Evan Daum, Canada West Communications
EDMONTON – The Hardy Cup Playoffs are here, as four teams remain in the search for Canada West football supremacy.
The Calgary Dinos (7-1), UBC Thunderbirds (6-2), Regina Rams (4-4), and Alberta Golden Bears (3-5) take the field this Saturday, as the CW semifinals are slated for 1 p.m. MDT (ALB-CGY) and 3 p.m. PDT (REG-UBC) respectively.
In Calgary, the Dinos welcome the Golden Bears back to town a week after Alberta's stunning 53-3 victory over their provincial rivals. The win, coupled with Saskatchewan's loss to Manitoba later that day, sent the Bears to the post-season for the first time since 2010. It was a breakthrough victory for Alberta, who enter the playoffs for the first time in the Chris Morris era.
While Calgary was missing several key pieces and admittedly didn't play all their cards, the win was nonetheless impressive for the Bears, who now face the tough task of having to earn back-to-back wins over the Dinos at McMahon Stadium.
As was the case last weekend, key to Alberta's hopes will be the play of veterans Ed Ilnicki and Tylor Henry. Ilnicki etched his name in the CW record book last week, setting the CW single-season rushing record by finishing the regular season with 1,468 yards. While impressive, the biggest offensive performance on the day came from Henry, who hauled in four TD passes.
For the Dinos, the playoffs are nothing new, as Calgary has been in every post-season dating back to 2007. Should the Dinos win this Saturday, it will mark the team's 10th consecutive appearance in the Hardy Cup.
In the second semifinal, Regina returns to Thunderbird Stadium with hopes of avenging their 44-15 Week 8 loss and last season's semifinal setback to UBC.
2016 was a magical regular season for the Rams, who coming off a 0-8 campaign in 2015, topped the conference standings and hosted UBC in the semis. That game, however, didn't go as planned for the Rams, who fell 40-34.
This time around, Regina heads out on the road looking to score an upset.
As we've seen in years past, UBC is playing some of their best football of the season at the right time, as the Thunderbirds defence has stepped up in recent weeks, while QB Michael O'Connor has rounded into form.
That spells a difficult recipe for the Rams, who are looking for their first playoff win in 10 seasons, after falling in the semis seven times (2008, 2009, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2014, and 2016).
Semifinal 1: Alberta (3–5, unranked) vs. Calgary (7-1, U SPORTS No. 4)
Saturday, Nov. 4
1 p.m. MDT
McMahon Stadium – Calgary, Alta.
WATCH:
SaskTel maxTV live local channels 49/349 HD
TELUS channels 997/9997 HD
BellMTS channel 1802 HD
RUSHING KING
With 159 yards Week 8 against Calgary, Ed Ilnicki set the CW single-season rushing record, as he ended the 2017 season with 1,468 yards. That broke the existing mark of 1,415 set by Akbal Singh in 1999 for UBC – the only other 1,400+ season in confernce history.
RECEPTIONS RECORD
Tylor Henry set the CW career receptions mark in style last Week 8, finishing his five-year career with 208 catches after registering nine vs. Calgary. Four of those receptions were majors, as he became just the sixth player with four or more receiving TDs in a game.
STREAK SNAPPED
The Dinos will be looking to start a new winning streak against Alberta this weekend. Calgary entered Week 8 riding a 14-game on-field winning streak against Alberta, dating back nearly a decade against their provincial rival.
BIG PLAY KARL
No one has provided more big catches this season than Hunter Karl. The Dinos WR has 29 catches of 15 or more yards this season according to Gameplan Data, who has been tracking a variety of stats for all six CW teams in 2017.
Semifinal 2: Regina (4-4, U SPORTS No. 9) vs. UBC (6-2, U SPORTS No. 6)
Saturday, Nov. 4
3 p.m. PDT
Thunderbird Stadium – Vancouver, B.C.
WATCH:
SaskTel maxTV live local channels 48/348 HD
TELUS channels 998/9998 HD
BellMTS channel 1802 HD (joined in progress, if necessary)
PICTON PERFECT
Rams WR Mitch Picton finished the season with the conference's best catch rate. Picton was targetted 65 times this season, made 53 catches, and dropped 0 passes. He was one of five players with a minimum of 15 targets and no drops.
HARDY CUP DROUGHT
It's been 17 years since Regina has won the Hardy Cup, with their last appearance coming in 2012 against Calgary(38-14 CGY). Alberta is the lone conference team without an appearance in the Hardy Cup in the last decade.
O'CONNOR PASSES RAINBOW
Michael O'Connor set a UBC single-season record last week, ending 2017 with the best completion percentage in program history. The UBC pivot broke Adrian Rainbow's 1995 mark of 64.84, finishing with a 67.53 completion percentage.
DIAL UP THE DEFENCE
UBC has ramped up the defence in recent weeks, as the T-Birds finished the season first in total defence, yielding less than 400 YPG. A pair of polished performances to end the regular season have UBC looking post-season ready.