AUS 2013-2014 Season Thread

[SuperSquirrel]

Head to head is the 1st criteria in case of a tie.

I assume you mean Dal upsetting UNB. A Moncton win in Acadia would not be an upset.

Thanks.

Maybe it's just me but I find that odd. I could see if both teams had the same amount of wins then the first tie-breaker would be head-to-head but it's strange for me to think of a team finishing in 2nd place even though they had more wins than the first place team.

 

[Big Bad Jon]

Head to head is the 1st criteria in case of a tie.

I assume you mean Dal upsetting UNB. A Moncton win in Acadia would not be an upset.

It just seems like Moncton has Acadia's number this year. They have already taken 2 out of 3 versus getting thumped by UNB all year long. I would not be surprised to see Moncton win next Friday night and I'm betting Acadia is hoping to avoid Moncton as a potential AUS semi opponent

 

[AUS Fan]

Thanks.

Maybe it's just me but I find that odd. I could see if both teams had the same amount of wins then the first tie-breaker would be head-to-head but it's strange for me to think of a team finishing in 2nd place even though they had more wins than the first place team.

I guess the thinking is if both teams have the same number of points but Team A has beat Team B 3 of 4 then Team A is "better" than Team B ????

You could make an argument that Team B has beaten teams who beat Team A and therefore THEY should be the "better" team.

It is what it is. The game will not even matter if UdeM and UNB both win on Friday night. I plan on going to Acadia Friday for that game and Saturday, if necessary. A longer drive for me but the games have more meaning.

 

[AUS Fan]

It just seems like Moncton has Acadia's number this year. They have already taken 2 out of 3 versus getting thumped by UNB all year long. I would not be surprised to see Moncton win next Friday night and I'm betting Acadia is hoping to avoid Moncton as a potential AUS semi opponent

It will be hard for Acadia to avoid UdeM in the semis if your scenario plays out. Acadia will play the higher seed which "should" be UdeM assuming they win their first round over SMU/SFX. That is assuming UPEI doesn't overtake UdeM this coming weekend and throw all this speculation out the window.

 

[Prov1X]

Will be an exciting weekend of AUS hockey action. Nothing has been decided except Acadia and UNB will be hosting second round matchups. First place is still yet to be decided.
Hard to argue that the AUS is probably the toughest division in the country!

 

[Prov1X]

Curious

Does the AUS release notice of suspensions to the general public or is that done through individual teams? Just curious what STU's Saab got for last Friday nights incident.

 

[FreddyFoyle]

The AUS doesn't release news about suspensions to the public ... or to the media (unless you call them and ask a direct question, and then they might tell you).

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

So what's the status for games tomorrow night? Are all teams going to try to travel tomorrow...or did some leave today?

 

[Rob]

No word on any cancellations yet. I think all games should be good to go since the worst is probably over.

 

[radapex]

No word on any cancellations yet. I think all games should be good to go since the worst is probably over.

Sounds like the heavy stuff is, but both The Weather Network and Environment Canada are calling for a mix of rain & snow for the rest of the day and into the evening.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

So tonight never really settled anything...1st, 3rd, and 5th all still up for grabs heading into the final night of the season.

 

[AUS Fan]

Watched Acadia-Moncton tonight. Entertaining game with the Axemen carrying the play for the most part. After a scoreless 1st period, Acadia popped 3 in the 2nd, with KC Brown getting the eventual game-winner on a nice feed from Joe Gaynor behind the Moncton goal. Dylan Anderson and Brett Thompsons PP goal rounded out the scoring for the Axemen. UdeM came within one goal in the 3rd when Alex Noel scored 32 seconds into the period and Simon Lacroix lifted one over Evan Mosher 8 minutes later. Scott Trask restored the 2 goal lead on the next rush and Anderson scored his 2nd goal when he circled out of the corner to the blueline and wristed a shot past Lemay. Liam Heelis was not in the lineup due to illness. Michael Clarke took his spot with Cazzola and Thompson. Alex Quesnel was not dressed for UdeM.
Fridays results did nothing to resolve 1st round playoff matchups or 1st/2nd place. UNB goes to Acadia Saturday with the Axemen needing a regulation win to claim 1st place. Weather permitting, I'll be at that game.

 

[AUS Fan]

So tonight never really settled anything...1st, 3rd, and 5th all still up for grabs heading into the final night of the season.

SMU and UdeM "should" win Saturday night. SFX will be in tough against the Panthers who won't want to lose 2 straight. UdeM and UPEI will remain 3-4 while SMU will pick up 2 points and overtake SFX for 5th place.

Regardless, I will be in Moncton Wednesday, assuming the playoffs start then.

 

[Rob]

High winds expected Saturday. Might impact the crossing of the bridge.

 

[Big Bad Jon]

Great finish for UNB and especially Lavigne...3 straight shutouts! Turns out he doesn't like riding pine.

 

[Rob]

So the first round is Moncton vs X and UPEI vs SMU.

I think I'll take Les Aigles and the Huskies.

 

[AUS Fan]

Acadia - UNB. The Axemen looked out of sorts in this game. Puck was bouncing, but not for them. They had several good looks but couldn't finish. Not having Heelis in the lineup made a huge difference both on the PP and even strength. After a scoreless 1st period, where Acadia had the edge in both shots and territory, UNB got 2 goals in the 2nd. Robertson from the point after Mosher gave up a big rebound and Culligan on a 5-on-3 PP was all that was needed for the Red Army to claim 1st overall. Acadia pushed back hard in the 3rd but could not get a goal. Both teams looked sloppy at times but Acadia was more out of sync. Not as bad as the UPEI game last week, but still some missed passes and lazy plays. Mosher could not be faulted on either goal. Lavigne bobbled more than a few shots but there was never an Axeman player near by to take advantage.
UNB certainly has the offensive tools to win the AUS, but they do have a weakness in goal. The TSN turning points for Acadia were the NB road trip where they picked up only 1 point allowing UNB to overtake them in the standings and the aforementioned UPEI game. Barring a total collapse, UNB should be an AUS finalist. IMHO, Acadia needs to be there as well for a 'successful' season.
My picks for the 1st round: UdeM and UPEI. Despite having an experienced defence corps and some talented forwards the X-Men have been a bit of a bust this year. SMU "may" have lost their best D-man to injury on Friday night. If that is the case, then Peters will have to be great behind a young defence.

 

[UNB Bruins Fan]

I am going with both higher seeds as well...although I won't be shocked if X and SMU won.

 

[Rob]

Why was Heelis out?

 

[Big Bad Jon]

Acadia - UNB. The Axemen looked out of sorts in this game. Puck was bouncing, but not for them. They had several good looks but couldn't finish. Not having Heelis in the lineup made a huge difference both on the PP and even strength. After a scoreless 1st period, where Acadia had the edge in both shots and territory, UNB got 2 goals in the 2nd. Robertson from the point after Mosher gave up a big rebound and Culligan on a 5-on-3 PP was all that was needed for the Red Army to claim 1st overall. Acadia pushed back hard in the 3rd but could not get a goal. Both teams looked sloppy at times but Acadia was more out of sync. Not as bad as the UPEI game last week, but still some missed passes and lazy plays. Mosher could not be faulted on either goal. Lavigne bobbled more than a few shots but there was never an Axeman player near by to take advantage.
UNB certainly has the offensive tools to win the AUS, but they do have a weakness in goal. The TSN turning points for Acadia were the NB road trip where they picked up only 1 point allowing UNB to overtake them in the standings and the aforementioned UPEI game. Barring a total collapse, UNB should be an AUS finalist. IMHO, Acadia needs to be there as well for a 'successful' season.
My picks for the 1st round: UdeM and UPEI. Despite having an experienced defence corps and some talented forwards the X-Men have been a bit of a bust this year. SMU "may" have lost their best D-man to injury on Friday night. If that is the case, then Peters will have to be great behind a young defence.

Can't Lavigne get a little bit of credit for 3 straight shutouts (including against Acadia and Moncton)? But no lets talk about how he was bobbling the puck all night against Acadia and he is a big weakness in goal. Who is the last AUS goalie to get 3 straight shutouts? Every year it is the same, no respect for UNB goalies. Last year UNB's weakness, Lacosta, only had 2 shutouts in the AUS final and a shutout in the National championship...I hate when UNB's goalies let them down.

For having such poor goaltending, UNB has only managed to have the best regular season in 4 years in the AUS.

 

[AUS Fan]

Everyone is jumping on me for my comments on this game. Full marks for Lavigne and 3 shutouts. The point I was making was that he has fought the puck on more than one occasion during the season and that could be his weakness. When he played for STU, he got 40 shots per game and had to be sharp. Now, he gets 6-8 a period and perhaps gets a bit bored. I try to be objective and sometimes fail. But, I'm not here to pump up UNB's tires; there are enough people on this Board to do that. Lavigne had a bad game in Acadia Nov 30, giving up 5 and another bad game at SFX Jan 4 where he gave up 6. Should UNB not advance to the CIS and should it be the fault of goaltending, I'm certain that there will be no mention of his 3 shutouts. Only that he played poorly in the loss.

I don't want to make this all about him, cause the team has played well in front of him. I said in my original post that I expect UNB to be in the AUS finals because they have a very good team. Tires are now pumped, I'm done with this convo.....

 

[radapex]

Everyone is jumping on me for my comments on this game. Full marks for Lavigne and 3 shutouts. The point I was making was that he has fought the puck on more than one occasion during the season and that could be his weakness. When he played for STU, he got 40 shots per game and had to be sharp. Now, he gets 6-8 a period and perhaps gets a bit bored. I try to be objective and sometimes fail. But, I'm not here to pump up UNB's tires; there are enough people on this Board to do that. Lavigne had a bad game in Acadia Nov 30, giving up 5 and another bad game at SFX Jan 4 where he gave up 6. Should UNB not advance to the CIS and should it be the fault of goaltending, I'm certain that there will be no mention of his 3 shutouts. Only that he played poorly in the loss.

I don't want to make this all about him, cause the team has played well in front of him. I said in my original post that I expect UNB to be in the AUS finals because they have a very good team. Tires are now pumped, I'm done with this convo.....

In all fairness, I've questioned UNB's goaltending all year. It's definitely their biggest weakness. To me, Lavigne simply isn't technically sound enough to provide consistently high level goaltending. Vienneau brings a much better technical game, but has shown some weaknesses of his own.

So full credit goes to Lavigne and the team for three straight shutouts to finish off the regular season, but you're spot on when you say that if they fail to make the finals it'll likely be because of goaltending.

 

[seniorC]

In all fairness, I've questioned UNB's goaltending all year. It's definitely their biggest weakness. To me, Lavigne simply isn't technically sound enough to provide consistently high level goaltending. Vienneau brings a much better technical game, but has shown some weaknesses of his own.

So full credit goes to Lavigne and the team for three straight shutouts to finish off the regular season, but you're spot on when you say that if they fail to make the finals it'll likely be because of goaltending.

Because he is not technically sound does not make him a poor goalie. Tim Thomas is not technically sound, Dominik Hasek was not technically sound, they both have done just fine. To say Lavigne isn't consistently good is a bit unfair, he has proven in his AUS career that he belong in the league, and this year he has only faltered on a few occasions, which to me, is consistent.

 

[radapex]

Because he is not technically sound does not make him a poor goalie. Tim Thomas is not technically sound, Dominik Hasek was not technically sound, they both have done just fine. To say Lavigne isn't consistently good is a bit unfair, he has proven in his AUS career that he belong in the league, and this year he has only faltered on a few occasions, which to me, is consistent.

Even after three consecutive shutouts, Lavigne only has the 4th best SV% and 2nd best GAA in the AUS. Prior to those three games, he was sitting with an .881 SV% and 2.94 GAA - those would rank 8th & 5th, respectably, among AUS goalies who have played at least 1/3 of their team's games.

 

[seniorC]

Even after three consecutive shutouts, Lavigne only has the 4th best SV% and 2nd best GAA in the AUS. Prior to those three games, he was sitting with an .881 SV% and 2.94 GAA - those would rank 8th & 5th, respectably, among AUS goalies who have played at least 1/3 of their team's games.

And if you take out his two poor games, his stats would be skewed the opposite way... I'm not saying he's world class or the best in the AUS, but he has played amicably for UNB this year.