TORONTO, ON — Jumping in front of the camera, holding his fingers up as the No. 1, Marc-Ettiene Hubert knows what the peak of U SPORTS men’s hockey feels like—that move from 2022, sliding across the ice at Acadia University in dress shoes, was the top. It’s where the program wants to get to again. 

Seldom a rambunctious or ecstatic coach, he’s in many ways the opposite of his U CUP Final counterpart on Sunday, Gardiner MacDougall, who, through his decades of success with UNB Reds hockey, has developed into an emotional and emphatic leader. 

On Saturday night, the Patriotes punched their ticket to their second Canadian university hockey final in the last three years, knocking out their OUA rival McGill Redbirds with a back-and-forth 5-4 victory featuring a late semifinal-winning goal from Conor Frenette. 

“Every game is stressful. We play overtime in the Queen’s Cup, and we have a game like this,” Hubert said after the win, which featured three lead changes. “We’ve played with a short lineup this year, and we’ve only had three games this season with the full lineup, so every game is a challenge.”

Now, they have less than 24 hours to rest and refocus ahead of the final—one they know will be their toughest test of the season against the defending champions, who have won their last 46 games in all competitions. 

“This is one of the biggest challenges in the program’s history; this UNB team seems unbeatable since the beginning of the year, so it’s a huge challenge,” Hubert added. “We have a young group, and we’re looking forward to heading to the final.”

While the Patriotes have won seven U CUPs and entered the season as back-to-back OUA champions, they didn’t expect to be in the 2024 University Cup Final — where they will clash with UNB, a matchup never seen in a U CUP finale. 

After winning the bronze medal at the 2023 U CUP on Prince Edward Island, the majority of the team graduated, paving the way for 11 rookies to skate in UQTR’s lineup this season. 

In a year featuring, at one point, 15 fresh faces and few student-athletes remaining from the 2022 national title-winning team, expectations were minimal for the group, even with the program’s history of being the best in Quebec and the premier program since the OUA merger in 1988, boasting 13 Queen’s Cups. 

Still, with the young roster and inexperience throughout, there were doubts about how far the team could go this season. Yet they’ll skate onto U CUP ice on Sunday, searching for their second trophy of the year and fifth in the last three. 

“We’re so young, this is so different [than 2022]. We always hope to win a national championship, but it’s on the ice that makes the difference this year,” veteran captain David Noel said, seemingly doubting the early season goals. “Everybody grew together this year through adversity and a lot of emotion.”

While the group will rely on the youngsters to power them through the final and put up a test against the Reds, the veteran presence of Noel, Simon Lafrance, goaltender Alexis Gravel, and others will be critical, especially considering their play this season.

For the second time in his career, Lafrance led the OUA in scoring with 25 goals and 45 points. He has been on another level in the U CUP, potting two goals and seven points in the two games so far, leading up to his final U SPORTS game in the final. 

At the same time, Gravel has hit his stride, peaking at the right time with a .921  save percentage through the tournament and setting the tone for the team from the back, as he did when he stopped 66 saves in the 2022 final. 

While the group may be young, it has a veteran focus and a team that knows the group it’s about to play against and the stakes at hand. 

“We know they have a powerhouse on offence,” Frenette said. “We’re gonna have to play our style of game, good in defensive zone breakout, and we’re gonna go on offence after.”

UNB ready to complete perfect season

As the Patriotes prepare to take on the undefeated Reds, there’s no doubt the UNB group knows the opportunity in front of them, too and the chance to become back-to-back U SPORTS champions for the first time since they did it in 2016-2017.

For the Reds, though, there’s little change needed, with all the details of their identity drilled down through their 40 wins this season and the immense focus they have demonstrated through over 100 practice sessions. 

“I don’t think this group has ever ever satisfied, and we think it shift by shift, period by period. So I think we have a really good mentality, and we’re going to continue that [in the final],” assistant captain Brady Gilmour said. “It’s a really competitive group.”

With a fervourous following and stellar play against the TMU Bold and Brock Badgers through the first two rounds, the Reds are the favourite by a long shot and have everything to lose—but that’s welcome pressure for MacDougall’s men as they get set to tackle their final test in the Patriotes.

“It’s always extraordinary. You can see by the people who follow us and these guys that the UNB motto is to make a significant difference,” MacDougall said. Every time these guys go out, they know they’re performing in front of our fans and the people of New Brunswick. We’re trying to make a difference in how they feel.”