Toronto, ON –Â For a long time, the McGill Redbirds were the high water mark for the OUA at the University Cup.Â
Between the UQTR Patriotes winning in 2003 and then again in 2022, the only other team from the largest conference in U SPORTS hockey to win the national title came in 2012 when the McGill Redbirds took a 4-3 overtime win over the Western Mustangs.
Now, in 2024, the Redbirds make their first appearance back in the national tournament since losing to Saskatchewan in the quarterfinal in 2018. Qualifying as OUA Bronze Medalists put the Redbirds into the sixth seed, setting up a Friday night matchup with the Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds.
A season of promise falls just short.
This felt like the year that McGill would return to the Queen’s Cup. For a program that essentially owned the trophy between 2006 and 2014, winning it seven times, they’ve only lifted it once since, with a 2018 win over the Brock Badgers.
2024 felt like it could be the year, though. Led by 2024 OUA East Coach of the Year David Urqhart, the Redbirds closed the year flying, winning 10 of 11 games in the winter semester.
Thanks to the three-headed monster of William Rouleau, who scored 14 goals and 37 points, Brendan Fratteroli, who scored 11 goals and 34 points, and Eric Uba, who scored 16 goals and also had 34 points, the Redbirds finished second in the OUA with 4.14 goals per game.
Couple that with the OUA’s strongest powerplay at a blazing 34.0% and strongest penalty kill at a sparkling 89.2%, and the Redbirds cruised into the top spot in the OUA East and the league outright.
After sweeping the Concordia Stingers in the OUA East semifinal, though, the Redbirds ran into trouble in the final against the UQTR Patriotes. They lost Game One and needed a monster four-goal third period to escape Game Two with a 5-3 win. In Game Three, though, in the duel of goalies named Alexis, it was UQTR’s Alexis Gravel who won with a 32-save shutout in UQTR’s 4-0 win.
That sent the Redbirds to the OUA Bronze Medal game in Brock against the Badgers, where Eric Uba’s two-goal game helped McGill to win 5-2.Â
Depth up front gives McGill a shot
If there is one thing the Redbirds have going for them in this tournament, it’s depth. Beyond Rouleau, Uba and Fratteroli, the Redbirds have weapons like Zachary Gallant who netted 13 goals and 31 points, and veteran defender Scott Walford, who picked up four goals and 24 points.
They need that depth in their opening-round matchup against the UBC Thunderbirds, as they face one of the stronger goalies in Canada West, Cole Schweibus. Schweibus finished 13-0-2 with a 1.90 GAA and a .913 save percentage for the Thunderbirds in the regular season.
In theory, special teams should give McGiill an edge as they enter the tournament with the top powerplay and penalty kill in the OUA, but they are facing a UBC team that had the top powerplay and penalty kill in Canada West, so at best, you can call it a draw.
Goaltending isn’t an outright problem, but is a question mark
The biggest question for the Redbirds in their U CUP dream comes between the pipes. It feels weird because, on paper, third-year Alexis Shank had a strong season, and he did on paper, finishing 17-5-2, but as the season rolled on, his numbers clearly started to fade.
Despite the Redbirds winning nine of Shank’s final ten starts of the regular season, Shank only delivered a save percentage above .900 four times while allowing three goals or more seven times.
It’s tricky because Shank hasn’t necessarily even been an issue for the Redbirds. Still, there are warning signs that they were winning despite him down the stretch, not because of him, and in a tournament as quick as Nationals, a team typically needs its goalie at his peak. Granted, Shank put in a strong performance in the bronze medal game, stopping 27 of 29 shots. It will remain to be seen if it can last, though.
The Redbirds are not a favourite for the U Cup if only because anyone in this tournament who isn’t UNB isn’t a favourite. At the same time, McGill presents as a team with some questions but also with a deep offensive core that can score its way out of many issues. We’ll have to find out if that can carry them back to a U CUP championship.
Cover Photo: Matt Garies/McGill Athletics