Clendenning wanted another shot at X

AUS final | UNB hosts St. FX tonight at 8 p.m. at the AUC

Best-of-five Atlantic University sport men's hockey conference final series or best of three; first line winger or third line centre - none of that matters to University of New Brunswick Varsity Reds veteran Jordan Clendenning.

Just drop the puck, already!

That happens tonight at 8 p.m. at the Aitken University Centre when the V-Reds and St. Francis Xavier X-Men battle in the first game of the AUS championship series. Both teams, of course, are already booked to be back here for the Cavendish University Cup tournament, which runs March 24-27.

Best-of-three versus best-of-five format was a subject of debate at the AUS level, but it's a moot point where Clendenning was concerned.

"It's not going to change the way we go about the games," said the 24-year-old Fredericton native.

For the V-Reds, it's a chance to not only win the Atlantic title for the first time in three years, but to get a measure of revenge against the X-Men.

They're the team that ruined their run at a perfect regular season on the final weekend of the schedule last season, then bounced them from the playoffs with three straight wins in the semifinals - results which, if they don't outright rankle the V-Reds, they certainly remember.

"This is a new year, but as far as last year goes, to say that it doesn't matter would definitely be a lie," he said. "It definitely does matter. We're going to use last year in a positive way and use it to motivate us. Any team would. We have a rivalry between the teams. We wanted X and we're excited to play them."

The V-Reds are a team on a mission this season. They're already guaranteed a ticket to the Cavendish University Cup as the host team, of course, but the goal is gold.

"Last year left a bitter taste in our mouths," admitted Clendenning. "All summer, that's what you used to motivate. I'm not going to dwell on it. But we had a perfect season and to lose out like that was kind of a shocker to us all. We don't dwell on it. We use it as a motivational tool. We definitely have a little more incentive to play these guys."

The V-Reds' cast hasn't changed that much from a year ago: the graduated John Scott Dickson was replaced, both in jersey and physical dimensions, by rookie Nick MacNeil; and defenceman Marc-Antoine Desnoyers signed on to stabilize a battered blueline after Christmas.

But adversity and adjustments have been a constant, with long-term injuries to Ben Shutron, Ben Wright, Taylor Procyshen and Luke Gallant at various points in the schedule. Procyshen and Wright are both likely to sit out tonight, in fact.

Procyshen, who missed most of the season with concussion issues, took "a blatant elbow to the head," UNB head coach Gardiner MacDougall said. "Those are the hits you've got to get out of the game. We're very cautious, because he's had a history of this. He wasn't knocked out or anything, but based on his history, we've got to be cautious right now."

Shutron will play tonight, likely in Wright's spot.

"There's no sense forcing anyone through things," MacDougall said. "We want to be the best we can Friday night, but there's a big picture as well."

One staple of the V-Reds' success this season has been their depth and versatility. Clendenning is a good example of both. He has been one of those whose role has changed as the season evolved. He began the season in Dickson's old spot on the first line, with Chris Culligan and Hunter Tremblay, but seems to have found his niche and his comfort zone as the third line centre between wingers Dion Campbell and Jeff Lee.

That's OK with him, and OK with MacDougall too.

"I'm a natural centreman," said Clendenning. "That's where I played. When I'm in the middle, I think I'm moving my feet a little bit more. I think I'm effective there. I've been up and down offensively and maybe I haven't necessarily brought that part as much as I could have, but I feel I've contributed in other ways. Our job is to create energy and be a two-way line. Guys make a living doing that in the NHL. I don't think my numbers really reflect my game."

MacDougall wholeheartedly agrees.

"He had a great opportunity up with Hunter and Chris, and he filled in admirably. A couple of games we've moved him back up there midway through a game and if we think that's prudent, we wouldn't hesitate to do that. But at this time, it's all about team success. He gets his feet moving in the middle. He's done a great job in that role, and it's a significant role.

"You look at matchups, and I think you have to be strong down the middle," MacDougall said. "He's very good on faceoffs...I think he was top two in the AUS in the second half, after Bailey. Faceoff possession is a key part of our success, and he's done a great job of that."

"Any team that's been successful has had a good third line," said Clendenning. "Myself, Dion Campbell and Jeff Lee...if we can create energy and help out the top two lines and take some weight off their back, that's what we're here to do."

Clendenning scored six goals and four assists in 28 regular season games. While he's yet to hit the scoresheet in the playoffs, his 40-25 on draws against the Axemen - including 24-14 in the Sunday Night Marathon - is almost as efficient as drawmaster Bailey's 100-54, .649 win percentage.

"He just wants to be a part of it," MacDougall said. "That's key to our success, to have people willing to do whatever they're assigned. He's a playoff performer...he brings his game to another level. I thought the first two games of the Acadia series were his best two games all year."

Game 2 goes Saturday at 7 p.m. at the AUC before the series shifts to Antigonish for games Tuesday and, if necessary, Wednesday.

Incidentally, winning the AUS banner is almost as important to the V-Reds as winning the 6/49, if you will.

"You play all year, you play your two rounds of playoffs, and now you get a champion," MacDougall said. "Plus there's the seeding. Obviously, you get to the national championships, you have to be successful against whoever you play. But there's a lot of pride. You set team goals at the start of the year and this is one of them. We know we've got a good opportunity against a quality opponent. The winners are the fans and the sports writers."