SASKATOON, Sask. — In the third consecutive postseason meeting between provincial rivals the Regina Rams prevailed, riding a lopsided first half performance to a 39-27 Hardy Cup Semifinal win over the Saskatchewan Huskies. The victory will see the Rams take on the UBC Thunderbirds in the 89th Hardy Cup.
The loss marks just the second the Huskies have suffered on home turf with the only other coming two years ago in the Hardy Cup, to the Rams.
"It's a hard place to win," said Regina Head Coach Mark McConkey. "At their home games, I read before the game, they were 15 and one at home in the last three years, and we were the only other team to beat them and now they're 15 and two and it took everyone. It wasn't pretty but we got it done and again, that's all that matters."
In typical fashion, the contest featured several momentum shifting plays and dominant runs from both teams.
It began with the visitors.
After Saskatchewan opened the scoring with a 34-yard field goal and the Rams answered with two of their own to see the first frame come to a close 6-3, the Rams took over.
Regina opened the frame with an Owen Sieben touchdown pass to Nicholas Sirleaf which was set up by a Max Polichuk interception of
Anton Amundrud five plays earlier.
After the Rams defence forced a Huskie punt, it took three plays for the visitors to get back in the Endzone. On the longest play of the evening, Carter Ashman broke free through up the middle for a 63-yard run, providing the Rams with an 18-3 advantage.
Another Regina stop then setup the third consecutive Rams major. It took just three plays for Sieben to connect with Adley Mayala for a 21-yard score which pushed the lead to 23 points.
Despite the Rams onslaught, Saskatchewan closed out the first half with some optimism. Amundrud orchestrated an 8-play drive, capped off with a
Aulain Penner score to cut the deficit to 16 at the break.
Coming out of the break, Regina quickly added to their lead with Sieben's second major of the game. However, the Huskies once again responded, this time with a 9-play, 81-yard drive which ended with a 25-yard Amundrud stike to
Rhett Vavra.
After a late
James Keane field continued to reduce the Regina lead, momentum firmly swung in the home teams favour after the snap on a Rams punt sailed over the head of Ty Gorniak and was recovered by
Mark Schroeder on the Regina 23-yard line.
The Huskies quickly scored, with Amundrud finding
Thomas Jule, giving the Huskies a clear view of the path to a comeback victory trailing by just nine.
Consecutive two-and-outs forced by the Saskatchewan defence then allowed for another Keane field goal, cutting the deficit to a single possession.
However, that would be as close as Saskatchewan got to completely the comeback.
Consecutive Regina field goals, with an Amundrud interception hauled in by Kaeden Brennan, pushed the lead too far for the home team with too little time remaining, securing the victory for Regina.
Carter Ashman highlighted the Rams offence with 139 yards on the group, 20 through the air and a major while quarterback Owen Sieben threw for 216 yards and three touchdowns in the victory.
Defensively, six Rams came away with turnovers, as the Rams also won that battle six to two.
For Saskatchewan, quarterback
Anton Amundrud totaled 387 yards and three touchdowns, producing two 100-yard pass catches in
Rhett Vavra, who logged 183 and a score, and
Aulain Penner who recorded a career-high 115 while adding 48 on the ground.
