The UNB Reds captured the 2024 U SPORTS men’s hockey national championship last week, solidifying a flawless campaign and inking themselves in the history books.
With the 2023-24 Reds on a level of their own, here are their key accomplishments this season, by the numbers.
43 – The Reds won 43 games this season, by far the most in the country. UNB went 5-0 in exhibition games, 30-0 in the regular season, 5-0 in the Atlantic University Sport (AUS) playoffs and 3-0 in the U SPORTS national championship.
62 – With their perfect 43-0 regular, the Reds are the first team to go undefeated in Canadian men’s university hockey in 62 years, since the McMaster Marlins went undefeated in 1962/63 on route to winning the inaugural men’s hockey championship tournament.
47 – The Reds now own a 47-game winning streak, which has spanned longer than a year beginning on March 9th, 2023, and is still ongoing. UNB’s last loss came on March 7th, 2023, in game two of the AUS Championship against Saint Mary’s in double overtime.
2 – The 2024 U Cup win against UQTR marked UNB’s second straight season as national champions, after beating the Alberta Golden Bears 3-0 in last year’s final in Charlottetown. The Reds are the first team to win back-to-back titles since they won consecutive championships in 2016 and 2017.
5 – Now, UNB has won five of the last seven tournaments (there were no tournaments in 2020 or 2021 because of COVID-19) becoming the first team to win five of seven since the Toronto Varsity Blues won five straight titles from 1969 to 1973.
10 – Their 2024 championship marks the tenth national title in school history – 1998, 2007, 2009, 2011, 2013, 2016, 2017, 2019, 2023, 2024 – tying the Varsity Blues for second-most in U SPORTS history. The Alberta Golden Bears lead all schools with 16 titles to date.
20 – On route to capturing their 10th national title, the Reds won their 20th AUS Championship this season, beating the Moncton Aigles Bleus 3-1 in game one and 3-0 in game two to win the best-of-three series and claim the championship.
298 – The Reds end their season on a 298-minute shutout streak with their last goal allowed coming against the Aigles Bleus in the second minute of game one of the AUS Championship.
92 – Since then, UNB has gone nearly five games long without allowing a goal, making 92 saves (24, 12, 12, 22, 23) in the process.
0 – Three of those games not allowing a goal came in the U SPORTS tournament, allowing zero goals in the national championships, beating the Brock Badgers 4-0 in the quarters, TMU Bold 7-0 in the semis and UQTR Patriotes 4-0 in the final.
57 – Samuel Richard, the 2023 U SPORTS Rookie of the Year, stopped all 57 shots he faced in the U SPORTS tournament.
172 – UNB scored 172 goals in the regular season to lead all of U SPORTS, 46 goals ahead of UBC who had the second-most goals at 126. Leading the Reds in goals was Austen Keating – AUS MVP and U SPORTS MVP nominee – with 23, while defenceman Adam McCormick led the team with 33 assists which also ranked second-most in the country.
The Reds will be looking to add to their trophy case and three-peat next season, hoping to become the first time to win three straight since Alberta won three consecutive championships from 1978 to 1980.
For more information on the UNB Reds men’s hockey program, head to goredsgo.ca.