2015-16 AUS men’s and women’s hockey schedules released

(HALIFAX, N.S.) – Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2015-16 men's and women's regular season hockey schedules.

The men's hockey regular season is set to begin Thursday, Oct. 8, 2015, and the women's Friday, Oct. 16.

The men's regular season format will once again see all teams play a 28-game schedule while the women's format will consist of 24 regular season contests for each team.

The men's and women's teams will play in a single division, with the top six qualifying for post-season play. The top two regular season finishers will receive byes to the conference semifinals.

The 2015-16 season will also see the continuation of the AUS women's hockey championship format as a three-round playoff series where teams will play each other in best-of-three series.

All AUS regular and postseason games will be webcast at AUStv.ca powered by Bell Aliant Community One.

Link to full 2015-16 AUS men's hockey schedule: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/mice/2015-16/schedule?confonly=1

Link to full 2015-16 AUS women's hockey schedule: http://www.atlanticuniversitysport.com/sports/wice/2015-16/schedule?confonly=1

MEN

All eight AUS men's hockey teams will see action during the opening week of regular season play.

Looking to rebound after missing the 2014-15 postseason, the St. Thomas Tommies will visit the Université de Moncton Aigles Bleus on opening night, Thursday, Oct. 10, 2015, at J.-Louis-Lévesque Arena in Moncton, N.B. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. The host Aigles Bleus will look to improve on last season’s performance which saw them earn a spot in the AUS playoffs, but succumb to the Saint Mary’s Huskies in the best-of-three quarter-final series.

The remaining six AUS teams will see action Saturday, Oct. 10 at 7 p.m. The 2015 Subway AUS championship runners-up Acadia Axemen will host the StFX X-Men in Wolfville, N.S.

The Saint Mary’s Huskies, hosts of the 2016 CIS University Cup next March in Halifax, will play host to their crosstown rivals, the Dalhousie Tigers. The Huskies finished third in the 2014-15 AUS regular season standings and ultimately fell to the Axemen in a hard-fought five-game semi-final playoff series.

That same night, the defending AUS champion UNB Varsity Reds will raise their championship banner during their home opener in Fredericton, N.B., when they will play host to the UPEI Panthers.

The regular season schedule will wrap up Friday, Feb. 12 and will be followed by the 2016 Subway AUS men's hockey playoffs.

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.

AUS is guaranteed three berths in the 2016 CIS men's hockey championships, being hosted at the Scotiabank Centre in Halifax.

Should the Huskies advance to the 2016 AUS final round, a best-of-three consolation final series will be held to determine the third team from the Atlantic conference to compete in the CIS championship.

The 2016 CIS University Cup will be held March 17 to 20.

WOMEN

The 2015-16 AUS women's hockey schedule will kick off on Friday, Oct. 16 with the defending AUS champion StFX X-Women hosting the UPEI Panthers in Antigonish, N.S. at 7 p.m.

The Moncton Aigles Bleues, runners up in the 2015 Subway AUS Women’s Hockey Championship, will kick off their season the following day, Saturday, Oct. 17, at 2 p.m. when they will play host to the Saint Mary’s Huskies. The Aigles ended the Huskies’ playoff run last season, taking them out in two games in the best-of-three semi-final series.

At the Grant-Harvey Centre in Fredericton, N.B., the St. Thomas Tommies will host the Dalhousie Tigers that same afternoon at 3 p.m. in their home opener. The two teams last faced each other in the 2015 postseason. After falling to the Tommies in Game 1, the Tigers bounced back to win the next two games and claim the hard-fought quarter-final playoff series.

The Mount Allison Mounties will then look to start the new season off strong after missing last year’s postseason. They will host the StFX X-Women Saturday, Oct. 17 in their home opener. Puck drop is set for 7 p.m. at the Tantramar Veterans Memorial Civic Centre in Sackville, N.B.

The women's hockey season will once again consist of 24 games with all seven teams playing the other teams in the conference four times, twice at home and twice away.

The 2015-16 regular season wraps up on Sunday, Feb. 14 and the top six teams in the standings will move on to post-season play. Three rounds of playoff series will be played with the top two seeds receiving byes into the semi-final round.

The quarterfinals will feature the third-place team taking on the sixth-place finisher, while the fourth-place team will face off against the fifth-place team.

The quarter-final, semi-final and final rounds will once again each be best-of-three affairs using a 'home-away-home' format where the higher seeded team will host the opening game of the series as well as the third and deciding game, if necessary.

The 2016 CIS women's hockey championship will be hosted by the University of Calgary March 17 to 20. Both the AUS champion and runner-up will earn a berth in the CIS championship.

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