REDS narrowly edge X-Men in AUS 2022-23 pre-season coaches’ poll

(HALIFAX, N.S.) According to the AUS men’s hockey head coaches, it’s going to be a very tight race to the top this season. While the 2022-23 pre-season poll says the reigning AUS champion UNB REDS are the favourites to claim the Atlantic conference banner yet again, STFX’s X-Men finished just one point behind them.

This marks the third year for the AUS men’s hockey pre-season coaches' poll, which was voted on by the league's seven head coaches. Coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own teams, ranked all opponents one through six, with first-place votes worth six points, second-place worth five points and so on.

Last winter, the REDS finished the regular season in first place, with 21 wins and three losses for 42 points. UNB then went on to sweep a best-of-three semi against Moncton and win a single-game final over the STFX X-Men, 3-1 in order to hoist the AUS championship trophy. The REDS went on to lose a quarterfinal match-up against Ryerson (now TMU) at the U SPORTS University Cup in Wolfville, while the X-Men finished third in the country, defeating Ryerson 3-2 to nab the bronze medal.

That championship run from the STFX X-Men might be part of the reason they finished high in this year’s coaches’ poll, with 33 points and three first-place votes. The X-Men finished the 2021-22 season in the number two spot, with a 17-5 record, and scored two overtime wins over Saint Mary’s in the AUS semi-final series before falling to UNB in the final.

The UPEI Panthers round out the top three vote-getters in this year’s coaches’ poll with 23 points, just one more than the Saint Mary’s Huskies. Last year the Panthers were 9-9 on the season, finishing fourth behind the Dalhousie Tigers. UPEI fell to the Huskies in the best-of-three quarterfinal series, ending their season on the road. Saint Mary’s entered the AUS playoffs in fifth place (10-11) in 2022.

This year's AUS playoff format will once again feature a pair of best-of-three quarter-final series, followed by a best-of-five format in the semifinals and a best-of-three final round. Both finalists will earn berths at the U SPORTS Men’s Hockey Championship, hosted by UPEI March 16 through 19.

The 2022-23 AUS men’s hockey season gets underway tonight when UPEI visits Moncton and Acadia heads to Dalhousie. Both games get started at 7pm. All seven AUS teams will see action this weekend, with all games this season available live on AUStv at www.AUStv.ca.

For a complete look at the 2022-23 AUS men's hockey schedule, click here.