Thunder silences Rifles for road win

The Regina Thunder got back on track Sunday.

The Thunder, which was swept by the Saskatoon Hilltops in a home-and-home series in its previous two games, beat the Winnipeg Rifles 51-22 in PFC action at Investors Group Field.

Regina improved its second-place record to 4-2-0. But the Thunder remained four points back of the leagueleading Hilltops, who moved to 6-0-0 with a 49-17 triumph over the Edmonton Huskies.

“This was a super-important game for us,” Thunder head coach Scott MacAulay said from Winnipeg. “We want to have a home playoff game in the first round of the playoffs, so we’ve got to win out the rest of the season.

“As well, coming off two losses to the Hilltops, we want to build our momentum and make sure the guys are fully focused.”

After losing 35-17 in Saskatoon on Sept. 5, the Thunder carried the play for much of the rematch at Mosaic Stadium on Sept. 17. But a late touchdown gave the Hilltops a 26-25 win and sent Regina to its second straight loss.

“The way we played the Hilltops in our second game was the way we played today,” MacAulay said. “Our quarterback (Jaeden Marwick) was outstanding. He made some great reads and was able to deliver the ball exactly where it was supposed to be.”

Marwick completed 22 of 28 pass attempts for 346 yards on Sunday, with two touchdown tosses to Preston Bews and one to Colton Klassen. Backup Sawyer Buettner added a TD pass to Kasim Ocaya as Regina put up 436 yards passing.

Thomas Bresciani had 114 yards on two receptions, Bews caught nine passes for 99 yards and Klassen hauled in six passes for 88 yards out of the backfield.

Klassen, who entered the game as the PFC’s leading rusher with 641 yards on 73 carries, rushed for just 59 yards on 11 carries with one touchdown. Victor St. Pierre-Laviolette led the Thunder with 15 carries for 120 yards and a TD.

Menedum Menegbo had Regina’s other touchdown on a 74-yard interception return. Kris Calcutt added a field goal and six converts.

Macho Bockru, Ian Lee and Micheal Ritchott scored TDs for the Rifles (1-4-0), who got three converts and a single from Brad Mikoluff.

“At the beginning of the game, we came out a little bit too slow and we weren’t overly happy with the guys,” MacAulay said. “We were down 8-0 and, at that point, you could really see the guys who are leaders on the team take over with the confidence they had.

“That ended up being the most important thing I got out of the game: The amount of confidence and leadership we got from our veteran players.”

The Thunder has a bye next weekend before visiting the third-place Calgary Colts on Oct. 4.

MacAulay’s squad has a few injuries, so he hopes the time off will allow his troops to heal up in preparation for the clash in Calgary.

“That’s a big-time, championship-calibre type of game,” he said. “That’s for a home playoff game.

“Whoever wins that game is going to finish in second place — and a home playoff game means a lot to everybody involved.”