Well, I'm not surprised to see X advance. Acadia gave them a go, but Marchand was the difference.
Same thing, get outshot, good pk, stellar goaltending and opportunistic of the rush and capitalizing off turn overs. The Studnicka goal should never have gone in!
Moving on , St FX will most likely be a harder nut to crack. Marchand is back in form and they have their pp unit back in place. A good effort from a young Acadia team with many promising recruits, Mcfadden, Stollard... They struggled throughout the regular season, but came together the last few weeks and into playoffs. I think this will go a long way for improvement into next year, when they host the University Cup. My question with Acadia, who will steer the ship? Will it still be Burnsy?
In regards to X, they have played much better in the second half, knocking off UNB and SMU.
They go through some major adversity, but look to be rounded into playoff mode. Good goaltending, the best in the AUS, their pp wasn't the best against Acadia, but IMO, only because of the suspension factor.
Their pk is solid, but in my mind they are running up against a more skilled team now in Saint Mary's.
The big question for SMU is goaltending and the Energy factor. SMU, who locked up the bye early, kinda flickered the last few games, on the flip side they are healthy and do have an edge with home ice.
With all the drama surrounding the X/Acadia series, I would think they may draw a decent crowd? Thinking back to AUS finals in 2010 against UNB when they had over 4,000 at the Forum.
I wouldn't expect those numbers, but still a decent draw.
The Red Army vs the Island:
This is UNB's to lose! They are way to skilled to be upset in this series, but we all know about the undefeated season and the quick playoff exit. It can happen.
They will definitely want to sweep the first 2 home games.