OTTAWA (CIS) – The same five teams will compete for the McCrae Cup for the second straight year when the University of Victoria hosts the 2009 CIS women's field hockey championship, from Nov. 5-8.
The Guelph Gryphons, UBC Thunderbirds, Victoria Vikes, Toronto Varsity Blues and Alberta Pandas all return from last year's tournament, also held at Victoria, when the hometown Vikes defeated Alberta 2-1 in the national final to tie UBC's all-time record of 11 McCrae Cup triumphs, one more than Toronto.
The Vikes, who were crowned as the No. 4 seed in 2008, will once again have to pull a few upsets in order to defend their title as they were seeded third for this week's championship after going 5-4-3 and taking second place in the Canada West standings.
Guelph was established tournament favourite for the first time in program history following an undefeated campaign (12-0-2 regular season / 3-0 playoffs) that culminated with a 1-0 shutout of Toronto in the OUA final. In three previous trips to the CIS tourney, the top-ranked Gryphons claimed silver in 2007 and finished fourth in both 2005 and 2008.
UBC, bronze medallist a year ago and McCrae Cup champion for the last time in 2006, earned No. 2 status after finishing first in the Canada West with a 10-2-0 mark.
Toronto (10-1-3 season / 2-1 playoffs) goes in as the No. 4 seed, with Alberta receiving the lowest ranking for the second straight year following a 3-7-2 Canada West campaign. The Varsity Blues last hoisted the Cup in 2007, while the Pandas captured their lone CIS banner in 2005.
Every team will face each of its rivals once in a 10-game round-robin competition from Thursday to Saturday. The two teams with the best records at the end of round-robin play will square off in Sunday's national final at 1 p.m. Pacific Time. The bronze-medal match is slated for 10 a.m. PT.
No. 1 Guelph and No. 2 UBC kick off the competition Thursday at 9:30 a.m. PT, with Victoria opening its title defence versus Toronto at 11:50 a.m. PT.
For all the info on the 2009 CIS women's field hockey championship, visit:
www.cis-sic.ca
SEEDING
1. Guelph Gryphons (OUA champions / 12-0-2 regular season, 3-0 playoffs)
2. UBC Thunderbirds (Canada West champions / 10-2-0 regular season, no playoffs)
3. Victoria Vikes (Second place Canada West / 5-4-3 regular season, no playoffs)
4. Toronto Varsity Blues (OUA finalists / 10-1-3 regular season, 2-1 playoffs)
5. Alberta Pandas (Third place Canada West / 3-7-2 regular season, no playoffs)
CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE (All times local: Pacific Time)
Wednesday, Nov. 4
18:30 All-Canadian Awards Banquet
Thursday, Nov. 5
9:30 Round-Robin 1: Guelph vs. UBC
11:50 Round-Robin 2: Victoria vs. Toronto
15:30 Round-Robin 3: UBC vs. Alberta
17:50 Round-Robin 4: Guelph vs. Toronto
Friday, Nov. 6
10:00 Round-Robin 5: Victoria vs. UBC
12:20 Round-Robin 6: Toronto vs. Alberta
16:00 Round-Robin 7: Guelph vs. Victoria
Saturday, Nov. 7
10:00 Round-Robin 8: Victoria vs. Alberta
12:20 Round-Robin 9: UBC vs. Toronto
16:00 Round-Robin 10: Guelph vs. Alberta
17:30 Tie-Breaking Strokes (if necessary)
Sunday, Nov. 8
10:00 Bronze medal
13:00 Championship final
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