Mount Royal University opens up the U Sports men’s hockey championship Thursday afternoon in Halifax. The Cougars will take on Windsor in their opening game. Losing the Canada West championship to Saskatchewan two years in a row was a tough pill to swallow for the Cougars. They hosted this year and really wanted that Canada West banner. “The thing our group is focused on is that we have another two weeks together—(we) had last week to get better and recover from the loss to get over it as a group and then just prepare for the national championship,” said Cougars captain Kyle Walker. That’s the good news for the Cougars—they get to play for another title. The Cougars also made it to the nationals last year. They lost their first game to Toronto in five overtimes and were eliminated. They’re hoping they learned a lot from last year. “From getting into the hotel to your pre-game skate to how the tournament is, you know you’re playing a little earlier than normal, and I think last year’s experience is a tremendous benefit for our group this year,” said Cougars head coach Bert Gilling. The Cougars say skating away with a national title would mean the world—especially because five of their players will graduate after this year. “We’re still chasing that banner, so we’re all in, and it’s a business trip for us,” said Cougars forward Connor Bouchard. “This is the biggest stage in Canada, and to get this done would definitely be something special for not only us as players but also Mount Royal University,” said Walker.
