Concordia, McGill set to make hockey history

The Canadiens aren’t going to be in the NHL playoffs this season and the Laval Rocket won’t be in the AHL playoffs, either.

But there will be what promises to be some very exciting playoff hockey in Montreal this week when the McGill Redmen and Concordia Stingers square off in the best-of-three OUA East men’s final, with Game 1 slated for 7 p.m. Wednesday at McGill’s McConnell Arena.

This marks the first time these two Montreal universities have ever faced off in a divisional final. And unlike Canadiens games at the Bell Centre, these ones won’t put a huge dent in your wallet and you can watch two teams that are very good. Tickets for Wednesday ’s game cost $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors, while children 12 and under will be admitted free. Tickets are available at the door or at mcgillathletics.ca.

A beer at McConnell Arena costs $6, a soft drink is $3, a slice of pizza or a hotdog set you back $3.75, a bag of popcorn is $4 and a bag of chips sells for $2. A trio combo that combines chips, a soft drink and a slice of pizza or a hotdog costs $7.

The Redmen, who are ranked fourth in the country, finished first in the OUA East during the regular season with a 22-4-2 record and went 4-1 while winning their first two playoff series. The Stingers, meanwhile, finished third during the regular season with an 187-3 record and are also 4-1 in the playoffs.

This marks the first time the Stingers have played in a conference final since 1984. The two teams split their four games against each other during the regular season, with all of the contests decided by one goal.

“Anyone who hasn’t seen university hockey before usually is pleasantly surprised at what they see,” Redmen coach Kelly Nobes said about the quality of play, with most of the players being graduates of the junior Canadian Hockey League.

Concordia’s Anthony Beauregard led the country in scoring during the regular season with 19-41-60 totals in 28 games. Before joining the Stingers, the 22-yearold spent four years with the QMJHL’s Val d’Or Foreurs.

McGill’s Jerome Verrier finished fourth in the country in scoring with 12-29-41 totals. The 23-year-old also spent four years in the QMJHL with the Drummondville Voltigeurs and Quebec Remparts.

Game 2 is slated for 7:30 p.m. Friday at Concordia’s Ed Meagher Arena and Game 3, if necessary, will be at 7 p.m. Sunday at McConnell Arena.

The winner advances to the OUA Queen’s Cup championship game on March 10 against the winner of OUA West final between Brock and York.

Both OUA finalists automatically qualify for the U SPORTS University Cup national championship tournament March 15-18 in Fredericton.