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Sunday, March 19, 2023

MacDougall, Reds win another national title

U Sports
CHARLOTTETOWN - The UNB Reds are national champions again.

In a clash of Canadian university hockey powerhouses, the Reds defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 3-0 on Sunday night at Eastlink Centre, winning the school's ninth University Cup title and first since 2019.

Former Rouyn-Noranda Huskies netminder Samuel Richard made 17 saves in the shutout win. UNB's strong defensive play limited quality Alberta scoring chances while the Reds were able to cash in on the few they had. It was quite a battle between two great teams - a game that had zero penalty minutes.

Cody Morgan, Cole Mackay and Austen Keating scored for UNB, who advanced to the final after defeating Concordia in the quarterfinals and UQTR in the semifinals.
The victory means another national championship for head coach Gardiner MacDougall, who led the Saint John Sea Dogs to a Memorial Cup title less than a year ago. MacDougall also won an Atlantic University Sport championship and University Games gold medal within the past year.

The Reds include two former Sea Dogs players - defenseman Kale McCallum and forward Nick Blagden. Both joined the team mid-season and neither appeared in any games at the tournament. McCallum was injured during the AUS playoffs.

Compared to past UNB squads, this was a young and inexperienced group, meaning this national title bodes well for the team's future.

The Golden Bears, who have won a record 16 national championships, have now lost three straight gold medal games - including to UNB in 2019.

Former QMJHLers Richard, St. Stephen native Ross MacDougall (UNB) and Justin Bergeron (UQTR) were named to the tournament all-star team.
Earlier in the day, Julien Tessier and the UQTR Patriotes defeated Ian Smallwood and the host UPEI Panthers 3-2 in the bronze medal game.
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