Gryphons pull off third upset in as many days, dethrone defending champion Redmen to claim national lacrosse title

Guelph 14, McGill 11

MONTREAL (Nov. 3/13) – Brett Ulbikas, a freshman from Oakville, Ont., scored five times and tournament MVP Ryan Serville of Pickering, Ont., added four goals and four assists as Guelph stunned McGill 14-11 to capture the Baggataway Cup, as champions of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association, Sunday.

BOXSCORE

The national final was played before a crowd of 535 at Molson Stadium.

It was the fourth CUFLA banner for the Gryphons – their first since 2008 – and their third upset in as many days. After finishing third in the CUFLA West Division, Guelph became only the third team in CUFLA's 28-year history to claim the coveted crown with back-to-back-to-back sudden-death victories. The six-team tourney is structured so that the four lowest-seeded teams must play a quarter-final on the opening day, while the two CUFLA division winners (McGill and Brock), receive a first-round bye. The last team to win the title with three wins was Bishop's in 2011.

Guelph, which posted a 9-3 record during the regular season, knocked off Bishop's 12-10 in Friday's opener and upset Brock, the West Division pennant winners, 14-9 on Saturday.

"At this level, playing three games against teams as tough as we faced, is a monumental task," said Sam Kosakowski, in his 20th season as head coach of the Gryphons, a team he initiated and played for in the mid-1980s. "The guys had it in their hearts and somehow found the energy wherever they could find it.

"We had a tentative, shaky start and that was to be expected as it was our third game in three days. But once we got going, things started to click and we figured it out. The history of this team has been, once we figure things out, things start to work."

McGill led 4-2 after the opening quarter but the Gryphons roared back to tie the score at 6-6 heading into the intermission. Guelph outscored the Redmen 4-2 in the third quarter and 4-3 in the final stanza.

It was a bitter pill to swallow for the Redmen, who had won 19 consecutive games against CUFLA opponents dating back to last season, when they captured their first national championship with a last-second, 7-6 double-overtime victory over Western in Peterborough, Ont.

"They have some amazing offensively-gifted players, particularly Serville, who is probably the best shooter in the league," said Tim Murdoch, who has posted a 116-71-2 career record in 189 games over his 11 seasons as head coach of the Redmen. "We had a couple of defensive lapses in our system and they were good enough to exploit us. I felt like we had some good momentum toward the end of the game but with a four-goal gap, you're not going to catch a team like this. They're just too strong... a helluva team and the best we've played this season. They are deserving champions."

Jordan Critch of Orangeville, Ont., and Curtis Knight of Oshawa each potted a pair of markers and Toronto native Connor Deuchars was the other marksman for the winning side.

Leading the way for McGill was Connor Goodwin of New Westminster, B.C., with a hat-trick and assisted on three others. Two goals apiece went to Kevin Donovan of Bethany, Conn., Leland de Langley, also from Orangeville, and Anders Bjella of Milwaukee. Rounding out the scoring for McGill was Tayler Sipperly of Charlotte, N.C., and Rhys Burnell of Abbotsford, B.C.

Ulbikas and Goodwin were named as the Game MVPs for their respective teams, while Guelph's Benjamin Vangalan of Orangeville was named as the Harrow Sport defender of the game.

Goaltender Jeremy Snider, a fifth-year senior from Kitchener, Ont., collected the victory between the pipes for Guelph, while Riley McGillis of Peterborough was saddled with the loss.

"This was easily the best Baggataway tournament that CUFLA has ever had since I've been involved dating back to 1985-86," said Kosakowski." McGill has done a spectacular job in the way they treated the athletes, coaches and fans. They did a fantastic job!"

The game was delayed for about 30 minutes when Guelph freshman Cooper Catt of Aurora, Ont., stayed down after a heavy collision to his neck area. He was dispatched to hospital in an ambulance.

"I think he's going to be OK," said Kosakowski. "He was moving his hands and his feet. He was talking and joking. He was hurt but I think it was a precautionary measure to send him to hospital."

The Redmen, who went 10-0 during the regular season, are only expected to lose only four players to graduation from a 41-man roster, two of them starters. Seniors not expected to return include co-captains Osburn Long and Brandon McLean, along with James Vickery and Conor Barker.

"If there's any silver lining in this loss, it's that the (returning) guys are extremely hungry and now know how hard it is to win a championship," said Murdoch, who accepted the part-time post of head coach back in 2003. "We're anticipating having 37 of 41 players returning and we're going to reload with some good recruits. I think that we will be the team to beat next year."

NOTES: Among the faces in the crowd over the weekend was CUFLA Commissioner Ryan McGrath, a former McGill player, and Sachin Anand, who founded the team in 2001 and served as a player coach for two years until he convinced Coach  Murdoch to take over the helm... Baggataway is a native term to describe the type of lacrosse that was first played by the Ojibwe tribe, which pronounced it as "baaga`adowe".



2013 CUFLA Baggataway Cup National Championship Tournament Results
 
(all matches at Percival Molson Stadium, Montreal)
 
Quarter-finals
Friday, Nov. 1
Queen's 12, Western 11
Guelph 12, Bishop's 10
 
Semifinals
Saturday, Nov. 2
McGill 15, Queen's 6
Guelph 14, Brock 9
 
Championship Final
Sunday, Nov. 3
Guelph 14, McGill 11

CUFLA BAGGATAWAY CHAMPIONS:
2013	Guelph
2012	McGill
2011	Bishop's
2010	McMaster
2009	Brock
2008	Guelph
2007	Brock
2006	Brock
2005	Brock
2004	Brock
2003	Brock
2002	Brock
2001	Western
2000	Guelph
1999	Brock
1998	Brock
1997	Brock
1996	Brock
1995	Guelph
1994	Brock
1993	Brock
1992	Brock
1991	Brock
1990	Brock
1989	Brock
1988	Western
1987	McMaster
1986	Brock
1985	Western
MOST CHAMPIONSHIPS WON:
18	Brock
4	Guelph
3	Western
2	McMaster
1	Bishop's
1	McGill

 
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CUFLA BAGGATAWAY CUP NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT
(at Molson Stadium, McGill University, Montreal, Que)
 
SEMIFINAL #2:
Guelph 14, Brock 9
 
MONTREAL (Nov. 2/13)  – Ryan Serville, a senior from Pickering, Ont., scored four times and Curtis Knight of Oshawa, Ont., added a hat-trick as the Guelph Gryphons pulled off their second upset in as many days. They defeated Brock 14-9 in the semifinals of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association national championship at Molson Stadium, Saturday.

The victory, over the top-seeded team from the CUFLA West Division, puts Guelph in Sunday's gold medal game (SSN, 12:30 pm) against undefeated McGill. The heavily-favoured Redmen, who are 12-0 vs. CUFLA opponents and 14-1 overall, eliminated Queen's 15-6 in Saturday's other semi.
 
Guelph, who finished third in their division during the regular season, surprised Bishop's 12-10 in Friday's quarter-final. The Gryphons are bidding to become only the third team in the 29-year history of the Baggataway Cup tourney, to win the title with three sudden-death victories in three days.

Brock is the league's most decorated team with 18 CUFLA championships. They had defeated the Gryphons 14-6 and 13-12 in their previous meetings this season.
 
The Badgers got off to an uncharacteristically slow start. They held a slight 2-1 advantage after the opening quarter but found themselves at the wrong end of a 5-3 score at the half.  The Gryphons, stalked their prey in the third quarter –  maintaining a 7-5 lead – then pounced on the Badgers in the final stanza, outscoring them by a 7-4 margin.
 
When Brock's Kyle Davis of Caledon, Ont., found the net with just under three minutes remaining to narrow the gap to 12-9, it appeared that the Badgers might have some fight left in them. But Taylor Brown of Peterborough, Ont. and Torontonian Brendan Vogan each connected in the final minute to ice the contest.
 
Connor Duechars, an imposing 6-foot-7, 220-pound midfielder from Toronto, was named as Guelph's Game MVP. He tallied twice and added three helpers. Brett Ulbikas of Oakville also added a pair and Jordan Critch of Orangeville, Ont., rounded out the scoring for the Gryphons.
 
Teammate David Nedelko, a junior from Lynden, Ont., was picked as the Harrow Sports defencemen of the game.


The best of the Badgers was Kyle Davis, an attackman from Caledon, Ont., who scored twice and added a pair of assists. Toronto native Greg Davidson and Travis Arch from Mississauga, notched two markers apiece.  Singles went to Gage Board of Brampton, Brandon Staal of Curtis, Ont., and Mark Debrone of St. Catharines, Ont.
 
Brock's Game MVP was Matt Fountain, a defender from Oshawa.

Jeremy Snider, a fifth-year senior from Kitchener, Ont., was the goalie of record for the winning side, while Ian Duffy of Ajax, Ont., took the loss for Brock.


COMPLETE BOXSCORE

===========================================================================

SEMIFINAL #1
McGill 15, Queen's 6
 
MONTREAL (Nov. 2/13)  – Connor Goodwin, a science junior from New Westminster, B.C., scored four goals and set up two others as McGill overwhelmed Queen's 15-6 in a Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association national championship semifinal, Saturday.

The victory, on their home field at Molson Stadium, propelled the defending national champion Redmen to Sunday's gold medal game (SSN, 12:30 pm) and extended McGill's unblemished record to 11-0 in CUFLA play. The Redmen will make a serious bid for a perfect season when they meet Guelph, who upset heavily-favoured Brock 14-9 in the other semi.

McGill jumped into an early 5-1 lead after the opening quarter and cruised into halftime with an insurmountable 8-1 advantage. They traded four goals apiece in the third quarter which left McGill with a comfortable 12-5 lead heading into the final stanza.

Brothers Eric and Tayler Sipperly, both from Charlotte, S.C., each potted a pair for the Redmen, as did Kevin Donovan of Bethany, Conn., and Spencer Bromley, a freshman from Surrey, B.C.  Single markers went to Nolan Prinzen of Summit, N.J., Anders Bjella of Milwaukee and Emile Sassone- Lawless of Ithaca, N.Y.

Alex Wright of New Market, Ont., paced the Gaels with two goals. Rounding out the scoring for the visitors was Brendan Zoehner of Coquitlam, B.C., Domenic Lisi of Toronto, Ryan Leonhard of Abbotsford, B.C., and Nick Weiss of Port Hope, Ont.

All-CUFLA netminder Riley McGillis, a junior from Peterborough, Ont., was credited with the win for the Redmen while Alex Guiney took the loss.

Game MVP honours went to Goodwin and Queen's midfielder Mitch Grant, a native of Calgary. McGill's Quinton Bradley, a sophomore from Richmond, B.C., was named as the Harrow Sports defencemen of the game.
 
COMPLETE BOXSCORE
 

===========================================================================
 
QUARTER-FINAL #2:
Guelph 12, Bishop's 10
 
MONTREAL (Nov. 1/13) – Ryan Serville, a senior from Pickering, Ont., scored five goals and game MVP Curtis Knight of Oshawa, Ont., added four more as Guelph outlasted Bishop's 12-10 in a sudden-death quarter-final at the Baggataway Cup men's lacrosse national championship tournament in Molson Stadium, Friday.
 
It was the second upset of the day for the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association playoffs, which had everybody buzzing after third-seeded Queen's ignited a wild, last-minute rally to surprise top-seeded Western 12-11 in the other quarter-final.
 
The results set up Saturday's two semifinals, with Queen's taking on McGill, the CUFLA East champions a 2 p.m., while Guelph confronts Brock, the West Division title-holders, in a 4:30 p.m. faceoff. Both McGill and Brock had earned first-round byes.
 
Bishop's led 3-2 after the opening quarter but Guelph battled back to go ahead 6-5 at the half and 9-7 after three.
 
Rounding out the scoring for the victors was Jordan Critch of Orangeville, Ont., with a pair, and Taylor Brown of Peterborough, Ont.
 
Alex Millen, a senior from Port Moody, B.C.,  netted four in a losing cause for the Gaiters and was named as his side's player of the game. Teammate Alex Henderson of Enniskillen, Ont., tallied twice and added three helpers. Others to make the scoresheet included Ryan Dewar of Cornwall, Ont., with two goals, plus Simon Winquist of Sherbrooke, Que., and James Malloy of Uxbridge, Ont.
 
Goalkeeper Jeremy Snider, a senior from Kitchener, collected the win for Guelph, while David Bigley of New Westminster, B.C., took the loss.
 
The national championship game for the CUFLA's Baggataway Cup is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
http://cufla.ca/game_details.php?game_id=1976935&schedule_id=198934&league_id=942&date=20131101

===========================================================================

QUARTER-FINAL #1: Queen's 12, Western 11
 
MONTREAL – Chris Haliburton, a sophomore from Richmond Hill, Ont., scored with 12 seconds remaining in regulation as Queen's rallied for three in markers during the final minute of play, for an unlikely 12-11 upset over Western in a Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association quarter-final at Molson Stadium, Friday.
 
There was also an upset in the other quarter-final, as Guelph outlasted Bishop's 12-10.
 
The Gaels led 2-1 after the opening quarter but the Mustangs, who won the CUFLA West Division pennant, roared back to tie the game at 7-7 at the half and took a 10-7 advantage heading into the final stanza, then quickly made it 11-7 before collapsing.
 
Queen's, who trailed by four with 13 minutes left to play, exploded for five goals down the stretch, including a spectacular three markers in a 20-second span during the final minute of play.
 
Western, which finished second in their division with a 10-2 record, was flagged eight times for penalties, including an illegal stick call on Eric Pitre at 19:02 of the final period, followed 11 seconds later by a foul on Matt Spanger.
 
That led to power-play goals at 19:28 and 19:38, followed by Haliburton's game-winner at 19:48.
 
Joshua Smith, who was named as Game MVP for Queen's, netted a hat-trick as did Brendan Zoehner. Ryan Leonhard add a pair for the Gaels, with singles going to Mitchell Grimmer, Ryan Wagner and Nick Weiss.
 
Ryan McCrory and Ryan Myles tallied twice apiece for the Mustangs. Their other marksmen were Patrick McCrory, Shane Morlock, Dylan Ham, Sam Neeb, Brendan Chess, Kyle O'Donnell and Doug Utting, who was named as Western's player of the game.
 
Goaltender Alex Guiney registered the victory between the pipes for Queen's, while Zach Grace was saddled with the loss.
 
Queen's, which finished third in the CUFLA East Division with a 7-3 record, now goes from the frying pan into the fryer as they will take on undefeated McGill (10-0) in a semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Redmen swept their season series over Queen's, winning 14-6 in Kingston (Sept. 8) and 14-8 in Montreal (Oct. 6).
 
The national championship game for the CUFLA's Bagattaway Cup is set for Sunday at 12:30 p.m.
 
SCORING SUMMARY:
http://cufla.ca/game_details.php?game_id=1976933&schedule_id=198934&league_id=942&date=20131101

 
SOURCE:
 
Earl Zukerman
Communications Officer
Athletics & Recreation
McGill University
514-398-7012 (Tel.)
514-398-1956 (Fax)
MOBILE SITE: http://mcgillathletics.ca/mobile/index.aspx
WEBSITE: www.mcgillathletics.ca
E-MAIL: earl.zukerman@mcgill.ca