UNB tops coaches’ poll as puck drops on 2025–26 AUS men’s hockey season
Champs start on top; AUStv carries tonight’s opener and Friday’s full slate.
(HALIFAX, N.S.) Fresh off a seventh straight conference title, the UNB REDS open 2025–26 at No. 1 in the AUS men's hockey preseason coaches' poll with 35 points and five first-place votes, edging the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus (27 points) for top spot.
Saint Mary's and Acadia are tied for third at 26 points apiece, each picking up one first-place vote.
UNB captured last season's AUS banner with a two-game sweep of Moncton in the final.
The ranking mirrors much of last year's table—UNB finished 28-1-1 in the regular season to lead the conference, followed by Moncton and Saint Mary's, with STFX, Acadia, UPEI and Dalhousie rounding out the standings.
In the 2025 postseason, UNB swept Acadia in the semifinals, while Moncton outlasted Saint Mary's in five before the REDS defeated the Aigles Bleus 2–0 in the best-of-three final.
The 2025-26 regular season opens tonight with Saint Mary's visiting Acadia at 7 p.m. in Wolfville, N.S. The remaining teams will see action Friday evening with Moncton set to host Acadia, UPEI hosting STFX, and Dalhousie visiting UNB. All games stream live on AUStv.