Mt. Royal Cougars stripped of title

[Swayze11]

In an unprecedented move, Game 5 of the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference men’s hockey final will be replayed because the Mount Royal University Cougars dressed an ineligible player for the contest, Global TV reported on Tuesday night.
The Cougars hoisted the championship trophy on Sunday after blanking the SAIT Trojans 1-0 in the deciding game of the best-of-five series.
Backup goalie Brett Bothwell earned the shutout, filling in for injured starter Justin Cote.
But the problem is the Cougars dressed a new backup, who was ruled an ineligible player after the fact, despite not seeing game action.
According to Global’s report, the game will be replayed on Saturday at SAIT Campus Arena at 6 p.m.

Read more: http://www.calgaryherald.com/news/ACAC+puck+championship+final+faces+replay+report/4527011/story.html#ixzz1I6Cnuvik



Bob McKenzie pretty much summed up my thoughts as well:
If I were Mount Royal, I know what I would do. Not play the game. Give the title to SAIT if it means that much to them. Didn't earn it, tho.

[Knut]

Wow... that is low. How does a backup goalie factor into the way the team played.

[North East Goon]

The captain of SAIT ran the usual starting goalie for MRU injuring him in the process. Now they are complaining about the back-up. Pretty poor sportsmanship by SAIT. (I am an alumni of SAIT hockey to boot)

[MissTeeks]

TSNBobMcKenzie (http://twitter.com/#!/TSNBobMcKenzie) Bob McKenzie
SAIT informs me it had zero to do with replay decision, did not protest, that it was a league decision. Fair enough. Duly noted.

[Swayze11]

^ Doesn't really matter IMO. If Sait wins this replay, it won't feel the same I am sure.

[You Need a Thneed]

It needs to be noted that SAIT did not protest, the call to replay was made solely by the ACAC. SAIT had the option to win by forfeit or to replay, they took replay.

I'm with Bob MacKenzie, though, there's no need for a replay.

[united]

The guy didn't touch the ice, who cares? Rules are rules, but sometimes you have to look away. BTW, MRU's captain is Darnell Glass, the younger brother of Tanner Glass.

@TSNBobMcKenzie (http://twitter.com/#!/TSNBobMcKenzie)
Still think ACAC and both teams should have sat down and done right thing, looked other way on rule this time and use it as lesson learned.

[burn_this_city]

The speed and timing of opening the gate during line changes had a big impact on the results on the ice.

[troutman]

What happens for the winner? Do they go on to national championships?

SAIT should forfeit - they lost fair and square.

[Swayze11]

The speed and timing of opening the gate during line changes had a big impact on the results on the ice.

hmmm good point, could have been a gate ringer.

[Resolute 14]

There used to be a CCHA national championship, but I don't think it has been played in several years. The provincial title is the highest.

This is an odd decision since it was the backup goalie, but I can see the ACAC's rationale. Whether or not he played, having an ineligible player on the roster is often a forfeit. So the ACAC was left with ignoring its own rules - never a good thing, awarding SAIT the title by default or ordering a replay. Every one of these options sucks, but I expect they felt the last was the best option.

FWIW, the Okotoks Dawgs were awarded the WMBL championship last season because Swift Current was using ineligible players as well.

[Resolute 14]

http://a3.twimg.com/profile_images/1227702283/withbaseball_normal.JPG
ianbusby57 (http://twitter.com/#%21/ianbusby57) Ian Busby



Mount Royal is protesting ruling by ACAC and there will be a hearing Thursday. Stay tuned on this bizarre story. #saittrojans (http://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23saittrojans)

[HotHotHeat]

SAIT should go out and play without hockey sticks.

[SeoulFire]

I am glad that SAIT did not initiate this. I hope that they show some class and forfeit the replay.

[JustAnotherGuy]

I am glad that SAIT did not initiate this. I hope that they show some class and forfeit the replay.

Based on the comments here I think SAIT is already showing some class.

[burn_this_city]

MRU has decided to forfeit.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Cougars+would+rather+forfeit+championship+than+fac e+rematch/4529530/story.html

[Prototype]

Next time, ice a legal roster. Doesn't matter that he didn't play, you could make the arguement that he could have, and would have if their starter was pulled/injured. He was dressed and would have played if called upon.

Rules are rules. I think it's classy that SAIT will play them again, rather than just take the trophy, which within the rules is their right.

Might be as stupid a rule as getting two minutes for putting the puck over the glass in your own end, but it's still a rule. You can't, as an organization, turn a blind eye to your own rules. Period.

[Knut]

^ How could they ice a legal roster ?

Their starting goalie got run over the game before by a SAIT player and was injured. There is no affliate they can call upon.... most likely the backup was a rec league goalie or something.

[Prototype]

After reading burn_this_city's link, I may change my tune, due to this quote:

MRU contacted former backup netminder Steve Houghton, who is currently taking night classes and working to finish his business degree. According to Glass, they confirmed it with the ACAC official on hand.

If MRU confirmed with with an ACAC official, and the official was wrong, that isn't MRU's fault, and shouldn't be stripped.

[Prototype]

^ How could they ice a legal roster ?

Their starting goalie got run over the game before by a SAIT player and was injured. There is no affliate they can call upon.... most likely the backup was a rec league goalie or something.

It would be bad management on the team's part if they did not carry, at the very least, a list of available goalies on campus that could play for them in such an event. Just because it rarely happens doesn't mean it doesn't happen. There should be a plan B. I get that they had 20 hours, but that's still a lot of time to track someone down, especially if they were prepaired.

But it sounds like they were cleared by an ACAC official to play the goalie they did. I hadn't seen that anywhere before my first post.

[united]

EDIT: Too slow. Oh well!

If this is true as MRU claims, then in their minds they thought they had iced a legal roster, only to find out post-game that they hadn't. It doesn't sound like they intentionally iced him and hoped to get away with it.

“We talked to a league official at the game and he told us, ‘Any Mount Royal student registered in any class is eligible on an emergency basis,’” Glass said. “We were given, what, 20 hours to find someone? We thought we found someone who met those requirements and they want to disqualify us because they think he’s ineligible now? Frustrating, to say the least.
“We felt we talked to the right people at the right time to make our decision.”

[Locke]

Wow, this is bizarre.

By making this a fiasco it really sours the victory for whoever it ends up with.

[Resolute 14]

MRU has decided to forfeit.

http://www.calgaryherald.com/sports/Cougars+would+rather+forfeit+championship+than+fac e+rematch/4529530/story.html

To be precise, they will forfeit if their appeal is not upheld. And yeah, if an ACAC official made a mistake, then their appeal should definitely be upheld.

[MelBridgeman]

rules are rules but if this was cleared by an ACAC official then no replay should happen and MRU should keep the title.

[transplant99]

rules are rules but if this was cleared by an ACAC official then no replay should be played and MRU should keep the title.


Yep I would have to agree.

Reminds me of a situation we had happen here one year. A player had been releasd from his club in Florida and was driving back towards Canada. He had decided to stop for a couple days and see some buddies that played for us. On a morning before a game during game day skate, one of our G's took a puck in a bad spot on the back of his leg. He was not going to be able to go, so we used one of the other guys in a backup role. That left a roster spot open up front, so we signed this guy to a one week deal and with the league office literally a block away I ran the contract down there and left it with the commissioners secretary as he was out of town.

Well he played that night and we won the game. The next day we released him which apparently caught the curiosity of the opposing teams coach and he phoned the office and asked if the contract had been filed, which it had not but through no fault of our own. the secretary simply forgot to do so the day he was signed. In the end it was determined we had no wrong doing in the fiasco and it was filed away as a clerical error and we kept the 2 points.

[SebC]

^ Who is "we"?

[OzSome]

^ Who is "we"?

Edmonton Oilers. :)

That is kind of suck be the game will have to replay. The question is, did MRU deliberately disobey the rule? If they did, then there shouldn't be any replay of the game and just automatically lose the game. If they didn't, then they should be able to keep the title. It is embarrassing on the league's part to try to please the two teams because it will never works.

[Trojan97]

This is ridiculous. Who the hell cares if MRU had Kipper on their bench, if he doesn't play it makes absolutely no difference.

So stupid.

[united]

mountroyal4u (http://twitter.com/#!/mountroyal4u)
#MRU (http://twitter.com/#!/search?q=%23MRU) are still the ACAC men's hockey champions! After a thorough review & discussion the ACAC tribunal has ruled in favour of our appeal.

Good to hear it all worked out.

[Resolute 14]

Definitely the right decision.

[Hockey]

This girl on my facebook is dating one of the players on MRU and she was so pissed off about this whole thing. She had many different status updates about it. I actually had no idea what she was talking about until I read Mackenzie's tweets about the whole thing.

[Resolute 14]

The funniest part of McKenzie's tweets was that he was strongly implying that SAIT registered a protest to cause this, and when SAIT told him they had nothing to do with it, his only response was "fair enough".

This from a guy who has a habit of going after people who don't quite have the facts right.

[Boblobla]

Hey Resolute, did you just get re-tweeted by McKenzie? That is big time :P

[Mazrim]

Resolute is now the most popular twitter user on CP!

[Resolute 14]

lol, yeah. I knew he'd be interested in the result. It's actually been retweeted about 20 times now. Who would have guessed the ACAC would generate any interest?

[Locke]

lol, yeah. I knew he'd be interested in the result. It's actually been retweeted about 20 times now. Who would have guessed the ACAC would generate any interest?

Controversy will do that.;)

[Sainters7]

This is so stupid. To the point where if I had read it for the first time today I'd have just written it off as an April Fools prank. No way they can re-play that game.