REDS Reach Practice Milestone
(TORONTO, ON) On the morning after their University Cup quarter-final victory over the Brock Badgers, the UNB REDS men’s hockey team skated in their 100th practice of the 2023-24 season.
“I think it’s huge,” said second-year REDS defenceman Kale McCallum of reaching the 100-practice mark. “We’ve worked pretty hard in practice all year, so it’s a big accomplishment to get here, but the job is not finished.”
The No. 1 ranked REDS will face the No. 4 seed and tournament host Toronto Metropolitan University Bold in Saturday’s semi-finals. That game is scheduled for 1:00pm Eastern/2:00pm Atlantic.
UNB spent an hour on the ice at TMU’s Mattamy Athletic Centre, formerly Maple Leaf Gardens, on Friday, just part of their preparation for Saturday’s semi-final.
“This is the time of year that guys come to UNB for, being here for nationals,” said team captain Jason Willms. “We’re excited heading into tomorrow and we’re looking forward to the challenge.”
The Bold moved into the semi-finals with a 2-1 double-overtime win over the No. 5 Calgary Dinos on Thursday night.
The other quarter-final games, being played Friday, pit No. 2 UQTR against the seventh seeded U de Moncton Aigles Bleue and the third ranked UBC Thunderbirds against No. 6 McGill.
The REDS scored twice in the first period and twice in the third period of their 4-0 Thursday win over Brock and limited the Badgers to just 12 shots on goalie Samuel Richard.
Despite the win, the REDS have already put Thursday's game behind them.
“We enjoyed it until midnight and then began looking forward to a new day,” said Willms. “We know we’ve got a hungry team coming into it tomorrow, they’re the host team and obviously there should be a good atmosphere and a good crowd for them, but we’re looking forward to that challenge that comes tomorrow afternoon.”
With the Mattamy Athletic Centre being a block from the TMU campus, Saturday’s game should be well attended.
But playing before large crowds is something the REDS are familiar with.
“The crowd at the Aitken Centre has been great all year,” said McCallum. “We’re used to playing in front of a lot of people, so we’re excited for the opportunity tomorrow. There’s plenty of UNB fans here as well, so I think the mix of them and TMU fans should make for a great atmosphere here.”
The winner of Saturday’s semi-final advances to Sunday’s University Cup final, scheduled for 5:00pm Eastern/6:00pm Atlantic. The loser will play in Sunday’s bronze medal game at 11:00am Eastern/12:00pm Atlantic.
STORY AND PHOTOS BY: Andy Campbell/UNB Athletics