It’s preview week here on The Lowdown Blog.  Right now, I take a break from previewing the 2009 Formula 1 Season and instead preview the 2009 Canadian University Hockey Championships.  This is the third and final of the major mens’ national championships for the 2008-2009 season.  Since I can’t be there in person (though my boss neglected to tell me himself), I’ll give my expert opinion in The Lowdown’s University Cup preview.

The championship consists of six teams:  the host (Lakehead), the Canada West champion (Alberta), the Ontario champion and runner-up (Western and McGill), and the Atlantic champion and runner-up (St. Mary’s and New Brunswick).  The teams are divided in to two pools of three and play one game against each other team in the pool.  The team with the best record in each pool advances to the finals which, for all intents and purposes, makes this a single-elimination tournament.

Pool A:

#1 Alberta Golden Bears (Canada West Champion)
The 13-time national champion will be looking for their 4th University Cup in five years over the weekend. The Bears were the #1 ranked team in the nation for most of the season until they were beaten in the final vote by the UNB Varsity Reds. The great strengths of Alberta are their discipline and their goaltending. The team averages 11.8 penalty minutes per game which 5 less than the nearest team and 8 less than their conference average. You simply won’t get that many good opportunities against Alberta on the power play. They make you work for your chances and earn goals. As if the Bears didn’t give the opposition enough quality chances, they have the best goalie in Canada. Aaron Sorochan, already twice a national champion, has the best goals against average and save percentage in the country. The Golden Bears will have to run into a very hot team to lose this year.

#4 UNB Varsity Reds (AUS Runner-Up)
The Reds were the number one team in the country in the final week of the regular season and number two for the rest. Travis Fullerton will play goal for UNB which gives them a fighting chance against Alberta. The rookie netminder ranks second in the country behind the Golden Bear’s Sorochan in GAA. The Reds’ two fifty-point getters will be a thorn in Sorochan’s side in pool play. Also, they’ll be looking for revenge against Alberta after losing to them in New Brunswick in last year’s championship final. Thursday’s game between the Reds and Bears will be absolutely amazing. If anyone can knock off Alberta, it’s UNB.

#6 Lakehead Thunderwolves (Host)
Lakehead always plays the Western Mustangs hard but won’t have the advantage of playing their arch-rival. It would have helped the Thunderwolves because they won’t have played for almost a month after getting knocked out in the second round of the OUA playoffs. Goalie Chris Whitley floundered slightly under the pressure of playoff hockey so how he reacts to the national stage will play a factor in Lakehead’s success. Lakehead does have home-ice advantage and are one of the toughest teams in the country at home. Combined with a rabid fan base that is guaranteed to pack each game, Lakehead could surprise with a win in round robin play. Against this competition, though, they’ll be hard pressed to be competitive.

Pool B:

#2 Saint Mary’s Huskies (AUS Champion)
The Huskies were in it all season but weren’t up to the level of UNB until the finals when they pulled off a massive upset. Offensively is where Saint Mary’s shines. They have four players with over 40 points on the season. They have the capability to smother teams with an onslaught of offense. Where things could fall apart for the Huskies is in goal. Brandon Verge has been mediocre at best all season, relying on his offense to do most of the work. Against the best teams in the country, it will be up to Verge if Saint Mary’s are going to have even a chance.

#3 Western Mustangs (OUA Champion)
The Mustangs come in as a real darkhorse in the championships. They rode stellar defence and hot goaltending through the playoffs to an Ontario championship. Western’s strength is being able to defend cleanly as evidenced by the fact that they are the least penalized team in Ontario. They don’t have much in the way of offensive stars but the Mustangs’s balanced attack was enough to cause McGill fits. Speed is also what Western can use to beat you. They have some very fast skater that can create quality oppotunities off the rush. The Mustangs have a fighting chance to make their way out of Pool B and into the final.

#5 McGill Redmen (OUA Runner-Up)
McGill earned their spot in the nationals with a sweep of Ontario’s top team UQTR. Their next performance, in London, fell flat. They had no jump in either end of the rink and forced their goalie to do all the work. However, rookie goaltender Kevin Desfosses stole plenty of games for the Redmen with solid fundamentals in cutting down angles and controlling rebounds. Alex Picard-Hooper is the offensive star for McGill and if he can’t get the offense rolling, then their tournament will be over almost before it started.

Prediction:
Since I don’t have to cover the games, I’m free to make a prediction this time (blame the other times on some twisted adherence to journalistic ethics). I think Alberta will storm through Pool A while Western will pull out a pair of hard fought wins to take the birth from Pool B. With any luck, we’ll see the Mustangs in their amazing white jerseys on the national television broadcast. Good jerseys or not, this one is Alberta’s tournament to lose. Look for the Golden Bears to raise the University Cup come Sunday.

The Lowdown’s CIS Hockey Championship Coverage:
March 25th: Preview
March 27th: Update
March 28th: Update
March 29th: Update
March 29th: Live Blog
March 29th: Finals Recap