Bringing home the cup

Sydney Mines native proud of University Cup

Hoisting the cup. It’s been the dream of generations of young Canadian hockey players.

In Canada, the Stanley Cup is usually considered to be the greatest of all cups, but it isn’t the only one – just ask Justin Gouthro.

The 26-year-old native of Sydney Mines native returned to his hometown this weekend with the University Cup, the prize his University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds hockey team claimed in March when it won the CIS national championship.

“This cup is really difficult to win – it was a real team effort and I’m proud to have been apart of it,” said Gouthro, who has spent the past few seasons as the team’s trainer and equipment manager.

Unlike Sidney Crosby, who will be parading the Stanley Cup around his hometown of Cole Harbour next week, Gouthro is content to share the cup with family and friends.

And, no one was more pleased with the cup than his little brother Dylan.

“He was really excited that I was bringing the cup home and that he got to hold it,” said Gouthro, who allowed his younger sibling to wear the gold medal he received as part of the winning UNB squad.

“It was phenomenal experience with a great team – I can’t say enough good things about the efforts of coach Gardiner MacDougall who has been a pleasure to work under.”

There’s certainly no denying the recent success of the Fredericton-based university team. The Varsity Reds claimed the CIS championship five times over the past 10 years, winning the University Cup in 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, and 2016. The UNB squad also finished runner-up in 2008 and 2015. With a total of six CIS crowns, only the Alberta Golden Bears (15) and the Toronto Varsity Blues (10) have won more.

Gouthro plans to be back with the team for the 2016-2017 season when UNB will host the CIS championship tournament for the first of two consecutive years.

The 2016 Varsity Reds squad included former Cape Breton Screaming Eagles Taylor MacDougall (son of the coach) and Stephen Anderson.

UNB defeated the rival St. Francis Xavier X-Men 3-1 in the CIS final on March at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

DAVID JALA/CAPE BRETON POST Eight-year-old Dylan helps big brother Justin Gouthro hold the University Cup given to the University of New Brunswick men’s hockey team when it won the 2016 CIS national championship in March. Justin, a Sydney Mines native now residing in Fredericton,...