Tommies draw RSEQ and Canada West Champions

STU heads into CIS Nationals ranked 6th

OTTAWA (CIS) – The defending national champion University of Montreal Carabins have been established tournament favourites heading into the 2014 Scotiabank CIS women’s hockey championship in Fredericton.

The seeding and pools were announced Sunday for the six-team competition, hosted for the first time by St. Thomas University. The tourney gets under way on Thursday at the Grant Harvey Centre and culminates next Sunday at 6:30 p.m. Atlantic Time with the gold-medal final, live on Sportsnet 360.

All nine games from the championship will also be webcast live on www.CIS-SIC.tv.

The Carabins, who a year ago captured their first CIS title in only their fourth season in the league, are seeded No. 1 for the second straight campaign. They will be joined at the event by the No. 2 Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA champs), No. 3 Moncton Aigles Bleues (AUS champs), No. 4 Saskatchewan Huskies (Canada West champs), No. 5 McGill Martlets (RSEQ finalists) and No. 6 St. Thomas Tommies (hosts).

Reigning champion Montreal will compete in Pool A with Saskatchewan and St. Thomas in the round-robin portion of the competition. The Carabins open their title defence Thursday at 7 p.m. AT against the Huskies. The local favourite Tommies face the losers of that match-up on Friday and the winners on Saturday.

In Pool B, Laurier and McGill square off in the tournament opener Thursday at 2 p.m. Moncton takes on the losers on Day 2 and the winners on Day 3.

Montreal has been a remarkable story since joining the CIS women’s hockey circuit in 2009-2010, reaching the national final in its third campaign before claiming its first CIS banner last winter. The Carabins defeated archrival McGill in three games in the 2014 best-of-three RSEQ final, which concluded yesterday.

The Martlets are the most decorated program at this week’s championship with three CIS titles. Laurier has one, while Moncton, Saskatchewan and St. Thomas are looking for their first trophy.

NOTES: A complete championship preview will follow on Tuesday... A meet-the-teams media conference is scheduled for noon AT on Wednesday at the Grant Harvey Centre... The CIS major award winners and all-Canadians will be announced at a banquet Wednesday night.

SEEDING & POOLS

1. Montreal Carabins (RSEQ champions: 17-3-0 regular season / 4-1 playoffs)
2. Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks (OUA champions: 18-3-3 regular season / 6-2 playoffs)
3. Moncton Aigles Bleues (AUS champions: 14-9-1 regular season / 6-2 playoffs)
4. Saskatchewan Huskies (CWUAA champions: 18-4-6 regular season / 4-2 playoffs)
5. McGill Martlets (RSEQ finalists: 18-2-0 regular season / 3-2 playoffs)
6. St. Thomas Tommies (Hosts: 12-7-5 regular season / 0-2 playoffs)

Pool A1. Montreal
4. Saskatchewan
6. St. Thomas

Pool B2. Wilfrid Laurier
3. Moncton
5. McGill

CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (all times ATLANTIC TIME)

Wednesday, March 1219:00 All-Canadian Banquet (Fredericton Inn - Bicentennial Ballroom)

Thursday, March 1314:00 Pool B #1: No. 5 McGill vs. No. 2 Wilfrid Laurier (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
19:00 Pool A #1: No. 4 Saskatchewan vs. No. 1 Montreal (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Friday, March 1414:00 Pool B #2: Loser Pool B #1 vs. No. 3 Moncton (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
19:00 Pool A #2: Loser Pool A #1 vs. No. 6 St. Thomas (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Saturday, March 1514:00 Pool B #3: Winner Pool B #1 vs. No. 3 Moncton (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
19:00 Pool A #3: Winner Pool A #1 vs. No. 6 St. Thomas (www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

Sunday, March 1610:00 5th Place (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
14:00 Bronze (www.CIS-SIC.tv)
18:30 Final (Sportsnet 360 & www.CIS-SIC.tv) 

* The webcast of the championship final will be on pay-per-view basis.