September 1, 2018
Thirty seasons ago, the eventual CCAA champions were making their debut at the event after winning their first conference championship since 1974.
After placing second in the regular season with a record of 14 wins, eight losses and two ties, the Mount Royal College Cougars from Calgary, Alberta faced the Camrose Lutheran College Vikings in one best of three semi final. Kevin Pastachak, Terry Ronyk and Jim Gunn each tallied twice as the Cougs outscored the Vikings 11-3 in game one. Mike Cormack netted his third of the game at 3:18 of the second overtime to end the series as MRC won 9-8.
In the ACAC best of five final series, the Red Deer College Kings advanced after ending NAIT's run of conference championships at four with a series sweep. The Cougars gained the early advantage with a 3-1 triumph over the Kings. Carey Coroy paced Mount Royal with two goals. Matt Kabayama, Doug Barber and Carey Coroy found the mark in game two as Cougars skated to a 3-1 win. The Kings scored five goals in the first nine minutes of game three en route to a 6-3 victory. Mount Royal concluded the affair as Dave MacDonald netted four goals in a 6-4 victory.
At the CCAA National Championships in Montreal, Kevin Pastachak completed the hat trick as the Cougars outscored the Cariboo College Chiefs 11-4 in the tournament opener. Then, Matt Kabayama's three goals and Dave Svercek's two goals helped MRC to a 10-9 victory over Ecole Francais of Montreal. Following a 5-3 victory over the Humber College Hawks, the Cougars met Ecole Francais for the CCAA championship. Darren Moran stopped 48 shots and Mike Cormack scored 11 minutes into the second overtime to give MRC a 7-6 victory and their first CCAA championship.
The Cougars were the fifth and final team to win a national title in their first appearance at the CCAA Hockey National Championships following in the footsteps of the Camrose Lutheran College Vikings, the Red Deer College Kings, the NAIT Ooks and the Les Lauréats du Cégep de Saint-Hyacinthe.