By Mia Ines

The No. 4 seeded Windsor Lancer men's hockey team has traveled to Charlottetown, PEI for the 2023 U SPORTS national championships this week.
 
In the quarter-finals, the Lancers will face the No. 5 seed Alberta Golden Bears, who enter the tournament as the Canada West finalists. As this will be the first time the two squads will have met since the 1998 championships, both teams are in for an exciting game as they battle for the Cavendish Farms University Cup.
 
Looking to capture their very first University Cup in their fifth appearance at the championships, while also coming off a heartbreaking triple overtime loss in the Queen's Cup, the blue and gold come into the game hungrier than ever.
 
The Golden Bears will make their 17th national championship tournament appearance, and first since 2018, following an impressive overall record of 23-11.
 
Head coach Kevin Hamlin states, "U of A is one of the most storied hockey programs in Canada. It's a thrill for our guys to compete against them."
 
Windsor has proven to be a solid unit both offensively and defensively. On offense, the Lancers are very deep and will be led by several tremendous scorers, including OUA all-star Anthony Stefano, captain Mason Kohn, and Brady Pataki, while the blue and gold will rely on the continued outstanding play of U SPORTS goaltender of the year Nathan Torchia. 
 
Windsor doesn't play until Day 2 of the tournament, and are anxious to get on the ice. "The waiting around is a killer but we are trying to take advantage of this time to prepare properly," said Hamlin. "We didn't travel across the country to exchange school flags. We are here to compete at the highest level."
 
"I'm just very pleased for our group," says Hamlin with enthusiasm. "We have an opportunity to compete at the highest possible level at a time where most other schools are done for the year, so I'm very proud of what our guys have done and I truly believe our journey isn't over!"
 
Windsor begins their U SPORT journey on Friday, March 17th at 12:00 pm AST (11:00 am EST). The game can be seen live on CBC Sports: https://usports.ca/en/about/broadcast