UNB Bruins Fan
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The AUS is the only conference that has roster size limits. This has had its intended effect of limiting UNB from adding more depth players than its opponents in the AUS. This sometimes has an adverse effect when AUS teams show up at Nationals with a depleted roster. But the AUS doesn't get to say it is "unfair competitively" at Nationals because they did it to themselves.
Has it though? Don't get me wrong, I loathed - and still loath - the decision to adopt a roster cap, but even I will admit that it hasn't been near the detriment at the national level as I thought it would be.
The roster cap went into affect before the 2013-2014 season (I believe). Here are the AUS results at the University Cup since then:
2014 - Acadia went 0-2 in the last year of the six team format
2015 - UNB finished 2nd, Acadia/St. FX (to eventual champion Alberta) lost in 1st round
2016 - UNB, St. FX, SMU finished 1st, 2nd, 3rd
2017 - UNB, Acadia, St. FX finished 1st, 3rd, 4th
2018 - St. FX, UNB finished 2nd and 3rd. Acadia lost in 1st round to eventual champion Alberta.
2019 - UNB, St. FX finished 1st and 3rd.
So in those six tournaments the AUS has sent 15 teams and came away with 3 Gold, 3 Silver, 4 Bronze (by four different teams, no less), 1 4th place, and just four teams that didn't make at least the semi-finals (two of whom lost to the eventual champion). The only really "bad" showings (ie/ didn't make the semis/didn't lose to the eventual champion) for an AUS team in that span was Acadia in 2014 (4-2 loss to Windsor and 3-2 loss to host Saskatchewan) and Acadia in 2015 (6-5 OT loss to UQTR in a game they comfortably led at one point)...three losses by a combined four goals.
I would say the AUS has fared quite well at the University Cup during the roster cap era...probably better than most of us would have imagined. In fact, I think you could argue all the b****ing and complaining and doom and gloom around these parts after the roster cap was announced was overblown and that it hasn't really any negative impact at all (in terms of being competitive at the national level).
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