2023-2024 AUS Thread

[timbitca]

I remember back in my early days following the team, starting in '98-'99. I'm not completely ancient but it was definitely predating smart phones and having everything at your fingertips all the time.

We'd jump on the bus after a game and Leo, our manager would bring it his new fangled toy, a cell phone. He'd call Global TV in Halifax, the Gleaner office in Fredericton, the AUAA office, the Times & Transcript office here in town. Only to give out our scores, and more importantly, to receive the other games' scores to piece together what the standings now were. Now the games are over, and 5 minutes after the game we're on our cell phones looking at the updated standings.

And now, you can't even find any darn local sports stories anywheres. No, I don't buy the T&T or Acadie-Nouvelle to read NHL news I already read online 2 days ago. I buy local papers to know what happens here, not in New York.

 

[Rob]

I noticed that both UNB and Moncton have a couple of Saturday 4pm games on their schedule this season. The visiting teams will be playing the night before. While their rest period is slightly shortened they will get to hit the road back home earlier. Not sure if the 4pm starts will have any impact on the attendance.

 

[dm8895]

I noticed that both UNB and Moncton have a couple of Saturday 4pm games on their schedule this season. The visiting teams will be playing the night before. While their rest period is slightly shortened they will get to hit the road back home earlier. Not sure if the 4pm starts will have any impact on the attendance.

I’ve noticed they impact family’s and not in the way you’d think, 75% of the kids who go are minor hockey players and on a Saturday at 4 they are in Minto or Doaktown or some exotic place playing hockey.. although I think the idea was to get family’s to come (elementary night was an afternoon last year)

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

I saw that. UNB experimented with some 4PM games a few years ago…it must’ve been deemed a success because they had at least one last year too, IIRC. Personally, I don’t mind it…it is nice to have a free Saturday night.

 

[dm8895]

I saw that. UNB experimented with some 4PM games a few years ago…it must’ve been deemed a success because they had at least one last year too, IIRC. Personally, I don’t mind it…it is nice to have a free Saturday night.

It messes my internal clock up so much ! If I walk out of the Aitken Centre at 3:30, 6:30 or 9:30 my body thinks it’s 9:30. I enjoy them to an extent but it really throws me off lol

 

[dm8895]

I’m tempted to go into the gleaner archives and save the old season previews , I was reading some of them tonight but they make it awfully difficult to save them in a readable manner (Irving really needs to protect the 2003 AUS preview from us). I think that sounds like a holiday project or something to work away slowly on. I also am going to try and get around to uploading the 2007 National Final game, the laptop I’m using doesn’t have a DVD player so probably going to have to do that off a work computer at some point but at some point I’m going to get on those two things for the 7 other people on earth who might want to see them haha, or if someone in Freddy has a computer with a drive and wants to do that I’ll just give you the DVD at the game Friday night

 

[AUS Fan]

This is happening everywhere as papers are bought up by conglomerates. Local news is hard to find.

 

[Campy]

I saw that. UNB experimented with some 4PM games a few years ago…it must’ve been deemed a success because they had at least one last year too, IIRC. Personally, I don’t mind it…it is nice to have a free Saturday night.

The Nova Scotia schools who have played a 4-pm Saturday game @ UNB after a Friday night game in Moncton said they like getting back home 3 hours earlier. That may not be popular opinion across the board but those who I heard from said it beats sitting around Freddy all day and then getting back to NS in the middle of the night.

 

[Rob]

The Nova Scotia schools who have played a 4-pm Saturday game @ UNB after a Friday night game in Moncton said they like getting back home 3 hours earlier. That may not be popular opinion across the board but those who I heard from said it beats sitting around Freddy all day and then getting back to NS in the middle of the night.

That is what I thought.

If attendance isn’t an issue we might see it more often.

 

[AUS Fan]

The Nova Scotia schools who have played a 4-pm Saturday game @ UNB after a Friday night game in Moncton said they like getting back home 3 hours earlier. That may not be popular opinion across the board but those who I heard from said it beats sitting around Freddy all day and then getting back to NS in the middle of the night.

Nothing like getting back to the rink at 2 am to unload and drive home in 2 feet of snow.

 

[Drummer]

Just read the full article. Well done.

Thanks.

 

[Drummer]

Does the AUS or CW get a 3rd berth at the UCup this year?

I saw this mentioned by Ben Steiner in his 49-Sports story.

It would have to be pre-determine which conference was to be awarded the chance as USPORTS and the Conferences like teams to 'play their way in' rather than being pulled from a hat.

That said, and the follow-up text on how the tournament breaks-down for an OUA host, makes sense. They get three to start and if the host is from the OUA - it increases to four. It doesn't take anything away from CW and AUS - they still get to send their top 2 teams. Why send more?

No team ranked 6-7-8 has won or even advanced to the final.

 

[Drummer]

All four USPORTS Men’s Hockey conferences have adopted Jr. A rules for the upcoming season.

One rule I forgot to mention and is AUSM Specific - the goaltender can play with a broken goalie stick. This would normally be a 2-min Minor for illegal equipment. He can also play with a player's stick until the first stoppage (as an alternative). They may not play with a broken player's stick.

 

[Drummer]

My Predictions for 2023-24
1. UNB
2. SMU
3. UDM
4. ACD
5. PEI
6. DAL
7. SFX

UNB 2-1 over SMU in the finals and both teams to UCup with SMU seeded #5 and setting up a UNB/SMU rematch in the Semi's.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

I saw this mentioned by Ben Steiner in his 49-Sports story.

It would have to be pre-determine which conference was to be awarded the chance as USPORTS and the Conferences like teams to 'play their way in' rather than being pulled from a hat.

That said, and the follow-up text on how the tournament breaks-down for an OUA host, makes sense. They get three to start and if the host is from the OUA - it increases to four. It doesn't take anything away from CW and AUS - they still get to send their top 2 teams. Why send more?

No team ranked 6-7-8 has won or even advanced to the final.

I agree the OUA will probably get four spots.

I remember they tweaked the format when Lakehead hosted as the OUA was supposed to get the rotating wild card berth one year, which would have made it 4 OUA + 1 CW/AUS each. But that was with six teams, not eight.

My Predictions for 2023-24
1. UNB
2. SMU
3. UDM
4. ACD
5. PEI
6. DAL
7. SFX

UNB 2-1 over SMU in the finals and both teams to UCup with SMU seeded #5 and setting up a UNB/SMU rematch in the Semi's.

X finishing 7th is a bold prediction

 

[freddy123]

AUS Preview

The AUS has uploaded their season preview. As of now they completely left Dal off the preview.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

AUS Preview

The AUS has uploaded their season preview. As of now they completely left Dal off the preview.

There was a sentence for both Moncton and Dal at the very end of the preview….kind of a slap in the face.

 

[dm8895]

No mention of Moncton either

 

[freddy123]

There was a sentence for both Moncton and Dal at the very end of the preview….kind of a slap in the face.

Really insane. The only thing I can think of is the teams were responsible for putting it together on their own and those two didn't hand it in on time. Why else would you leave off a quarter of the league?

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

Really insane. The only thing I can think of is the teams were responsible for putting it together on their own and those two didn't hand it in on time. Why else would you leave off a quarter of the league?

Kinda what I thought…or they weren’t available for a comment at the time.

 

[AUS Fan]

Is the OUA really getting 4 teams this year and next?

I'm trying hard not to knock the OUA, but I'm not sure they can field a 4th team.

 

[Rob]

Is the OUA really getting 4 teams this year and next?

I'm trying hard not to knock the OUA, but I'm not sure they can field a 4th team.

Is it fair? No. But no format has been since they expanded from a four team tournament back in '98.

I'm fine with there being four OUA teams. It is better for tournament attendance meaning a more exciting atmosphere. Odds are at least one of the teams will make it to the Semi-Finals.

 

[Campy]

Is the OUA really getting 4 teams this year and next?

I'm trying hard not to knock the OUA, but I'm not sure they can field a 4th team.

Until something is released that supersedes this, the answer has to be yes

 

[Campy]

AUS Preview

The AUS has uploaded their season preview. As of now they completely left Dal off the preview.

Dal, STU and Mount A got snubbed in the female preview. Bizarre

 

[AUS Fan]

Is it fair? No. But no format has been since they expanded from a four team tournament back in '98.

I'm fine with there being four OUA teams. It is better for tournament attendance meaning a more exciting atmosphere. Odds are at least one of the teams will make it to the Semi-Finals.

Are you serious? The OUA teams can't draw flies to their home games. Ask people who were in Kitchener 2001 and 2002. If not for SFX fans in 2001 the AUD was empty. In 2002 they announced the fans names instead of the starting lineups because it was quicker.