The Alberta Golden Bears poses for a photo with the the University Cup trophy after they defeat the Saskatchewan Huskies in the CIS University Cup hockey final in Saskatoon on Sunday, March 23 2014. The Golden Bears defeat the Huskies 3-1.Liam Richards/The Canadian Press
Four Canadian university championships will have new looks next season.
The national championship in both men's and women's hockey will be expanded from six to eight teams, Canadian Interuniversity Sport announced Thursday. Both tournaments will also move from a pool-play format to a single-elimination competition.
A bronze-medal match will be played in men's hockey — there always has been one on the women's side. Only the women's championship will have a consolation round, with semi-finals and a fifth-place game.
Halifax will host the 2015 and 2016 University Cup tournaments, while Calgary will be the site of the 2015 women's championship. The site of the 2016 women's event is still to be announced.
In basketball, both CIS championships will be extended from three to four days. The tournaments will still be eight-team, single-elimination events.
The 2015 Final Eight tournaments will be hosted by Laval University in Quebec City for women and Toronto's Ryerson University for men.