Press Release
Wednesday, March 16, 2022
The Reds-Aigles Bleus series promises
The task will not be easy, but the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus have the wind in their sails and the 7th position team in the final rankings will now compete against the first position in the Atlantic University Sport men’s hockey semi-final series best of 3.
After eliminating the Acadia University Axemen and the Dalhousie University Tigers, the University of New Brunswick Reds are next on the road to the Canadian Championship. A total of 27 points separated these two teams at the end of the season and a difference of 15 wins stood between the two clubs. The Reds haven't played since March 5, a 4-0 win over the Dalhousie University Tigers. UNB defeated Moncton 3-2 in a shootout on February 12. The UNB offense scored 90 goals and allowed 37 to Moncton's 55 and 91 in 24 games.
The first game of the series will be going Friday at 7 p.m. at the Aitken University Centre in Fredericton with the second game Sunday at the same time at the J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena on the Moncton campus.
“We have to play as a team like we did in the first series,” coach Judes Vallée stated as his team is getting ready. “We have adjustments to make in the way we play. UNB has never played against us like this. The guys bought the system, and I am happy. They must execute on the ice. We are looking for a method to find a way to play well; they are fast, launch the attack quickly and apply pressure. We always need to be awake. They are strong at the beginning of the game; the first 10 minutes are important. We have a gang that believes, and we want to continue to write our history. We played three big do-or-die games in a week and the guys are not going to talk about fatigue. Adrenaline is present to seek the necessary energy. We grew as a team. Trust reigns and we want to create a surprise.”
According to rookie forward Olivier-Luc Haché, “we had a good series, and we will have to play like we did against Dalhousie to have a chance to win. We're happy with the way we played. We must play our game and be strong from the beginning to the end. My adaptation went well during the season and I'm happy with the way I'm playing. The game is faster than the major junior, and the bigger and stronger players are adults. We are in the process of buying back our regular season which did not go as planned.”
Mika Cyr and Alexandre Bernier will be not dress for the series.
Tickets can be purchased online for Sunday night's game. Season ticket holders will be able to use their February 5 (Acadia) ticket to access Sunday's game without having to pay extra. Tickets will go on sale one hour before the game on Sunday, starting at 6 p.m. at the arena box office. People can also buy tickets at the CEPS Louis-J.-Robichaud reception desk from 7 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.
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