CBU Night at the Nest: Meet the Eagles Players Who Attend CBU

On Friday, November 24, CBU will be taking over the nest as the Cape Breton Eagles face off against the Halifax Mooseheads. CBU students, employees and Alumni will  fill Centre 200 with orange in a show of support for our local Cape Breton Eagles. 

As important as the Eagles’ performance is on the ice, their education is taken just as seriously. The QMJHL has always reaffirmed education as a strong core value for the league throughout its more than 50-year history. The Eagles hold that value in high regard, as they have continued to encourage each of their players to further their education alongside their athletic careers.

This year, Cape Breton University is proud to have eight Cape Breton Eagles players enrolled as students. Olivier Houde, Xavier Daigle, Brayden Schmitt, Angelo Fullerton, Luke Patterson, Jude Campbell, Conor Shortall and Zach Biggar have all become naturals at finding the balance between the classroom and the arena. 

On top of the thrilling on-ice action, Night at the Nest will feature live music, activities, on-ice presentations and much more. Attendees will have a chance to win an orange game-worn jersey with 100 per cent of proceeds supporting the Canada Games Complex at CBU. There will also be a pre-game party hosted by CBU Alumni in the Main Concourse at 6:00pm.

Luke Patterson, a forward originally from Moncton, N.B., is taking a variety of courses at CBU to work toward an eventual business degree. He feels that having the roaring CBU crowd will give the team an edge over their Nova Scotian rivals, the Mooseheads. “They’re our biggest rival, we want to beat them more than anyone else, so it’s going to be a great game,” says Luke.“Being at home with a packed crowd would definitely give us an edge and mean a lot to us players.”

Third-year CBU student and second-year Eagles player, Zach Biggar, says when the arena is packed it’s a dream come true. “It’s always a blast playing in front of a packed rink full of fans, especially at home,” says Zach “Some of us experienced it last season against the Mooseheads in our NYE games and in the playoffs. It’s really what you dream of when you’re growing up and getting to experience it is hard to put into words.”

Meet the student-athletes of the Cape Breton Eagles

Olivier Houde

Number: 22

Position: Foward

Hometown: Dosquet, Quebec

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: Taking advantage of long bus drives to study.

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: Having the chance to play my favourite sport while studying something I like. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would mean a lot to have the support of everybody so we can show that we have one of the best fan-bases in the league. 

 

Xavier Daigle

Number: 17

Position: Defence

Hometown: Quebec City, Quebec

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: Communicating a lot with instructors to find out what I’m missing in class when we’re on the road. Also do work in advance so I’m never late on major projects. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: I like how the teachers help us with their own busy schedules so we can maintain our good grades and stay up-to-date. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would be amazing to see Centre 200 packed for a game against the Mooseheads. It’s always nice when fans are involved in the game. 

Brayden Schmitt

Number: 84

Position: Defence

Hometown: Truro, Nova Scotia

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: Good communication with professors so they know when we’re away and can help by letting us know what we’ll be missing. Study on our own or while we’re on the road. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: I enjoy attending classes and being able to communicate with other students. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would be awesome if we could get the rink packed for CBU Night at the Nest, it should be a great show against a huge rival. 

 

Angelo Fullerton

Number: 81

Position: Forward

Hometown: Saint John, New Brunswick

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: Having great communication with professors and make sure I stay on top of my studies. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: Getting to attend in-person classes. I think I would struggle if I wasn’t able to be there in person. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would really show the great relationship we have with CBU and how well this community gets along and supports each other. 

 

Luke Patterson

Number: 10

Position: Forward

Hometown: Moncton, New Brunswick

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: It takes a lot of communication with professors and advisors. We’re on the road so much, it’s important to stay on top of things. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: Being able to go to school in person and not have to do it online. It makes life a lot easier. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: The Mooseheads are our biggest rivals, we want to beat them more than anyone else and it’s going to be a great game. Being at home, a packed crowd would definitely give us an edge and mean a lot to the players. 

 

Jude Campbell

Number: 23

Position: Forward

Hometown: Fort Agustus, PEI

Area of Study: Business

How I balance school and hockey: It takes a certain amount of commitment to balance everything. Trying to get good marks in school while playing a 68-game schedule is not easy for anyone but the team does a very good job of making sure we’re equipped for success by having lots of time for school. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: It helps to get our minds off of hockey for a few hours and focus on school. Sometimes it’s nice to just disconnect and get that university experience. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would be amazing to get a full crowd against the Mooseheads, we always play better when there is a good crowd in the building. We know we have to play well to get fans in attendance and show them what Eagles hockey is all about. 

 

Conor Shortall

Number: 77

Position: Defence

Hometown: St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador 

Area of Study: Business/Kinesiology

How I balance school and hockey: When we are home we have weekly meetings with our academic advisors, Gary MacLean and Ryan MacPherson. They always ask if there’s anything we need help with and make sure we’re keeping up with our studies. When we’re on the road we designate a certain time to spend on schoolwork. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: It’s great to see how supportive the whole community is of hockey. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It would mean so much to me. When the fans are there the whole atmosphere of the rink is great; it helps us as players. It makes the experience for everyone so much better. 

 

Zach Biggar

Number: 21

Position: Defence

Hometown: Tyne Valley, PEI

How I balance school and hockey: I try to get as much work done as possible when I’m on the bus. Staying in contact and respecting your professors goes a long way in helping too. 

What I enjoy most about attending CBU: It’s nice just being able to go to the campus and feel like a regular student. It’s something I haven’t been able to experience since grade 11. 

What it would mean to see Night at the Nest full: It’s always a blast playing in front of a packed rink full of fans, especially at home. Some of us experienced it last season against the Mooseheads in our NYE games and in the playoffs. It’s really what you dream of when you’re growing up, and getting to experience it is hard to put into words.