Press Release
Thursday, March 10, 2022
Men's Hockey: Aigles Bleus-Tigers series kicks off Friday in Halifax
The rest was short-lived for the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus as the best of 3 quarterfinal series against the Dalhousie University Tigers begins Friday in Halifax in Atlantic University Sport men's hockey.
Following their 3-2 overtime win Wednesday over the Acadia University Axemen, the blue and gold is now taking on another strong opponent who finished 3rd in the final standings with a record of 11-11-1-0=23pts. Moncton finished 7th and last with 6-15-1-2=15pts.
“We aim to maximize our energy to ensure we have good mental and physical energy,” said head coach Judes Vallée. “In the playoffs, we proved it Wednesday, anything can happen. We beat the Tigers 4-1 last Friday and we can't take them lightly. My role is to make sure the players understand this, and anything is possible. We are two wins away from the semi-final and with the season we had, the guys have shown resilience. We worked so hard to get here and it pays off. We hope to keep our players healthy and available and if we continue to play the same way, we have a chance to win. We are committed defensively more than ever. The guys understood that to play simply, you can achieve beautiful things. We must keep the confidence and score goals. The players’ attitude is so beautiful to see right now.”
“We’re able to win this series if we follow our game plan,” added defenseman Olivier Desjardins, a key player for his team. “We're excited to make the playoffs and if we play like last Friday, anything is possible. We will have to work harder than them.”
Dalhousie has a record of 77 goals scored and 89 against, a difference of -12. Moncton had 55, the lowest total on the circuit and the teams scored 91 times, the highest total of SUA, against the three goaltenders in 24 games, a difference of -36.
The second game of the series will be played Sunday at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena at 7 p.m. Season ticket holders will be able to use their February 4th game (SMU) ticket to access the game without having to pay more. The other quart-final between Saint Mary’s University Huskies (5) and University of Prince Edward Island Panthers (4) will also begin Friday in Charlottetown. The second is slated for Sunday in Halifax.
The games can be viewed at the AUStv.ca.
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