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Press Release

Monday, September 11, 2017

AUS season launched at Moncton campus


The 2017-2018 AUS sport season at the Moncton campus of Université de Moncton was launched during a news conference on Monday morning. The coaches and some athletes were in attendance to discuss the upcoming season.Raymond Théberge, President and Vice-Chancellor; André Samson, Vice President Academic and Research, and Marc Boudreau, athletic director, were in attendance.
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The Moncton campus of Université de Moncton will host two 2017-2018 Atlantic University Sport Championships in February and March 2018.

The track and field championship, from Feb. 23rd to Feb. 24th, and women volleyball championship, from March 2nd to Feb. 3rd, will both be held at the CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud. The athletes of the nine teams are now practicing and the 2017-2018 season has been launched during a news conference held on Monday with coaches, some athletes and administrators.

One new coach, Judes Vallée, is in the line-up in men’s hockey. The returning coaches are Mehyar Zekaroui, in women’s soccer, Florian Ntima Nsiemi, men’s soccer, Jean-Marc Doiron, cross country, Steve LeBlanc, track and field, Monette Boudreau-Carroll, women’s volleyball and Denis Ross, women’s hockey.

The partnership with Soccer New Brunswick enters its second year, looking to further develop the soccer program with more technical training and player recruitment.

“Again this season, I encourage all of you to get involved in your student community and take advantage of every activity,” said the president and vice-chancellor, Raymond Théberge. “Your performances on the provincial, regional and national scene give our campus a sense of pride. We are watching you develop with interest from our seats. I wish all of you success in both your academic and sport endeavors.”

Athletic director Marc Boudreau wished a very successful season to all teams. He predicts some very interesting competitions and is looking forward to this season.

Following is a quick look at the nine teams:

Women’s Hockey
The women’s hockey team begins its 20th season and has 17 returnees under head coach Denis Ross. A large number of players are in their second season but the experience from last season will bring them far. Because 11 rookies from last season played in various situations, this will be a plus this season. Ross expects to have experienced players in all positions, including returning goaltender Gabrielle Forget. Sabrina Lebrun will be back in the net and rookie Émilie Arsenault will be in the net. At defense, six players are back from last season and four rookies will begin with the Aigles Bleues, including Natacha Ireland, who played at the university level with Ottawa, and Élizabeth Tremblay, who played with Boston of the CWHL. There are nine returning forwards and six rookies. There is competition at every position. The Aigles will play five exhibition games against MTA, UPEI and St. Thomas. The regular season begins at home against UPEI and SMU on Oct. 13th and 15th. Assistant coaches are returnees Marc-André Côté, Dave Kennedy and Ian Girard.

Women’s Cross Country
The women’s cross country team is looking for another great season at the AUS championships. The challenge will not be easy as the team took fourth place last season and the bronze medal, the previous season. The team will be led by veterans Kamylle Frenette and Carol-Ann MacDonald. Many rookies are also in the lineup. Jean-Marc Doiron is back as head coach.

Men’s Cross Country
The men’s cross country team is looking forward to retain its bronze medal at the AUS championships. Coach Jean-Marc Doiron expects his charges will again make long strides this season with veterans Bryan Thomas, Shayne Dobson and Nassim Bousmaha, from Québec. Anouk Pelletier is returning as manager of both men and women teams. The first competition is in Fredericton, at UNB/STU, on Saturday, Sept. 16th.

Men’s Hockey
The men’s hockey team have a new head coach, Judes Vallée, and a first director of hockey operations, Jean-François Damphousse. First home game is Saturday, Oct. 7th against the University of Prince Edward Island Panthers. There are many veterans returning, including AUS and U SPORTS top scorer from last season, Jean-François Plante. Goaltender Brandon Thibeau is back as are players Carl Marois, Justin Guénette and Robbie Graham. There are nine rookies battling for positions. The objective is to offer an exciting season for the fans and to be combative in all games. Assistant coaches are Ricky Jacob and newcomer Frédérick Roy.

Track and Field
The first track and field competition will be the Last Chance, on Dec. 16th at the CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud. The Moncton Open, January 13rd , and the AUS Championships, Feb. 23rd and 24th, will also be held at the CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud. A majority of last season’s team will be back with many newcomers for head coach Steve LeBlanc. The coaches will rely on Monika LeBlanc (sprints/jumps), Isabelle Morris (pent), Constance Gilman (throw), and Carol-Ann MacDonald (distance). On the men’s side, Jean-Luc Bastarache (hept), Alain Doucet (hept), Julien Léger (jumps) are back. Doucet was AUS meet MVP last year. The rookies include Sharon Ngongo (sprints/jumps) and Olivier Charron (sprints). The objectives are to finish third at the AUS and win eight medals. The coaches are Earl Church, Ron LeBlanc, Sara Miller and Jean-Marc Doiron.

Women’s Soccer
The female soccer team is composed of 24 players, including 15 returnees and 9 rookies, including Katrine LeBlanc, under head coach Mehyar Zekaroui. The team will look to gain experience. The keepers are Dominique LeBlanc and rookie Josée Boucher. Fifth year player and striker Alexandra Maltais, the top scorer from last season and AUS all-star member, is back for a 5th season. The team should be balanced defensively and have a quality offense. Jamie Pollock is back as advisor with former players and Stéphanie Leahy and newcomer Catherine Poirier, as assistants. The team played its first game on Sunday. The objective this season is to continue the progression from last season and to be competitive in every match.

Men’s Soccer
The Aigles Bleus began the season with 25 players, including 15 returnees and 10 rookies. Miguel Bryar begins his 5th season. There are three goaltenders, including the two from last season, Louis Bergeron and André LeBlanc and rookie Christian Masimengo. Alexandre Thériault is team captain for a second season. The rookies are already making a name for themselves. Florian Ntima Nsiemi is the head coach and Samuel Charron and Richard Lemay are assistants.

Women's Volleyball
The Monette Boudreau-Carroll coached team will host the AUS championship in March 2018. The team lost many starters from last season but the others are ready to take over. The team will host the first AUS season tournament featuring all six teams from the conference from Nov. 16th to 19th. The Aigles will play five home games that weekend against the other five teams. Eight veterans will be back with the team offering stability and experience with five rookies. Players returning include Christelle Bertin and Pascale Doiron with a few rookies who played with Team NB at the Canada Summer Games, in Winnipeg, in August. Assistant coach is Natasha LeBlanc and Pauline Cormier is the manager.




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