TORONTO, ON – Exchanging a few laughs and looking relaxed, the UNB Reds men’s hockey team didn’t appear to have any nerves while stretching ahead of the 2023 U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship.
However, it was all business when they took the ice for warmups. That’s the magic of what this UNB hockey program has developed under head coach Gardiner MacDougall, with the ability to dial in when needed while keeping a loose and close-knit team chemistry.
After an undefeated AUS regular season of 30-0-0 followed an undefeated preseason and a clean sweep through two rounds of playoffs, the Reds won their 47th game in a row on Sunday evening, beating the UQTR Patriotes 4-0 to win the 2024 University Cup.
In competitive games this season, they’ve won 39 straight, the program’s first undefeated season. The U SPORTS title win made them just the second team in the history of the University Cup to win the national title after a perfect season, matching McMaster’s feat in 1963.
Playing his final game for the Reds, Brady Gilmour scored the opening goal of the game at the 7:52 mark of the first period, bursting up the wing and onto a breakaway after Austen Keating found the passing lane, allowing Gilmour to finish past UQTR’s Alexis Gravel.
While the Patriotes pushed back and developed scoring chances, unlike other teams in the U CUP against UNB, bad luck struck as two broken sticks from Kaylen Gauthier and Simon Lafrance left their clear chances without real tests against UNB netminder Samuel Richard.
Keating and Gilmour continued their strong tournaments with assists on the Reds’ second goal of the game, as a four-man rush crashed the net and set-up Cody Morgan at the back post to score his second goal of the tournament at the 15:03 mark of the opening frame.
A former Ottawa 67, Keating scored UNB’s third goal of the night at the 4:34 mark of the third period, bringing his tournament tally to two goals and six points in three games.
Isaac Nurse scored the 4-0 empty net goal.
With the win, head coach Gardiner MacDougall ties Tom Watt for the most University Cup wins with nine and also extends his record for the most wins at the U Cup tournament with 37. At the same time, the Reds also became just the second top seed in the current eight-team knockout format to win the tournament, joining the 2015 Alberta Golden Bears.
While the UQTR Patriotes provided a challenge, the UNB Reds were never in doubt as they made their way through a full shutout 2024 U CUP, capturing the school’s 10th title and further establishing themselves as the premier hockey school in Canada.