EDMONTON – Protected from the elements, six teams from Canada West hit the field running for Day 1 of action on Saturday inside the Dome at Foote Field for the first of three Canada West Rugby 7s tournaments.

The two-time reigning Canada West Rugby 7s Champion UBC Thunderbirds sit comfortably atop the standings going 3-0. At the same time, the Trinity Western Spartans, Victoria Vikes and Alberta Pandas found themselves in a three-way tie for second with matching 2-1 records.

Leading their way to success for the Thunderbirds was a line-up enriched with skill as eight players inked their names on the scoresheet, seven of whom scored tries in their 41-5 win over the Calgary Dinos in round two. Second-year T-Bird Adia Pye took charge with five total tries in the afternoon to lead all players while teammates Skye Farish and Kiki Idowu each added four on the day.

Highlighting Day 1 of action was the TWU Spartans upsetting the Victoria Vikes, taking down the typical rugby powerhouse in a 12-5 victory thanks to consistent defence, limited mistakes and a blistering fast second-half effort by veteran Danika Dool for the game-winning try.

In an exciting end to the day, the Vikes were pressed by the Dinos as Bomi Lawal found the endzone with two unanswered tries to put the Dinos ahead early in the second half. Makayla Joseph followed suit to increase the Dinos lead. However, not going down easy, Kira Peary secured her third try of the afternoon for the Vikes to close the gap before teammate Remee Brown completed the late comeback with 39 seconds remaining on the clock to avoid a second upset loss.

Keeping the crowd on the edge of their seats, the Vikes, Spartans and Pandas will have their work cut out for them on Day 2 as they chase the Thunderbirds. The Pandas and Spartans will spar in the final round of action on Sunday, while the Vikes will take on their West Coast rivals, the Thunderbirds, to close out the tournament.

All teams will cap off group play tomorrow, with Dinos and Spartans opening Day 2 of excitement at 10:00 a.m. MT with the final round of action beginning at 12:38 p.m. MST.

RUGBY 7s STANDINGS

	TEAM	W	L	POINTS
1	UBC	3	0	12
2	Victoria	2	1	9
3	Alberta	2	1	9
4	Trinity Western	2	1	9
5	Calgary	0	3	3
6	Lethbridge	0	3	3

* Win - 4 Points / Draw - 2 Points / Loss - 1 Point / No Show - 0 points

ROUND 1
Game 3: Alberta Pandas (26) vs Calgary Dinos (0)

SCORING SUMMARY
            1    2    T
ALB    21    5    26
CGY    0    0    0

First Half
ALB try - #12 Kate Alcock (#12 Kate Alcock convert) 7-0 ALB
ALB try - #9 Stephanie Hovdestad (#12 Kate Alcock convert) 14-0 ALB
ALB try - #20 Helena Linklater (#12 Kate Alcock convert) 21-0 ALB

Second Half
ALB try - #24 Emilee Randolph (convert missed) 26-0 ALB
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ROUND 2
Game 5: UBC Thunderbirds (41) vs Calgary Dinos (5)

SCORING SUMMARY
            1    2    T
UBC    17    25    41
CGY    5    0    5

First Half
CGY try - #14 Bomi Lawal (convert missed) 5-0 CGY
UBC try - #10 Tia Jordo (#7 Skye Farish convert) 7-5 UBC
UBC try - #1 Kiki Idowu (convert missed) 12-5 UBC
UBC try - #15 Shalaya Valenzuela (convert missed) 17-5 UBC

Second Half
UBC try - #11 Adia Pye (#7 Skye Farish convert) 24-5 UBC
UBC try - #7 Skye Farish convert (convert missed) 29-5 UBC
UBC try - #14 Brooke Roddham (convert missed) 34-5 UBC
UBC try - #6 Mya Koleba (#12 Lana Dueck convert) 41-5 UBC
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ROUND 3
Game 9: Victoria Vikes (19) vs Calgary Dinos (15)

SCORING SUMMARY
            1    2    T
VIC    7    12    19
CGY    5    10    15

First Half
VIC try - #12 Gwynnie Fry (#13 Elle Douglas convert) 7-0 VIC
CGY try - #14 Bomi Lawal (convert missed) 7-5 VIC

Second Half
CGY try - #14 Bomi Lawal (convert missed) 10-7 CGY
CGY try - #13 Makayla Joseph (convert missed) 15-7 CGY
VIC try - #4 Kira Peary (#6 Vanessa Chiapetta convert) 15-14 CGY
VIC try - #14 Remee Brown (convert missed) 19-14 VIC

-UC-