Hawks, Huskies set for Vanier showdown
Laurier atones for defeat last year in Uteck Bowl
The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks had something the Acadia Axemen couldn’t match — the resolve that comes from bitter disappointment. The OUA champions beat the AUFC winners 31- 10 in yesterday’s Uteck Bowl national semifinal before nearly 6,000 fans at Huskies Stadium in Halifax. The Golden Hawks played mistake-free football to improve their record to 11- 0 and will play the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Vanier Cup on Dec. 3 in Hamilton. Saskatchewan knocked off two- time defending champion Laval 29-27 in the Mitchell Bowl in Saskatoon.
Wilfrid Laurier fifth- year quarterback Ryan Pyear threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns, three to running back Bryon Hickey. The Axemen, in their first national semifinal since 1998, had four interceptions and a fumble and turned the ball over twice on downs.
Laurier advanced to the brink of the Vanier Cup with an undefeated record a year ago before getting tripped up by Laval in Quebec City.
“ We know what it is like to come this far and lose,” said Pyear, who completed 15- of- 20 passes without an interception. “ For all the guys who were here last year, that was a tough feeling to lose to Laval. We had that fresh in our minds and weren’t going to let the same thing happen.”
In Saskatoon, the Laval Rouge et Or’s quest for a third straight Vanier Cup was dashed by a set of fingertips.
Jordy Burrows, the University of Saskatchewan’s first-year halfback, knocked away an attempted two- point convert with 29 seconds left to preserve the Huskies two- point victory.
“It hurts,” said Laval coach Glen Constantin, whose team launched a furious comeback after trailing 29- 12 heading into the fourth quarter.
“ We fell short on our dream of making history. Ever since December, we’ve talked about making history and the threepeat. Everything was geared towards that, and we fell short.”
Laval entered the day ranked first in the country with a 10- 0 record; Saskatchewan, also 10-0, was second. The same teams met in last year’s Vanier Cup, with the Rouge et Or winning 7- 1.