2015 CIS Playoffs

[MiamiHockey]

Can't see Guelph keeping up with UQTR in the OUA final.

Question for those on here who have followed CIS hockey longer than I -

Why isn't there a Quebec conference? An RSEQ Men's Hockey league? I'm sure there are enough former QMJHLers to fill teams at schools like Bishop's, Sherbrooke, Montreal, etc?

An excellent question with no clear answer, but if I had to foster a guess, it would be financial. Here's why:

Quebec universities are renowned for (1) strong unions, (2) low pay, and (3) tight budgets. The Quebec government has a very different approach to public education than do other provinces. In other words, they're notoriously tight about money, and CIS Hockey is a very expensive sport.

As an illustrative comparison, for years there was no real RSEQ football presence (only Bishops' McGill. and Concordia), until the early-2000's when Laval entered the CIS Football fray. Now there are strong teams seemingly everywhere, but they all rely heavily (if not exclusively) on private funding.

As another comparison, McGill's coaching staff is primarily funded by their hockey alumni donations. It's pretty hard to match that without a hockey alumni.

 

[TFuel]

Can't see Guelph keeping up with UQTR in the OUA final.

Guelph is quickly becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of the CIS. They are not a fluke. Look at their record and opponents since Christmas. They are playing very good hockey and are arguably the hottest team in the CIS

 

[AdamMcg83]

Guelph is quickly becoming the Rodney Dangerfield of the CIS. They are not a fluke. Look at their record and opponents since Christmas. They are playing very good hockey and are arguably the hottest team in the CIS

If I had to make a prediction, I'd say UQTR 3, Guelph 1 (with an ENG). But Guelph is not a dramatic underdog.

 

[Dutch]

An excellent question with no clear answer, but if I had to foster a guess, it would be financial. Here's why:

Quebec universities are renowned for (1) strong unions, (2) low pay, and (3) tight budgets. The Quebec government has a very different approach to public education than do other provinces. In other words, they're notoriously tight about money, and CIS Hockey is a very expensive sport.

As an illustrative comparison, for years there was no real RSEQ football presence (only Bishops' McGill. and Concordia), until the early-2000's when Laval entered the CIS Football fray. Now there are strong teams seemingly everywhere, but they all rely heavily (if not exclusively) on private funding.

As another comparison, McGill's coaching staff is primarily funded by their hockey alumni donations. It's pretty hard to match that without a hockey alumni.

Pretty much. There's no money to be made with hockey, which scares universities. When all those programs (Laval, Sherbrooke, Montreal, Chicoutimi, closed at the end of the 70's and 80's, there was no movement to bring back university hockey and hasn't been since.

Also, when it comes to alumnis funding the program, that tradition in Quebec is, at best, inexistant, which means Universities have to pay more. And francophone universities can't see the big picture that sports team give the institutions strong publicity, which leads to drawing more students. Only Laval has understood that and has used it to their advantage.

Plus the fact that the LNAH has a relative strong presence in the province, drawing fans who only care about hockey when there's fights. And you also have to understand that Quebec isn't as strong on hockey as Ontario is.

 

[Hollywood3]

Can't see Guelph keeping up with UQTR in the OUA final.

Question for those on here who have followed CIS hockey longer than I -

Why isn't there a Quebec conference? An RSEQ Men's Hockey league? I'm sure there are enough former QMJHLers to fill teams at schools like Bishop's, Sherbrooke, Montreal, etc?

Montreal has a women's program, so perhaps they should have a men's program as well.

Quebec lost some teams due to mergers of schools. Sir George Williams and Loyola merged to become Concordia. MacDonald College merged into McGill. CMR merged into RMC in Kingston. Others had and then folded programs:
Montreal - 1972
Sherbrooke - 1974
Bishop's - 1982
Laval - 1983
UQAC - 1986 (they no longer have sports teams)

It is a disgrace the Quebec City has no CIS hockey school, and that the whole province has only 3 teams. They don't even have a second tier league like the ACAC or BCIHL.

 

[Rob]

Would there be enough French speaking players for another Francophone University to have another competitive Men's hockey program?

UQTR and Moncton have traditionally been strong but they have declined somewhat over the past few years. Especially Moncton. They were a powerhouse for about three decades.

 

[Hollywood3]

... And you also have to understand that Quebec isn't as strong on hockey as Ontario is.

Quebec hockey has been in decline for generations now. They used to be second only to Ontario. They are now behind Alberta. They will soon also be behind BC.

Compare 2014-15:
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/province-totals/nhl-players-2014-15-stats.html
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/state-totals/nhl-players-2014-15-stats.html

To 1994-95:
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/province-totals/nhl-players-1994-95-stats.html

To 1974-75:
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/province-totals/nhl-players-1974-75-stats.html

To 1954-55:
http://www.quanthockey.com/nhl/province-totals/nhl-players-1954-55-stats.html

 

[Hollywood3]

Would there be enough French speaking players for another Francophone University to have another competitive Men's hockey program?

UQTR and Moncton have traditionally been strong but they have declined somewhat over the past few years. Especially Moncton. They were a powerhouse for about three decades.

Easily! It is not through lack of players that these schools have folded programs.

 

[Rob]

Well that was unexpected.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Yeah, can't say I seen that one coming.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

Plus the fact that the LNAH has a relative strong presence in the province, drawing fans who only care about hockey when there's fights. And you also have to understand that Quebec isn't as strong on hockey as Ontario is.

The former UQTR coach told me one time that the LNAH really affects recruiting. Some guys finish their time in the QMJHL, use their "Q" education package to enroll in a school like Laval, and then play for cash in the LNAH. Less practice time than the CIS, and you get paid to play.

 

[Rob]

The former UQTR coach told me one time that the LNAH really affects recruiting. Some guys finish their time in the QMJHL, use their "Q" education package to enroll in a school like Laval, and then play for cash in the LNAH. Less practice time than the CIS, and you get paid to play.

Wow. Makes sense really. I can definitely see this having an impact on recruitment for Francophone Universities.

 

[Dutch]

Montreal has a women's program, so perhaps they should have a men's program as well.

Quebec lost some teams due to mergers of schools. Sir George Williams and Loyola merged to become Concordia. MacDonald College merged into McGill. CMR merged into RMC in Kingston. Others had and then folded programs:
Montreal - 1972
Sherbrooke - 1974
Bishop's - 1982
Laval - 1983
UQAC - 1986 (they no longer have sports teams)

It is a disgrace the Quebec City has no CIS hockey school, and that the whole province has only 3 teams. They don't even have a second tier league like the ACAC or BCIHL.

Montreal has no intentions of bringing a team and they said it publicly. Hey, it's nice to have olympians on the women side, but former QMJHL players can eat it. It's too bad, cause if you only had 2 more Quebec team, and the Ottawa teams like back in the days, you could have a great product that might actually attract media attention.

As for a second tier league, the reality is that with Cegep, it's not the same thing. You only stay in school for three year. There's a Cegep league that has produced a couple of players and keeps getting better.

Would there be enough French speaking players for another Francophone University to have another competitive Men's hockey program?

No doubt. UQTR and McGill are letting in the stands former QMJHL players, a luxury most OUA teams don't even come close to.

The former UQTR coach told me one time that the LNAH really affects recruiting. Some guys finish their time in the QMJHL, use their "Q" education package to enroll in a school like Laval, and then play for cash in the LNAH. Less practice time than the CIS, and you get paid to play.

And I can understand why they do. If you're not good in english, why go to McGill or Concordia. And UQTR isn't a big school with tons of programs. Getting paid for playing two games per week-end, that's a great deal, better than working at a sporting goods store. Some teams don't even practice in the LNAH... getting 4-500 $ for two games. Great deal. Plus, the LNAH has a rule where you must have at least six -26 years old players on the roster, which means teams target junior graduates even more.

But, as I've said to a player who once asked me where he should head after junior: Do you still want to be a hockey player ? If yes, CIS, if not, LNAH.

 

[connor macdavid]

I only kicked out the topic because of how well-run Montreal's women's program is. They've got a perfectly serviceable arena, brand-new uniforms, and a quality product on-ice.

You have to figure that, with an RSEQ conference minimizing travel costs, the overhead of running a team wouldn't be that bad.

I'd kind of like to see an RSEQ of some kind, even as just a 'Quebec Division' of the OUA:

- McGill
- UQTR
- Concordia
- Sherbrooke
- Montreal
- Bishop's

Would be kind of neat, if a little mismatched in its first few seasons.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Franko expected to play tonight, Beaton expected out

 

[Rob]

UNB 4 Acadia 2 - Unlike Monday's game tonight's games was definitely the type of hockey everyone was expecting. Close right up until the end. VReds outshooting the Axemen 41-30. Nice bounce back game for Glover. Shantz was solid for UNB as well. Although he was held of the score sheet tonight Maillet gets playoff MVP.
The commentators were talking about how bad the ice was due to the heat today and having the rink jam packed.

 

[Prov1X]

Was a little surprised that this ended in two games, especially since the Reds had no success in that rink this season. Great game though, solid effort, now if we can keep the momentum going into Halifax!

 

[SuperSquirrel]

In case anyone's interested... the highlights from last night's UNB/Acadia game can be found here:

http://acadiaaxemenhockey.com/

 

[AUS Fan]

U of A over Cal 5-2. Shots 39-9 for Alberta. A raft of 10's given out in the 3rd period.
Check out the boxscore:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mice/2015/boxscores_post/20150305_3w3x.xml

 

[FreddyFoyle]

U of A over Cal 5-2. Shots 39-9 for Alberta. A raft of 10's given out in the 3rd period.
Check out the boxscore:
http://english.cis-sic.ca/championships/mice/2015/boxscores_post/20150305_3w3x.xml

Here's the Edmonton Journal game story:

http://www.edmontonjournal.com/sports/hockey/edmonton-oilers/Alberta+Golden+Bears+Calgary+Dinos/10865598/story.html

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Calgary had 9 shots on goal....despite 7 power plays...ouch.

 

[Rob]

So Alberta wraps up another Canada West title with a 2-1 win over Calgary. Shots were about 44-19 for the Golden Bears. A better performance for the Dinos but DeSerres is the only reason the were in the game as long as they were. Legault scored the winner with just over 2min to play.

Overall the broadcast from Alberta was well worth the toonie. Unfortunately the stream cut out after the game winning goal. Not that it mattered in the end.

Commentators seemed surprised the Siemens got the start over Mucha.

 

[AdamMcg83]

Guelph dominates UQTR in the Queen's Cup, winning 4-0. The Gryphons have now won 15 of 20 since the new year, claiming their first OUA title since 1997.
I'm fully aware of how good Calgary and Acadia have been this year, but neither will have an easy first-round opponent. This is absolutely a team that could do damage in Halifax.

 

[Rob]

Guelph dominates UQTR in the Queen's Cup, winning 4-0. The Gryphons have now won 15 of 20 since the new year, claiming their first OUA title since 1997.
I'm fully aware of how good Calgary and Acadia have been this year, but neither will have an easy first-round opponent. This is absolutely a team that could do damage in Halifax.

I watched all the first period and parts of the second/third. The Gryphons came to win the Queen's Cup. Les Patriotes seemed to be content that they were going to the Nationals. Nice to see D'Agostini preserve the shutout. I believe the commentators said it was the first time this season Les Patriots had been shut out.

When UNB and Alberta won their conferences the celebration was a little more subdued. The Gryphons were celebrating like they just won the Nationals. It shows how much they wanted this.

 

[AUS Fan]

Commentators were a bit hard to take with the homer slant. But full marks to Guelph.