Bishop’s heads to RSEQ rugby finals
It was a playoff weekend for the Gaiters as both the men’s rugby and lacrosse teams traveled to Montreal to face the Mcgill Redmen in semifinals action.
The men’s rugby team returned victorious and defeated #2 Mcgill in a nail biting 19-17 game on Nov. 3 at the Percival Molson Stadium. Bishop’s controlled possession for most of the first half, as captain Carter Filion scored the first try in the 19th minute. A Josh Bray conversion gave the Gaiters a 7-0 lead. Rookie Jack Oatway gave his team a 14-0 lead with a try as Bray converted once again. Mcgill scored in the last play of the first half but was unable to convert. Ewan Lawton scored the deciding try in the 65th minute. Although the Redmen scored two quick tries in the second half, their kicker was unable to convert on one occasion, leaving them trailing behind by two points. Bishop’s held the Redmen off until the very last minute, giving them the 19-17 win and a ride to the Quebec Final. The Gaiters will be heading to the RSEQ Final against Concordia on Nov. 10 at 2 p.m. in Montreal. It is the first time since 2009 that Bishop’s will be playing in the championship. A win against Concordia would signify their first title since 2003 and a ticket to British Columbia for the 2018 national championships on Nov. 21-25.
The Bishop’s lacrosse team did not meet the same success as their rugby counterparts, as they lost 10-3 against the Mcgill Redmen on Nov. 3. Leading 30 in the first half, Mcgill opened a scoring fest in the second half of the game, scoring 7 times. Despite a 27-minute delay due to a fire alarm with 17:33 remaining to the fourth quarter at the Percival Molson stadium, Bishop’s was unable to hold off the Redmen. Xavier Perron scored two goals as Joel Wright was only able to put one in. The loss marked the end of the Gaiters’ season while Mcgill will be traveling to the University of Toronto for the Baggataway Cup. Coach Rob Engelken explained that the offense was not able to execute, while the defense did a solid job for three quarters of the game.
The men’s and women’s basketball teams traveled south of the border to play Bentley University and St. Anselm College on Thursday and Friday, Nov. 1 and 2. According to the men’s coach Rod Gilpin, “these are two perennial powerhouses in the Northeast 10. They both have legendary coaches.” The men’s lost 98-53 against Bentley and 95-63 against S. Anselm, while the women’s lost 61-37 against Bentley and 78-47 against St. Anselm. The Gaiters will start off their regular season on Saturday, Nov 10, at 6 p.m. for the women’s and 8 p.m. for the men’s in Mitchell Gym against the UQAM Citadins.
Credit: Derek Drummond Cutline: The men’s rugby team beat Mcgill in semifinals, their first post-season win against the Redmen since 2003. The Gaiters will be heading to the provincial championships next weekend against #1 Concordia.