Press Release
Thursday, February 10, 2022
Men's Hockey: Aigles Bleus meet the Reds on Saturday
Photo: Coach Judes Vallée looking at Aigles Bleus players in training on the ice this week (credit: Normand A. Léger).
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With the return to competition this weekend, the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (5-12-1-0=11pts, 7th position) men's hockey team will be on the road for their first game of the second semester in Atlantic University Sport.
Judes Vallée's team now has six games to play (3 on the road and 3 at home) till the end of the regular schedule. The first duel of this last series is in Fredericton on Saturday against the University of New Brunswick Reds (16-2-0-0=32pts, 1st position), at 7 p.m. at the Aitken University Centre.
It's been two months since the teams played a game and all are looking forward to the return to action this weekend. “We have a great chance to end the year on a high note and our many pre-Christmas injured players should be back,” said head coach Judes Vallée. “It will be interesting to be able to count on full roster.”
The Blue and Gold is looking for standing points. While some teams on the circuit lost players to professional teams during the break, no Aigles Bleus player made the jump.
“We started the year as sheep and we want to end it as lions,” added Judes Vallée. “We are looking for victories and everyone is aware of the stakes. I made a lot of changes to the lines and defense pairs before Christmas because of the many injuries. I'm looking for a little more stability now.”
Games against the Reds are not always easy, but the coach believes that anything is possible with this return to play. “We have played good games against this team this season and we are going there to surprise,” he added. “We asked our players to keep fit during the breaks and we're ready. We have held training sessions on ice and although not all of our game plans will be up to par, we have had the chance to improve our strategies and game plans.”
According to team captain Vincent Deslauriers, “We are excited to be able to play and we are working hard this week to get together and improve our play. We haven't played for two months; we want to keep things simple and not complicate our lives. We gave everything during training. We have a better chance to play well and win with all players in shape. Everyone must give their 100 percent.”
The team's goal is to win as many of the six games to play as possible. “It's a great challenge to start against UNB,” added the captain. “If we play like we can, it is possible to beat them and play a good game. This will give us confidence for the remaining games.”
All seven teams will make the playoffs beginning around March 8. UNB is 9-and-1 in its last 10 games and Moncton, 3 and 7 having lost its last three games before the holiday break. UNB defeated Moncton on December 3 in the final game of the regular schedule of the first half.
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