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Mount Royal Cougars men's ice hockey

The Mount Royal Cougars men's ice hockey team is an ice hockey team representing the Mount Royal Cougars athletics program of Mount Royal University. The team is a member of the Canada West Universities Athletic Association conference and compete in U Sports. The Cougars play their home games at the Flames Community Arena in Calgary, Alberta.[1]

Mount Royal Cougars men's ice hockey
UniversityMount Royal University
ConferenceCanada West
First season1964–65
Head coachBert Gilling
Since 2014–15 season
Assistant coachesDrake Brown
Tyler Fiddler
Grant Slessor
ArenaFlames Community Arena
Calgary, Alberta
ColorsBlue, Silver, and White
     
Conference Tournament championships
1973, 1974, 1988, 1993, 1995, 1998, 1999, 2001, 2006, 2011
Conference regular season championships
1966, 1969, 1970, 1972, 1973, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 2001, 2012

History

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While operating as 'Mount Royal Junior College' in the 1950s, a team from the school competed in the Calgary Junior B Hockey League. Records from this time are spotty at best, however, in 1954 the Cougars won the league championship, eventually losing in the Alberta-British Columbia Junior B Championship to the Trail Smoke Eaters. The team disappears from league records after 1957. It's unclear whether or not the junior team was officially sanctioned by the school or if they were simply allowed to wear school colors.

In 1964, the Western Inter-College Conference (WICC) was formed for small schools in Western Canada who were looking for a way to field ice hockey teams. Mount Royal jumped at the chance, icing a varsity team for the inaugural year. Mount Royal won two league championships in the first five years, however, the school wasn't satisfied with their situation. In 1969, the Cougars left the WICC for the Highwood Hockey League. After winning the league title, they were again on the move and joined the Alberta Junior Hockey League (AJHL) in 1970. After getting knocked out in the semifinals, the Cougars won the regular season championship in 1972 but were ruled ineligible for the postseason as the team possessed overage players who did not qualify for the junior level. Instead, the team participated in the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) postseason, the successor to the WICC. By winning the championship, the Cougars went on to the inaugural 4-West Championship, a tournament offered for the provincial college champions of Alberta, British Columbia, Manitoba and Saskatchewan. Mount Royal won the first three championships.

Since they were no longer eligible for the AJHL postseason, now Mount Royal College returned to the ACAC in 1972 and won back-to-back league titles. The team then suffered a severe decline and went winless for two seasons at the end of the decade. The terrible results caused the school to suspend the program for two years but the Cougars again failed to win a single game upon their return. By 1983, however, the team was on the road to recovery and Mount Royal rebuilt its program into a champion by the late-80s. Mount Royal won its first intermediate national championship in 1988 and then captured three over the span of four years around the turn of the century. Unfortunately, their final title in 2001 was the last intermediate championship held. Afterwards, the program was only able to win conference titles, which they did in both 2006 and 2011.

In 2012, by then known as 'Mount Royal University', the school transitioned to the senior level of college hockey and joined Canada West.[2] It didn't take long for the team to grow accustomed to the higher level and they posted their first winning season in 2015. The Cougars were also able to advance in the postseason for the first time that year, however, that was where the program plateaued. As of 2024, Mount Royal had reached the conference semifinals seven times but has yet to make a championship round appearance. Additionally, they have finished as high as 3rd in the standing four times but never as one of the top two seeds.[3]

Season-by-season results

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An exhibition game between the Mount Royal and Air Force in 2016

Junior and intermediate hockey

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports Semifinalist Conference regular season champions Conference Division Champions Conference Playoff Champions
Season Conference Regular Season Conference Tournament Results National Tournament Results
Conference Overall
GP W L T OTL SOL Pts* Finish GP W L T %
1951–52 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1952–53 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1953–54 AJBHL ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Won Championship series, 3–1 (Drumheller Miners) Lost Alberta-British Columbia Junior B Championship series, 0–2 (Trail Smoke Eaters)
1954–55 AJBHL ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Won Championship, 16–0 (Killarney)
1955–56 ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1956–57 CJBHL 34 16 13 5 – – 40 4th ? ? ? ? ? Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Calgary Tuxedo)
Won Championship series, 3–2 (Calgary West Hillhurst)
Program Suspended
1964–65 WICC ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? Only exhibition games played
1965–66 WICC ? ? ? ? ? ? ? 1st ? ? ? ? ?
1966–67 WICC ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ? ?
1967–68 WICC 12 8 4 0 – – 16 2nd 12 8 4 0 .667
1968–69 WICC 19 17 2 0 – – 34 1st 19 17 2 0 .895
School became 'Mount Royal College'
1969–70 HHL 20 14 5 1 – – .725 1st 20 14 5 1 .725
1970–71 AJHL 50 25 18 7 – – 57 3rd 55 26 22 7 .536 Lost Semifinal series, 1–4 (Red Deer Rustlers)
1971–72 AJHL 50 35 13 0 – – 70 1st 55 26 22 7 .536 Won Alberta Provincial Championship, ? (NAIT) Won 4-West Semifinal, 12–4 (Cariboo)
Won 4-West Championship, 3–2 (Red River)
1972–73 ACAC 24 21 3 0 – – 42 1st 30 27 3 0 .900 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (NAIT)
Won Championship series, 2–0 (Red Deer) 		Won 4-West Semifinal, 4–3 (Kelsey)
Won 4-West Championship, 7–5 (Red River)
1973–74 ACAC 24 18 6 0 – – 36 2nd 30 24 6 0 .800 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (SAIT)
Won Championship series, 2–0 (Red Deer) 		Won 4-West Semifinal, 4–2 (Cariboo)
Won 4-West Championship, 5–3 (Red River)
1974–75 ACAC 24 19 4 1 – – 39 3rd 26 19 6 1 .750 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Red Deer)
1975–76 ACAC 25 16 9 0 – – 32 3rd 27 16 11 0 .593 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (NAIT)
1976–77 ACAC 24 18 5 1 – – 37 2nd 29 21 7 1 .741 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (NAIT)
Lost Championship series, 1–2 (Red Deer)
1977–78 ACAC 24 6 17 1 – – 13 5th 24 6 17 1 .271
1978–79 ACAC 24 0 24 0 – – 0 5th 24 0 24 0 .000
1979–80 ACAC 24 0 24 0 – – 0 5th 24 0 24 0 .000
Program Suspended
1982–83 ACAC 24 0 24 0 – – 0 5th 24 0 24 0 .000
1983–84 ACAC 25 12 13 0 – – 24 4th 27 12 15 0 .444 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (NAIT)
1984–85 ACAC 25 6 19 0 – – 12 5th 25 6 19 0 .240
1985–86 ACAC 25 17 8 0 – – 34 2nd 30 19 11 0 .633 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Camrose Lutheran)
Lost Championship series, 0–3 (NAIT)
1986–87 ACAC 25 12 11 2 – – 26 4th 28 13 13 2 .500 Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (NAIT)
1987–88 ACAC 24 14 8 2 – – 46 2nd 34 23 9 2 .706 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Camrose Lutheran)
Won Championship series, 3–1 (Red Deer) 		Won Pool A Round-robin, 11–4 (Cariboo), 10–9 (Collège Français)
Won Semifinal, 5–3 (Humber)
Won Championship, 7–6 (2OT) (Collège Français)
1988–89 ACAC 24 10 11 3 – – 23 3rd 26 10 13 3 .442 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (NAIT)
1989–90 ACAC 24 12 11 1 – – 25 2nd 26 12 13 1 .481 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Red Deer)
1990–91 ACAC 25 16 9 0 – – 32 3rd 27 16 11 0 .593 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (NAIT)
1991–92 ACAC 25 13 11 1 – – 27 4th 28 13 14 1 .482 Lost Semifinal series, 0–3 (NAIT)
1992–93 ACAC 24 18 5 1 – – 37 1st 30 24 5 1 .817 Won Semifinal series, 3–0 (Augustana)
Won Championship series, 3–0 (Red Deer)
1993–94 ACAC 22 17 5 0 – – 34 1st 30 22 8 0 .733 Won Semifinal series, 3–0 (Augustana)
Lost Championship series, 2–3 (Red Deer)
1994–95 ACAC 25 17 6 2 – – 36 1st 30 21 7 2 .733 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Red Deer)
Won Championship series, 2–1 (NAIT)
1995–96 ACAC 22 17 5 0 – – 34 1st 32 22 10 0 .688 Won Semifinal series, 3–2 (Red Deer)
Lost Championship series, 2–3 (NAIT)
1996–97 ACAC 22 16 6 0 – – 32 1st 26 17 9 0 .654 Lost Semifinal series, 1–3 (NAIT)
1997–98 ACAC 24 19 3 2 – – 40 1st 32 26 4 2 .844 Won Semifinal series, 2–1 (Red Deer)
Won Championship series, 2–0 (SAIT) 		Won Round-robin, 9–1 (Cambrian), 9–3 (Seneca)
Won Championship, 4–3 (Cambrian)
1998–99 ACAC 28 18 10 0 – – 36 3rd 41 28 13 0 .683 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Augustana)
Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (SAIT)
Won Championship series, 3–2 (Red Deer) 		Won Round-robin, 12–4 (Cambrian), 6–2 (Conestoga)
Won Championship, 6–0 (Conestoga)
1999–00 ACAC 28 20 7 1 – – 41 2nd 30 20 9 1 .683 Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (NAIT)
2000–01 ACAC 28 22 5 1 – – 45 1st 36 30 5 1 .847 Won Semifinal series, 2–0 (Red Deer)
Won Championship series, 3–0 (NAIT) 		Won Round-robin, 12–1 (Sault), 14–1 (Conestoga)
Won Championship, 16–1 (Conestoga)
2001–02 ACAC 28 14 8 4 2 – 34 4th 31 15 12 4 .548 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Augustana)
2002–03 ACAC 28 14 9 1 4 – 33 5th 30 14 15 1 .483 Lost Quarterfinal series, 0–2 (Concordia)
2003–04 ACAC 28 10 14 2 2 – 24 6th 31 10 19 2 .355 Lost Quarterfinal series, 0–3 (MacEwan)
2004–05 ACAC 24 14 8 0 2 – 30 4th 32 18 14 0 .563 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Alberta Augustana)
Lost Semifinal series, 2–3 (SAIT)
2005–06 ACAC 24 13 9 0 2 – 28 2nd 34 19 15 0 .559 Won Semifinal series, 3–2 (Alberta Augustana)
Won Championship series, 3–2 (SAIT)
2006–07 ACAC 24 17 6 1 0 – 35 2nd 28 18 9 1 .661 Lost Semifinal series, 1–3 (NAIT)
2007–08 ACAC 24 13 8 0 3 – 29 4th 29 15 14 0 .517 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (NAIT)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–3 (SAIT)
2008–09 ACAC 28 20 8 0 0 – 40 3rd 40 27 13 0 .675 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Briercrest)
Won Semifinal series, 3–1 (NAIT)
Lost Championship series, 2–3 (SAIT)
School became 'Mount Royal University'
2009–10 ACAC 28 21 5 2 0 – 32 2nd 31 21 8 2 .710 Lost Semifinal series, 0–3 (Concordia)
2010–11 ACAC 28 20 8 0 0 – 40 3rd 40 28 12 0 .700 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Briercrest)
Won Semifinal series, 3–1 (NAIT)
Won Championship series, 3–2 (SAIT)
2011–12 ACAC 28 22 2 3 1 – 48 1st 33 24 6 3 .773 Lost Semifinal series, 2–3 (NAIT)
Totals GP W L T/SOL % Championships
Regular Season ? ? ? ? ? 2 WICC Championships, 1 HHL Championship, 1 AJHL Championship, 9 ACAC Championships
Conference Post-season ? ? ? ? ? 2 AJBHL Championships, 1 CJBHL Championship, 10 ACAC Championships
Regular Season and Postseason Record ? ? ? ? ? 3 4-West Championships, 4 CCAA Championships

Senior hockey

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Note: GP = Games played, W = Wins, L = Losses, T = Ties, OTL = Overtime Losses, SOL = Shootout Losses, Pts = Points

U Sports Champion U Sports Semifinalist Conference regular season champions Conference Division Champions Conference Playoff Champions
Season Conference Regular Season Conference Tournament Results National Tournament Results
Conference Overall
GP W L T OTL SOL Pts* Finish GP W L T %
2012–13 Canada West 28 7 19 – 2 0 16 7th 28 7 21 0 .250
2013–14 Canada West 28 11 14 – 3 0 25 5th 31 12 19 0 .387 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Manitoba)
2014–15 Canada West 28 17 10 – 0 1 35 3rd 34 20 13 1 .603 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–1 (Saskatchewan)
Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (Calgary)
2015–16 Canada West 28 17 8 – 3 0 37 3rd 32 19 13 0 .594 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (British Columbia)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Alberta)
2016–17 Canada West 28 15 11 – 2 0 32 4th 32 17 15 0 .531 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Manitoba)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Saskatchewan)
2017–18 Canada West 28 12 14 – 1 1 26 6th 32 14 17 1 .453 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Manitoba)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Alberta)
2018–19 Canada West 28 12 11 – 5 0 29 5th 32 14 18 0 .438 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (British Columbia)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Alberta)
2019–20 Canada West 28 18 8 – 0 2 38 4th 31 19 10 2 .645 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (British Columbia)
2020–21 Season cancelled due to COVID-19 pandemic
2021–22 Canada West 20 13 6 – 1 0 27 3rd 25 16 9 0 .640 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (Regina)
Lost Semifinal series, 1–2 (British Columbia)
2022–23 Canada West 28 19 5 – 4 0 42 4th 31 20 11 0 .645 Lost Quarterfinal series, 1–2 (Saskatchewan)
2023–24 Canada West 28 21 6 – 0 1 43 3rd 32 23 8 1 .734 Won Quarterfinal series, 2–0 (MacEwan)
Lost Semifinal series, 0–2 (Calgary)
Totals GP W L T/SOL % Championships
Regular Season 300 162 133 5 .548
Conference Post-season 40 19 21 0 .475
U Sports Postseason 0 0 0 0 –
Regular Season and Postseason Record 340 181 154 5 .540

Note: Games not counted towards University Cup appearances are not included.[3]

See also

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Mount Royal Cougars women's ice hockey

References

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  1. ^ "Flames Community Arenas". GEC Architecture. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  2. ^ "History of Canada West". Canada West. Retrieved October 30, 2024.
  3. ^ a b "Canada West Men's Hockey History". Canada West. Retrieved October 24, 2024.
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