2023 University Cup

[MiamiHockeyII]

Thanks for listening to the Interview.

Herbers had 4 NON-WHL forwards fill out his bottom 6 up front in the final 2 games in PEI...I cant remember that being the case in the last 20 seasons...

All that said it was a decent showing from an undermanned Golden Bears squad!

Huge Oilers fan here ... listen to many segments in your show, and I truly appreciate your passion for USports hockey. So it's not a personal critique, just an observation, that as a Golden Bear fan your perspective is, shall we say, skewed.

The "Herbers ..." line above is key ... Alberta has almost never had non-WHL players in its lineup, where even UNB has, and calling that "undermanned" is a sentiment nobody outside of Alberta shares.

For comparison ...

When McGill won in 2012, roughly half its lineup - including Team Captain Evan Vossen - had no Major Junior experience. That's the reality faced by most top programs outside of Alberta and UNB.

When Kelly Nobes took Laurier to the 2007 UCup, beating St FX and losing to Moncton in 2OT, his top two scorers (Mark Voakes and Nick Vergeer) and more than half of his forwards had never sniffed the OHL. Yet, there they were, within an OT goal of the Gold Medal match.

So, you need to appreciate why the term "undermanned" leads to eye rolling outside of Edmonton.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

IMO, I like the fact that Calgary ,UBC,MRU have closed the gap on Alberta.
Saskatchewan needs a good recruiting class to keep pace.
In the AUS, SMU has improved, but not to the level of the 2010
National Championship team, of Fergus, Hotham's and Rancourt era....
There has been a big improvement with OUA East, look out for UQTR in a couple of years.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

I expect Alberta to address the depth/skill issue this summer with another top-notch recruiting class.

 

[RED ARMY EAST]

With CanadaWest tightening up, including champ Calgary, UBC, MRU improving, it's not a slam dunk on Alberta getting the Cream of the crop in the dub. There is definitely improved programs at the top of CanadaWest.