Courtesy Glenn MacDonald, The Chronicle Herald
Jason Bast admits it took a while to find his comfort zone in the Atlantic university hockey league.
But once the St. Francis Xavier freshman forward found his footing, he’s been lights out.
The speedy centre from Moose Jaw, Sask., collected a respectable 17 points, but only one goal, through his first 20 games with the X-Men while adjusting to university life on the other side of the country.
But down the stretch, Bast started to hit his stride.
He scored two goals and 10 points in St. F.X.’s final eight regular-season games and then led all AUHC playoff scorers with six goals and 17 points as the X-Men went to overtime in Game 5 of the conference championship final.
"This league was nothing like I expected. It was a huge adjustment; it really caught me off guard," Bast recalled as his team was en route Tuesday night to Fredericton for the CIS University Cup championship.
"It took a couple months. It was around Christmas time that I finally got used to the routine of living on my own, school, everything. By the new year, I was more comfortable and I could focus more on hockey.
"I just wanted to come in and work hard every night and try to help the team win. Luckily I got quite a few bounces here and there and it certainly helped the team out."
His scoring exploits led Bast to both CIS and AUS rookie of the year honours. He was named the nation’s top freshman on Wednesday. Bast appeared in all 28 regular-season games for the X-Men and finished fourth in team scoring with three goals and 27 points.
In the post-season, Bast has scored some timely goals, including two game-winners. During the AUS quarter-finals, he netted the series winner with 10 seconds left in the third period to knock out the Dalhousie Tigers.
In an exhilarating semifinal matchup against the defending CIS champion Saint Mary’s Huskies, Bast collected four goals and nine points during the five-game series. His highlight-reel breakaway goal in the fifth and deciding game paved way for St. F.X.’s thrilling double-overtime victory.
Bast added another four points against UNB in the best-of-five league final which also went the distance. The Varsity Reds won the Game 5 rubber match in overtime.
Despite losing the AUS banner, the X-Men still advanced to the University Cup, their first appearance at nationals after a three-year absence. They enter as a wild-card selection and are ranked fifth in the six-team tournament.
St. F.X., which won its only CIS title in 2004, has been placed in a pool with No. 2 McGill and third-seeded Alberta and will face the Martlets in the tournament opener this afternoon at 2 p.m. The winner will enjoy a day of rest before facing the Golden Bears on Saturday. The loser will play Alberta on Friday afternoon.
"Everyone’s pretty excited. This is what we’ve been working for all year," said the five-foot-10 Bast, a former captain of the WHL’s Moose Jaw Warriors.
"The AUS final was a pretty tough one to swallow. But everyone is looking ahead now. We didn’t get the result we wanted but hopefully it’ll be a spark for us. But our focus right now is on McGill and nothing else. These are the six best teams in the country and anything can happen in any game."
Notes: The X-Men faced the Redmen earlier in the season at the fifth annual Keating Cup exhibition series during the Christmas break in Antigonish. The two-game set was knocked down to a one-game showdown on Dec. 29 because of inclement weather. St. F.X. edged McGill 6-5 in overtime on Bryce Swan’s hat trick goal. … The University Cup gold medal game Sunday night will be carried live on Rogers Sportsnet at 8 p.m..