Toronto, ON – Six years since their last U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship, the McGill Redbirds are soaring on the national stage again.
Whereas in the 2018 edition, the Montréal school couldn’t leap over the first hurdle, in 2024 they reached the final day of action – and are bidding adieu to a memorable weekend at the Maple Leaf Gardens with a bronze medal around their necks thanks to a 3-2 win over the TMU Bold.
Indeed, the fall and subsequent rise of the McGill Redbirds program under David Urquhart has been incredibly impressive. The hard work put in by Urquhart to create sustainable success for the Redbirds must be applauded, as although cornerstones of this roster are departing (assistant captains Scott Walford, Taylor Ford, and Alexandre Gagnon are all seniors), the future still looks incredibly bright.
“We told the [graduated] guys that they’ve left the program in a better place than when they started, and I think that’s the biggest compliment you can give to someone who’s leaving,” Urquhart said. “They’re leaving it in a place where the guys that are coming back next year are going to take the torch and carry it.”
Losing multiple pieces of the aforementioned leadership group will be difficult to overcome, however, what can’t be understated is the experiences from this U CUP. When Walford and Gagnon were freshmen, a global pandemic cancelled their hopes of appearing under the brightest lights. Conversely, this current crop of first-years and sophomores is making noise as a top-four team in Canada.
Stephane Huard, a freshman studying arts at McGill, has been painting the picture for McGill’s success. An electric winning goal against the UBC Thunderbirds opened his account at the competition, and he closed it by equalizing Sunday morning’s bronze medal game versus the TMU Bold with only four seconds left in the first period. McGill, who tragically lost to the UQTR Patriotes in the nighttime semifinal hours before, needed a spark – and a way to hush the hosts. Huard did just that by dangling around TMU goaltender Kai Edmonds and tucking it home.
“We needed one,” Huard said bluntly.
Previously in his career, Huard was bouncing around the QMJHL, eventually suiting up for four separate franchises. It seems that he has finally found a home at the collegiate level in the Redbirds locker room. “I think my junior career helped me a lot personally and hockey-wise,” added Huard. “I think we had a strong group and I think I had a pretty good weekend.”
“Pretty good” would also be an adequate term for Brandon Frattaroli’s performance. The first-line centre, who assisted Huard’s quarterfinal winner, pressured the Bold’s blueline all day long, pegging them back alongside OUA All-Stars William Rouleau (all signs point to him returning for 2024-25) and Eric Uba (part of the graduating class but eligible for the next campaign). Frattaroli is part of the age group that’s bridging the gap between the elders and youngsters in the locker room.
Two goals to complete the McGill Redbirds’ comeback were examples of how to come up in the clutch to players on both ends of the age spectrum. Frattaroli was decent all tournament, yet popped up when it truly mattered. Crashing the net with a mere 90 seconds until overtime would have kicked in, Frattaroli capped off a late, determined charge to the medal. Top defensive pairing Walford and Mitchell Prowse earned assists on the play, as McGill worked the puck around the offensive zone, controlling the tempo in the late stages of the battle.
TMU also desperately wanted the victory because of a large, talented class moving on after the U CUP. In the end, the more resilient side won. Eight days prior, the Redbirds stormed past the Brock Badgers to take bronze in the OUA. Sunday was more hard-fought, no doubt, and McGill showed their level heading into next year.
Between two bronzes and a pole position finish in the OUA East regular season, Urquhart’s team is so different even compared to last March. The head coach, sporting the medal on top of his stylish university tie, made the ambition for the next season clear: “There’s still a sour taste of losing [to UQTR] and thinking about we might have been that close to an opportunity to play in the national final. And that’s going to carry the guys into next year and that will drive the guys over the Summer to set a high standard, to reach a new level.”
If there was another thing we learned about McGill, it’s that alumni stick around: the McGill Fight Band’s shiny instruments provided the backdrop to the team photo following winning some shiny material of their own. Whatever the next chapter entails for the seniors, you can guarantee that they’ll be watching the McGill Redbirds’ quest for greater hardware in 2025.
“I’m just excited for the future and what’s in front of us, we’ve got some good recruits coming in,” said Frattaroli, who received a loud ovation from the Fight Band when given his medal.
“So already looking forward to next year.”
