Code Red Varsity Night to feature Battle of Quebec showdown Monday
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MONTREAL - A much-anticipated men's university hockey showdown is slated for tonight (Feb.8) with the sixth-ranked ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ Redmen set to host the No.3-UQTR Patriotes, in a game that could settle first-place in the OUA Eastern Conference. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at McConnell Arena, located at 3883 University Street.
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A large crowd is expected as the event has been labeled a "Code Red Varsity Night" and all varsity athletes have been invited to attend. It is recommended that fans arrive about 30 minutes early as parking is more difficult with major construction going on at nearby Molson Stadium. The best access route for all spectators is via the west gate atop University Street.
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The Redmen are the highest scoring team in the nation with 139 goals in 25 games and also lead the country in both penalty-killing (.894) and shorthanded goals (11). They own a 20-5-0 record with three games left before playoffs and sit two points behind the Patriotes (20-3-2). A ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ victory would also tie the team's single-season record for most wins, established in 1999-00 when they went 21-5.
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The ±«ÓãÖ±²¥-UQTR matchup also features a head-to-head battle between the second and third-best scorers in the nation.
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Francis Charland of the Patriotes has a 21-24-45 record in 24 contests. He sits one point ahead of ±«ÓãÖ±²¥'s Francis Verreault-Paul, who has compiled a 20-24-44 dossier in the same number of games. The only player with more points is UNB's Hunter Tremblay, who has 22-29-51. Verreault-Paul is bidding to become the first ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ player to capture the OUA scoring title since Mathieu Darche -- currently with the Montreal Canadiens -- led the league in 1999-00.
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±«ÓãÖ±²¥ and UQTR have split their two regular-season games, with the Redmen winning 2-1 at home on Jan. 15 and the Patriotes rebounding with an 8-2 victory in Trois-Rivières on Jan 20. ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ also won a pre-season road game 7-3 in Trois-Rivières on Oct. 7. The Redmen, however, will be without the services of team captain Yan Turcotte, a rugged high-scoring defenceman (25GP: 8-13-21, 118 PIMs), who will be serving an automatic one-game suspension for a penalty incurred last weekend.
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The event has been labeled a "Code Red Varsity Night" as all varsity athletes have been invited to attend and special prices will be offered on concessions to all students wearing their ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ red & white colours. The "best seats in the house" loge will be raffled off to all varsity teams that have pre-registered to attend.
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A ±«ÓãÖ±²¥ victory would create a tie atop the standings but the Redmen would own the tie-breaker with more victories. At stake is who both teams would face in the first round of the playoffs, a best-of-three quarterfinal series slated to begin on Feb.17. The division leader will face the eighth-place finisher (currently Concordia), while the runner-up would face the seventh-place squad (currently the Nipissing University Lakers). Because of OUA travel guidelines the Lakers would host the first game in North Bay, Ont., and the remainder of the series would be played at the higher-placed team.
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After tonight's affair, the Redmen will close out their schedule with the 23rd annual Corey Cup game at Concordia on Friday (7:30 p.m.) and then at home to Ottawa on Saturday (7 p.m.). The Pats will close out their schedule with a pair of home games against Ottawa and Carleton, Feb. 12-13.
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SOURCE:
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
±«ÓãÖ±²¥
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
514-398-1956 (Fax)
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