Quest for the Queen's Cup begins Wednesday night with doubleheader, live on OUA.tv

By: Carlos Verde

With the calendar turning from September to October we sit one step closer to opening night for OUA men's hockey. 

Last year's conference play saw the UQTR Patriotes emerge victorious after a thrilling comeback on the road in London at Western. Marc-Étienne Hubert's Pats electrified with a deep, skilled attack and one of the top goaltender in the nation in Sébastien Auger.

Defence was the order of the day atop the conference in 2015-16, with the likes of Carleton, Guelph and the aforementioned UQTR winning games by protecting their own net. 

Between the pipes, goaltenders like Kevin Bailie (Queen's), Pat Killeen (Carleton), Troy Passingham (Ryerson) and Andrew D'Agostini (Guelph) all posted save percentages over .925.

A three-horse race for the league scoring title came down to the final night of the regular season, with UQTR star Guillaume Asselin's 47 points edging surprise Carleton rookie Brett Welychka's 46 points. Silky-smooth McGill defenceman Sam Labrecque posted a ridiculous 44 points from the blue line to finish third in the race. 

As is the case in any collegiate circuit, virtually every team has lost at least one key player from 2015-16. The month of October will be rife with opportunity for players and teams to establish that 2016-17 will be their season.

Storylines

1)    UQTR's Title Defence: The defending Queen's Cup-champion Pats have to enter the 2016-17 campaign as favourites to repeat. Between coach-of-the-year Marc-Étienne Hubert and a senior group of Guillaume Asselin, Tommy Giroux, etc., UQTR certainly won't lack leadership or scoring. Any team returning everybody from an .857 win-% season is a force to be reckoned with.

2)    The Wild West: It's no secret that the Guelph Gryphons lost some major pieces — namely goaltender Andrew D'Agostini. With a plethora of new faces at Ryerson and York, and Western coming off a quieter recruiting class than usual, it looks like the West is wide-open for whoever wants it.

3)    Carleton Goaltending: The Ravens had arguably the best goaltending duo in the league last season in Pat Killeen and Francis Dupuis. Both have graduated, with freshmen Justin Nichols and Frank Brassard gunning for the starting job. Oh, and third-stringer Matt Jenkins has had a solid pre-season. Controversy!

4)    Battlin' Badgers: Brock was the worst team in the league during the second half, dropping ten in a row to close out the season and plummet out of the West's playoff picture in 2015-16. With all-star Chris Maniccia back and former 30-point man Andrew Radjenovic returning for another kick at the can, the Badgers might be able to make a sizeable jump up the league standings.

5)    Return of the Gee-Gees: Under the direction of former CIS champion Patrick Grandmaitre, the Gee-Gees have posted a series of solid pre-season results including a shock 4-3 win over UQTR. With a squad of almost entirely freshmen, most of whom joined from the junior-A ranks, will uOttawa be able to match the pace and physicality of the OUA? 

Players to Watch 

F: Guillaume Asselin (UQTR): The former 80-point QMJHL man has become one of the most recognizable talents in the league, leading the nation in goals (27) and points (47) last season thanks to his deadly release and high hockey-IQ.

F: Brett Welychka (Carleton): The London native nearly took home the national scoring title at the end of a sensational rookie campaign after clicking with linemates Ryan Van Stralen and Mike McNamee. All three are back this season for Carleton.

D: Nathan Chiarlitti (McGill): A transfer from St. FX, the former OHL blueliner will be expected to fill at least some of the hole left by all-star Samuel Labrecque's departure. Having put up 15 points in a tough AUS conference last season, he should be capable.