CALGARY – And…we're back.
After 364 days, 24 conference games and a pair of postseason contests, the Canada West football championship is back at McMahon Stadium, featuring the same two teams: the No. 4 University of Calgary Dinos take on the No. 6 UBC Thunderbirds Saturday in the 81st Hardy Cup.
Kickoff goes at 1 p.m. Saturday at McMahon Stadium, live on TELUS Optik TV (ch. 998) and CanadaWest.tv.
GAME NOTES (.pdf)
The winner plays host to the U SPORTS Mitchell Bowl, a national semifinal, next weekend against the champions of Quebec and moves just one step away from an appearance in the Vanier Cup. And there is no shortage of storylines heading into this one as the teams square off for the third year in a row. In 2015 it was UBC upsetting then-No. 1 Calgary en route to the Vanier Cup title, while last year the Dinos held on for a 46-43 win in an instant classic.
The Dinos are back in the game for the 10th straight year, an unprecedented run of success in Canada West history, led by newly-minted Canada West coach of the year
Wayne Harris.
"It's a process," explained Harris of the team's consistency over the last decade. "It starts with winter training and team building throughout the year…in season, it's a commitment to getting better every day and not being satisfied where you're at."
They finished the season 7-1 and won the lone head-to-head tilt with UBC, 31-17 back on Sept. 29 in Vancouver, and Harris knows the Thunderbirds will be a tough out, yet again.
"They have some great athletes on both sides of the football," he said. "(Michael) O'Connor is one of the best quarterbacks around, (Trivel) Pinto has blazing speed, and the rest of their receivers are very good as well. They have an unbelievable safety, and they present a lot of challenges from the (defensive) standpoint.
"Ultimately, it comes down to execution and discipline, eliminating the mistakes and the turnovers. Those are the kind of things that cost you football games, and at playoff time they become much more magnified and harder to overcome. We're going to need to be disciplined, secure the football, and make sure we're prepared to battle for a full 60 minutes."
HEADLINES
- For the first time ever, the same two teams compete for the CW title for the third consecutive year. This one's the rubber match, after UBC won in 2015 and the Dinos returned the favour last year
- It's the Dinos' 10th consecutive appearance in the Hardy Cup, dating back to 2008. In the previous nine contests, the Dinos are 7-2.
- It's the eighth straight year and the ninth time in 10 years that the Hardy Cup will be played at McMahon Stadium. All-time, the Dinos have hosted the game 15 times dating back to the game's debut in 1976
- The Dinos and T-Birds finished 1-2 in the regular season standings with Calgary at 7-1 and UBC at 6-2. Calgary won the lone head-to-head contest of the season 31-17 in Vancouver on Sept. 29
No. 4 CALGARY DINOS (8-1)
Last week: defeated Alberta 39-22
- The Dinos bounced back from their season-ending loss to Alberta to defeat the Golden Bears 39-22 in the conference semifinal last week
- Adam Sinagra completed 33 passes – tying a school record – for 457 yards in the contest, setting a new career high for yardage, earning U SPORTS national offensive player of the week honours
- Kicker Niko DiFonte accounted for 21 of the Dinos' 39 points, kicking six field goals (also tying a school record) in the contest. He was named the U SPORTS special teams player of the week
- The Dinos currently sit tied with Alberta for No. 2 on the all-time conference championship list with 16, two back of Saskatchewan's 18
No. 6 UBC THUNDERBIRDS (7-2)
Last week: defeated Regina 28-21
- Safety Stavros Katsantonis is the 2017 Canada West defensive MVP after finishing tied for the conference lead with four interceptions and three forced fumbles
- The Thunderbirds led the league with eight all-stars on the year, one ahead of the Dinos' seven
- UBC swept the last two weeks against Regina, including a 28-21 win in the conference semifinal last weekend as the T-Birds fended off a furious Rams comeback
- UBC has won the CW title 15 times in history, and Saturday will be their 20th appearance in the championship game first played in 1976
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