(FREDERICTON, NB) The Atlantic University Sport champion UNB REDS will be the number three seed at the 2024 U SPORTS women’s hockey championship tournament, in Saskatoon.

The REDS are ranked behind the top-seeded and undefeated Concordia Stingers and the Canada West champion UBC Thunderbirds.

UNB is ranked ahead of the OUA champs, the Waterloo Warriors, and conference finalists STFX, University of Toronto, and Montreal. The host University of Saskatchewan Huskies are the tournament’s number eight seed.

UNB fill face the No. 6 Varsity Blues in the fourth of four quarter-final games. That goes Friday at 7:00pm Central time, 10:00pm Atlantic.

“U of T is a well-respected program,” said REDS interim head coach Kyle MacDonald. “They generate a lot of offence and have quality goaltending.”

The Varsity Blues went 19-9 during the regular season and put together a 4-3 playoff record, falling 2-1 in overtime to Waterloo in Saturday’s OUA championship game.

The REDS were 21-7 during the regular season and 5-1 as they won their third consecutive AUS championship.

UNB and U of T met in the consolation round of the 2023 national championship tournament, in Montreal, with the Varsity Blues winning 4-1.

“We’re an intrinsically motivated team,” said MacDonald. “We don’t concern ourselves with previous results.”

All 11 games of the tournament will be broadcast live on CBC Sports’ digital platforms. The full schedule will be available throughout the tournament at www.usports.ca/en/broadcast

As for playing in the fourth of four quarter-finals, Coach MacDonald responded succinctly.

“There’s no advantage or disadvantage to playing on Friday night,” he said. “Our focus is on the opportunity ahead.”

STORY BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics

FILE PHOTO BY: James West/for UNB Athletics