsnet; SSN; Away)
Lost 0-4 at UNB (gold medal game)
Aitken Centre (Fredericton, NB) .

Host V-Reds blank McGill, claim fourth University Cup
Mar. 27, 2011

FREDERICTON, N.B. -- The top-seeded and tournament host UNB Varsity Reds captured their third University Cup title in five years and their fourth in school history with a 4-0 shutout over No. 2 McGill in the gold-medal final of the CIS men's hockey championship, Sunday night, before a packed house of 3,760 at the University of New Brunswick's Aitken Centre.

University Cup website: http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mice

It was the second 4-0 win in as many nights for the AUS champion V-Reds, who defeated No. 4 Western Ontario by the same score on Saturday after edging No. 6 Calgary 2-1 in their opener on Thursday.

The Redmen, who were skating in the CIS championship game for the first time, had advanced with a 2-1 defeat of fifth-seeded StFX and a 6-3 victory over No. 3 Alberta.

It has long been said that defence wins championships and the Varsity Reds, who claimed their first three banners in 2009, 2007 and 1998, proved it once again on Sunday.

The top-ranked UNB defence, which allowed 1.53 goals per game in the regular season, completely neutralized the high-flying OUA champions, who had topped the country in the regular season with 5.04 goals per game and had added 48 in 10 post-season contests heading into the national final. With a single goal against in three games, the V-Reds set a tournament record under the current six-team, two-pool format.

McGill had a 29-27 edge in shots but were outsized and outmuscled at almost every turn by a much larger and more physical UNB squad. Both teams went 0-for-1 on the power play in the wake of 19 power plays called the night before in UNB's win over Western.

"We got manhandled a little tonight, there's no doubt about it," said Kelly Nobes, in his first season behind the McGill bench after stints with RMC and Laurier. "We weren't able to utilize our speed and were pushed around left, right and centre. But at the end of the day, I was really proud of my team. They had an outstanding season. They showed that they're one of the top hockey programs in the country as well as being the top students. I'd also add that these are also top-notch guys, high-quality people and I'm extremely proud of them."

The Redmen finished with a school record for wins, posting a 38-4-3 mark with a squad that is expected to lose only three seniors to graduation.

"It was incredible for us to get to this (gold medal) game. We were not that far away from our goal," said alternate captain Guillaume Doucet from Anjou, Que., who played his last contest for the Redmen and graduates with 85 goals and 169 points in 181 career games. "This program has come a long way in the last five or six years and I'm sure we're going to win a national championship very soon."

The team's other graduating players are centre Simon Marcotte-Legare of Longueuil, Que., and defenceman Stephen Valente of St. Leonard, Que.

Marcotte-Legare posted a 33-83-116 record in 149 games, while Valente graduates in only three years with a 3-18-21 dossier in 132 contests.

Third-year goaltender Travis Fullerton, who backstopped UNB to a 4-2 win over Western as a rookie in the 2009 final in Thunder Bay, Ont., made 29 saves to earn his second straight whitewash. The native of Riverview, N.B., became the first goalie to record a shutout in the championship game since UQTR's Éric Desjardins in 2003, and the first to blank the opposition twice in the same tournament since Mike Mole of StFX in 2004.

"It's unreal," said Fullerton, who was named the tournament's top netminder. "The crowd was unbelievable. The guys played great. I'm so excited right now."

Luke Gallant, a senior defenceman from Bedford, N.S., received the Major W.J. 'Danny' McLeod Award as tournament MVP and was named player of the game for UNB following a three-point performance, including the game-winning goal midway through the first period.

Gallant was also the V-Reds Game MVP on Saturday against Western thanks to another three-point outing, which also included the game-winner. He finished the championship with a tournament-leading seven points (2-5-7).

"It was outstanding. I couldn't have asked for our team to play any better. It's a dream come true to win it at home," said 11-year UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who was behind the bench in 2003 and 2004 when the V-Reds hosted back-to-back University Cup tournaments, including a heartbreaking 3-2 double-overtime loss on home ice to StFX in the 2004 title match.

Daine Todd, a sophomore forward from Stettler, Alta., tallied twice and Matt Fillier, a second-year winger from Durham, N.S., also scored for the winning, which led 1-0 after the opening period and 2-0 after 40 minutes.

"We played extremely well tonight. It's unbelievable. We couldn't have planned this any better," said team captain Kyle Bailey of Ponoka, Alta., one of three V-Reds to join Gallant and Fullerton on the all-tournament team, along with rearguard Jonathan Harty of Oromocto, N.B., and forward Chris Culligan of Howie Center, N.S.

McGill centre Maxime Langelier-Parent of Léry, Que., rounded out the championship all-star squad. Teammate Evan Vossen, the Redmen captain from Swift Current, Sask., was named as McGill's player of the game.

UNB got off to a great start, pinning the Redmen in their zone for most of the opening 10 minutes, but couldn't generate any legitimate scoring chances.

Gallant broke the ice at 10:04 with a hard slapshot from the left point that beat McGill goalie Hubert Morin, who was screened and had no chance on the play. All-Canadian forward Hunter Tremblay and rearguard Ben Wright assisted on the goal.

McGill finally seemed to find their legs in the last five minutes of the opening period.

The Redmen tested Fullerton four times in a span of 45 seconds but the championship-winning goalie stood tall on every occasion, including a diving save off a Patrick Belzile shot and a stick save against Andrew Wright on a partial breakaway.

UNB had a glorious opportunity to double its lead while killing a penalty with a minute to go before the intermission but Morin stoned Tremblay on a breakaway.

The V-Reds kept the pressure on after the break and had a dangerous five-minute sequence in the middle frame with a four-shot barrage.

Todd finally made it 2-0 with 5:59 remaining in the second. Gallant threw the puck in front from the blue line and Tremblay made a nifty backhand pass to Todd, who was stoned by Morin's right pad on his first shot but managed to bank in his own rebound.

McGill's best opportunity in the period came with three minutes left but Fullerton stopped back-to-back close-range shots from Redmen captain Evan Vossen.

The shots on goal after 40 minutes were 20-20.

Fillier all but put the game away four minutes into the final when he tipped a pass from Harty behind Morin.

Todd put the icing on the proverbial cake at 11:15 with his second of the night.

Morin, third-year goalie from St. Georges de Beauce, Que., made 23 saves in the loss.

GAME NOTES: It marks the first time in history that the Atlantic conference has won three straight CIS men's hockey banners, following triumphs by Saint Mary's and UNB... UNB had won its first three University Cup titles in 2009 with a 4-2 gold-medal win over Western Ontario (Thunder Bay, Ont.), in 2007 with a 3-2 double-overtime win over Moncton (Moncton, N.B.) and in 1998 with a 6-3 victory over Acadia (Saskatoon, Sask.)... The championship final marked the first-ever meeting between McGill and UNB at the University Cup tournament... Heading into the game UNB held a 7-1 all-time overall record versus McGill including a 7-1 non-conference win at the Aitken Centre earlier this season, on Dec. 30... The University Cup championship returns to Fredericton next year (March 22-25) for its 50th anniversary edition before moving to Saskatoon in 2013 and 2014...

REDMEN RAP: Behind the bench for UNB was assistant coach Steven Pearce, who played for seasons with McGill before graduating and moving back to his hometown to pursue grad studies at UNB... Among the Redmen grads who made the long trip to Fredericton were former captains Ken Morin and Mike Nelson (alumni president)... Morin, who now works for the Habs in hockey operations, hopped a flight on Sunday morning to see the gold medal game... Nelson e-mailed an annual fundraising appeal for the team and over 60 Redmen grads responded, including current NHL coaches Mike Babcock (Detroit) and Jamie Kompon (Los Angeles), plus Tampa Bay coaches Guy Boucher and Martin Raymond... Spotted among the faces in the crowd during the week was Allyn Hunter, a Fredericton native and McGill grad who served as the team's equipment manager in the 1999s... Head coach Kelly Nobes was caught chuckling by Rogers Sportsnet cameras during the third period of Saturday's win over Alberta... The PA announcer had just called out the winning number in the 50/50 draw and the winning ticket was held by Kelly's younger brother Kent, who pocketed a $2,652 pay day... After qualifiying for the final with a win over Alberta on Saturday, the Redmen players each threw $20 in the pot to fly out student manager Alex Lunan for the gold medal game... Lunan was supposed to be with the team but fell ill and had to cancel a day before the team left for Fredericton last Tuesday... Pinch-hitting for him at the last minute was Ron Perowne, a former football player with the Alouettes who also skated for McGill in 1973-74... Perowne, put aside his life for a week to help out and did yeomen service for the Red & White, helping drive the team's gear (along with equipment manager Earl Hawke) in a rented van from Montreal to Fredericton and back, while the rest of the team flew both ways... The Madill family had a tough time deciding who to cheer for in the UNB-McGill final... Herb Madill and his son Lucas each skated and coached for both schools and were seen daily at the tournament wearing each school's jersey, alternating every day... Herb, who was just named to UNB's all-decade for the 1960s, captained the Redmen in 1971-72, then coached the team for eight years.

TOURNAMENT HONOURS

University Cup MVP (Major W.J. 'Danny' McLeod Award): Luke Gallant, UNB

All-Tournament Team:

Goaltender: Travis Fullerton, UNB

Defenceman: Luke Gallant, UNB

Defenceman: Jonathan Harty, UNB

Forward: Kyle Bailey, UNB

Forward: Chris Culligan, UNB

Forward: Maxime Langelier-Parent, McGill

SCORING SUMMARY

UNB 4, McGill 0

FIRST PERIOD

1. UNB Gallant (2) (Ben Wright, Hunter Tremblay), 10:04

PENALTIES:

Josh Kidd (UNB) kneeing, 17:08.

SECOND PERIOD

2. UNB Daine Todd (1) (Hunter Tremblay, Luke Gallant), 14:01

PENALTIES:

(none)

THIRD PERIOD

3. UNB Matt Fillier (1) (Jonathan Harty, Nick MacNeil), 4:31

4. UNB Daine Todd (2) (Chris Culligan, Luke Gallant), 11:15

PENALTIES:

Alexandre Picard-Hooper (McG) slashing, 12:17;

Kyle Bailey (UNB) cross checking, 12:17;

Ryan McKiernan (McG) high sticking, 19:18.

GOALS (by period)

McG: 0-0-0 -- 0

UNB: 1-1-2 -- 4

SHOTS ON GOAL (by period)

McG: 9-11-9 -- 29

UNB: 9-11-7 -- 27

POWER PLAY:

McG: 0-1

UNB: 0-1

GOALTENDERS

McG - Hubert Morin (L, 2-1, 27 shots, 23 saves, 4 GA, 60:00)

UNB - Travis Fullerton (W, 3-0, 29 shots, 29 saves, 0 GA, 60:00)

PLAYERS OF THE GAME:

McG: Evan Vossen

UNB: Luke Gallant

REFEREES: Mark Hulshof (Lower Sackville, N.S.), Adam Byblow (Saskatoon, Sask.)

LINESMEN: Benoit Martineau (Marieville, Que.), Jay Doiron (Moncton, N.B.)

ATTENDANCE: 3,760 (sold out)

START: 20:08

END: 10:30

LENGTH: 2:22

POOL STANDINGS & RESULTS

Pool A standings (FINAL)

TEAM GP W L GF GA PTS

1. UNB 2 2 0 6 1 4

2. Western 2 1 1 3 6 2

3. Calgary 2 0 2 3 5 0

Pool B standings (FINAL)

1. McGill 2 2 0 8 4 4

2. StFX 2 1 1 4 3 2

3. Alberta 2 0 2 4 9 0

Thursday, March 24

Pool B #1: McGill 2, StFX 1

Pool A #1: UNB 2, Calgary 1

Friday, March 25

Pool B #2: StFX 3, Alberta 1

Pool A #2: Western 3, Calgary 2

Saturday, March 26

Pool B #3: McGill 6, Alberta 3

Pool A #3: UNB 4, Western 0

Sunday, March 27

University Cup Final: UNB 4, McGill 0

2011 UNIVERSITY CUP SCORING LEADERS

GP G A PTS

1. Luke Gallant, UNB 3 2 5 7

2. Derek Ryan, Alberta 2 3 0 3

2. M. Langelier-Parent, McGill 3 2 1 3

2. Kyle Bailey, UNB 3 1 2 3

2. Chris Culligan, UNB 3 1 2 3

2. Guillaume Doucet, McGill 3 1 2 3

2. Hunter Tremblay, UNB 3 1 2 3