Final playoff picture takes shape as regular season officially wraps up

Photo by Guelph Gryphons
Photo by Guelph Gryphons
October 20, 2018

Burlington, Ont. – The regular season is done and the next chapter in the thrilling quest for the Cup can now be written. After the final games of the schedule saw seven teams fighting for playoff positioning, and even their playoff lives, six teams can now prepare for their continued push for the Yates Cup.

With the Western Mustangs (8-0) having already clinched the first overall seed for the OUA, the team’s 46-13 victory over the Laurier Golden Hawks (4-4) changes nothing for the top seed, but for the visiting Hawks, the loss combined with the remaining games’ results, have the reigning Yates Cup finalists finishing seventh and on the outside of the playoff picture.

Another team who will have to watch this year’s postseason after taking part just a year ago is the Queen’s Gaels (3-5), who fell to the Ottawa Gee-Gees (6-2) on Saturday. Ottawa’s 27-22 victory has clinched them the No. 2 seed and a first-round bye heading into the playoffs. They won’t be the only team from the nation’s capital playing playoff football this season; however, as the Carleton Ravens (5-3), as a result of today’s games, end the season as the No. 4 seed.

In this week’s “win-and-you’re-in” tilt between the Waterloo Warriors (4-4) and Guelph Gryphons (5-3), it was the Gryphons who took the easier path to the playoffs, sealing their fate and the No. 3 seed with the 47-44 2OT win on Saturday. Despite the loss, the Warriors will still be joining the five other teams in the hunt for this year’s Yates Cup – entering as the sixth-ranked squad – doing so for the first time since 2003. Finally, a win from the McMaster Marauders (5-3) over the Windsor Lancers (1-7) has helped them clinch their playoff berth, entering as the No. 5 seed.

Rounding out the standings from the 2018 regular season are the York Lions (3-5), who are left with the ninth seed; the Lancers, who sit 10th overall; and the Toronto Varsity Blues (0-8), who close out the campaign with the No. 11 spot.

Based on the above results, the quarterfinal matchups will be as follows:

Byes: No. 1 Western Mustangs, No. 2 Ottawa Gee-Gees

No. 6 Waterloo Warriors @ No. 3 Guelph Gryphons

No. 5 McMaster Marauders @ No. 4 Carleton Ravens

The final standings from the 2018 regular season are as follows:

  1. Western Mustangs (8-0)
  2. Ottawa Gee-Gees (6-2)
  3. Guelph Gryphons (5-3)
  4. Carleton Ravens (5-3)
  5. McMaster Marauders (5-3)
  6. Waterloo Warriors (4-4)
  7. Laurier Golden Hawks (4-4)
  8. Queen’s Gaels (3-5)
  9. York Lions (3-5)
  10. Windsor Lancers (1-7)
  11. Toronto Varsity Blues (0-8)