Toronto, Carleton dominate to set up gold medal rematch
OTTAWA, Ont. - One of the Carleton Ravens and Toronto Varsity Blues has won the OUA title every year since 2004 – it will be no different again this year. The Ravens and Varsity Blues clinched a spot in the gold medal match of the 2017 OUA Men’s Water Polo Championships with wins over the Queen’s Gaels and Western Mustangs, respectively, on Saturday afternoon at Alumni Hall.
Carleton 10, Queen’s 2
While it began as a close battle, Carleton quickly exploded to an assertive 10-2 win over Queen’s. The Ravens rode stellar defense and a masterful shooting from Dusan Boskovic, who marked five on the day, to victory. Captain Yorek Hurrelmann also played a key role as an immovable wall in net.
Carleton opened the match with a clinical display of passing to draw first blood. The Ravens broke through big in the second to carry a dominant 6-0 lead at the half. Carleton continued to control the game, extending their lead four more times and solidified the 10-2 semifinal win.
“All around I was very happy. This is a team that’s always prided itself on defence and that was an excellent display of defence,” said head coach Zoltan Csepregi.
With the loss, Queen’s will fight Western for third place at 10:50 a.m. Carleton will continue its crusade for a fifth OUA banner against Toronto on Sunday at 2 p.m. “We lost last year 7-0, which is fresh in a lot of guys’ minds,” added Csepregi. “I think we’ll see a different game tomorrow and I think they’re ready to do it.”
Toronto 17, Western 2
After conceding an opening goal, Toronto rebounded for 11 straight uncontested first-half goals and eventually took a strong 11-1 lead by the end of the second. Milos Radojcic was a steady force in powerhouse Toronto’s first-half offence.
The Varsity Blues controlled the tempo again in the third and fourth. They rallied to another stretch of uncontested goals before completing the authoritative 17-2 semifinal victory.
The win advances the 31-time champions, Toronto, to the final against Carleton at 2 p.m. on Sunday. Western will meet Queen’s in the bronze medal game at 10:50 a.m.
Additional:
McMaster 20, uOttawa 6
Source: goravens.ca