University Cup returns to Halifax

The Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières (UQTR) Patriotes came out on top at the U Sports men’s hockey University Cup, hosted in Halifax for the first time in a decade.

It was Félix Lafrance who scored the overtime, national championship-winning goal for the Patriotes on March 22. Lafrance fired a shot from the blue line, which bounced off someone before finding the back of the net. Lafrance immediately threw up his gloves as his team chased after him.

“It was unreal,” Lafrance said. “We worked so hard for that moment. I’m just so happy for the guys. It’s unreal.”

The Patriotes’ captain and tournament MVP, Conor Frenette, was standing in front of the net, screening the goalie, as the puck crossed the goal line.

“I told Felix that I touched it,” Frenette said. “I tipped it in, but it was an amazing feeling. I didn’t even see it go in. I just saw Felix running through the crowd, and I was like ‘Wow, we just did it.’”

The Patriotes defeated the Saint Mary’s University Huskies 3-2. SMU battled until the final whistle after starting red hot. 

Ninety seconds into the contest, SMU’s Jake Uberti got a breakaway, hitting the puck off the right post and into the net. Fans sang “Heave Away” as Uberti celebrated on one knee, screaming out to the SMU faithful.

Tyler Naugler, SMU’s head coach, said it was Uberti’s last game. Before the tournament, the forward had been out since October 2025 after suffering multiple concussions.

“The kid means everything to me,” Naugler said after the game. “He’s like my son. … He’s a role model for my son.”

The buildup

Saint Mary’s hosted the tournament, entering as the lowest-seeded team, which meant they had to face the top-ranked University of Saskatchewan Huskies in an all-Huskies quarterfinal. 

SMU hit the ground running, going up three goals less than five minutes into the second period. USask rattled off two quick goals, and Liam Keeler silenced the home fans with another to send the game into overtime.

Saint Mary’s fans went silent for the first time all game, but were reignited as Ethan Ritchie found the back of the net with less than four minutes left in extra time. 

This made it the second year in a row the eighth-seeded team upset the top team. 

In another quarterfinal matchup, the University of Windsor Lancers survived Mount Royal University, despite being outshot 40-21. UQTR and the University of New Brunswick Reds dismantled their opponents on the tournament’s second day, combining for nine goals against the Université de Moncton and Queen’s University, respectively.

Their wins set up semifinal matchups between Windsor and the Huskies and UNB and the Patriotes, setting up a possible Atlantic University Sport final. 

Saint Mary’s kept their momentum going, piling three goals on the Lancers in the first period. Meanwhile, Ben Boyd and the Huskies asserted their physicality on Windsor with big body collisions. 

Boyd is the cousin of Jordan Boyd, a Halifax hockey player who passed away in 2013, at the age of 16, after collapsing on the ice during a hockey camp. Ben earned player of the game, scoring two goals. He said Jordan was on his mind. 

“I always think he’s watching me and up there with my grandfather, too,” Ben said. “I always think those two are watching me.”

Ben guided SMU to a 4-1 win and its seventh national championship final appearance in program history. Naugler was emotional after the game, thinking about his mentor Trevor Stienburg, who led the team to their last finals appearance in 2013.

“The one thing [Stienburg] told me one day, and I don’t think it’s true,” Naugler said. “He said you’ll be a better coach than me someday, because you’ll learn from my mistakes. I don’t think I am.”

UQTR earned its right in the final after it dismantled UNB 7-4 in the semifinal, scoring four of those goals in the first period. Frenette racked up a hat trick and six points for the second-highest point total in a University Cup game.

“I think our preparation plays a big role in this,” said Frenette on the team’s start.

UNB claimed the bronze medal with a 5-1 victory over Windsor.

What’s next?

U Sports will return to the Scotiabank Centre in 2027 when Dalhousie University and Acadia University co-host the men’s and women’s basketball Final 8. St. Francis Xavier University will host the women’s hockey national championships in 2028.

Tim Maloney, Dal’s assistant vice-president of athletics and ancillary services, said in a statement to the Dalhousie Gazette that all universities were equally invested in bringing each championship to Halifax.

“All championships are hosted at Scotiabank [Centre], which enables us to offer the same experience to male and female student athletes participating in U Sports hockey and basketball championships in a city that supports university sport like no other.”