The Saskatchewan Huskies and Montreal Carabins have climbed to No. 3 and No. 4, respectively, on the U Sports rankings following a first-round OUA playoff exit by the Western Mustangs.
The Huskies beat the Manitoba Bisons by a score of 31-12 to finish atop the Canada West standings at 7-1. Roughriders draft pick Daniel Wiebe capped a brilliant regular-season with seven catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns, both of which were thrown by Jake Farrell, who started in place of veteran quarterback Anton Amundrud. Lucas Scheck was the team’s defensive standout, recording three tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one pass knockdown.
Saskatchewan will now host the UBC Thunderbirds in one Hardy Cup semifinal, while the Manitoba Bisons will visit the Regina Rams in the other.
The Carabins finished the regular-season on a bye after finishing second in the RSEQ standings at 6-2. The team will host the Concordia Stingers this week for a berth in the Jacques Dussault Cup, which was formerly known as the Dunsmore Cup.
Western fell from No. 3 to No. 8 after being eliminated from the postseason by a score of 18-17 against the Guelph Gryphons. The loss, which occurred following a walk-off rouge, marked the first time since 2003 that the Mustangs failed to win a playoff game.
The Saint Mary’s Huskies moved up one spot from No. 6 to No. 5 after clinching first in the AUS for the time since 2018 at 7-1. The team beat the St. FX X-Men by a score of 26-10 as Malik Williams and Liam Legge combined for 27 carries for 178 yards and two touchdowns. The team will host the Acadia Axemen in one AUS semifinal next weekend, while the second-place X-Men will host the third-place Bishop’s Gaiters in the other.
The Queen’s Gaels moved up from No. 8 to No. 6 following a 46-10 playoff win over the McMaster Marauders. Alex Vreeken threw for 241 yards and two touchdowns for the Gaels, while Jared Chisari had another dominant game along the ground as he rushed 20 times for 155 yards and a score. Queen’s will now visit Windsor in one of two OUA semifinals next week, while Laurier will host Guelph in the other.
The Laurier Golden Hawks (No. 1) and Laval Rouge et Or (No. 2) stayed atop the rankings, while the Regina Rams (No. 7), Windsor Lancers (No. 9), and St. FX X-Men (No. 10) held firm as well.
For a full recap of this week’s U Sports action, click here.
Photo: U Sports
