Banner Season: Gaels welcome Gryphons for familiar conference championship clash
October 26, 2022
Burlington, Ont. - For a fifth straight season, the Queen's Gaels and Guelph Gryphons have proven to be the crème of the conference crop. The nationally-ranked squads have both conquered their respective paths through the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) competition and find themselves going head-to-head for glory at the 2022 Women's Rugby Championship, with the final test coming on Friday, October 28 (7:00pm) at Queen's University's Nixon Field.
Championship Details
When: Friday, October 28 (7:00pm)
Where: Nixon Field (Queen's University)
Participating Schools (9): Guelph Gryphons, Queen's Gaels (host)
Stream: oua.tv / cbcsports.ca / CBC Gem
Defending Champions: Guelph Gryphons | ALL PAST CHAMPIONS
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Kendra Cousineau, Guelph Gryphons | Falling just shy of the century mark in scoring on the year, Cousineau's incredible campaign was the centerpiece of another similarly strong season for Guelph. The Port Colborne, Ont. native finished second among the OUA scoring leaders with 96 points (nine tires, 24 conversations) and knows what it takes to claim victory on the banner season stage, with her all-star contributions of 2021 playing a large part in the team's title a year ago.
Lizzie Gibson, Queen's Gaels | When looking for the offensive sparkplug of the country's top-ranked Gaels, Gibson has been that and then some throughout the 2022 campaign. The second-year back row from Caledon, Ont. was the nation's leader in scoring, contributing 14 tries and 53 conversions for Queen's this season - good for 176 points overall - and will be looking to bring that same dynamic play to the pitch with an OUA gold medal on the line this weekend.
Maddie Hobson, Guelph Gryphons | Hobson has had some tough shoes to fill this season, as she has taken over at flanker for the Gryphons following the graduation of former all-Canadian Talia Hoffman. The third-year psychology major from Kitchener, Ont. has been up to the task; however, and after seeing her predecessor play an important role in Guelph's 2021 championship win, Hobson will set her sights on a similar showing in 2022.
Carmen Izyk, Queen's Gaels | A two-time all-Canadian, Izyk will be another focal point for the Queen's offence as they look to continue their undefeated stretch of play. The third-year wing/back 3 was second on the Tricolour's scoring list (45 points) thanks to a sparkling nine tries on the year. And after being recognized as a standout among her peers across the country in both 2019 and 2021, Izyk will hope that she can add a third such recognition on the heels of a high-calibre championship performance.
Lara Jorgensen, Guelph Gryphons | Another member of Guelph's OUA championship squad from 2021, Jorgensen has demonstrated a strong scoring touch this season for the Gryphons. In her second year with the team, the centre from Aurora, Ont. collected six tries and finished among the province's top-15 in scoring with those 30 points.
Maddy Kushner, Queen's Gaels | Tied with teammate Izyk with nine tries and 45 points on the year, also good for a spot among the conference's top-seven scorers, Kushner is similarly familiar with what it takes to thrive on the pitch in these massive moments. Having helped Queen's take home the national title a year ago and being named an OUA and U SPORTS all-star along the way, the third-year fly half from Ottawa, Ont. has been able to step up for her team time and time again.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
It has become commonplace to see the Gaels and Gryphons as the final two teams standing for OUA supremacy, as this will mark the fifth consecutive time they have met in the Women's Rugby Championship. While Queen's came away with the win in 2019, it is Guelph that has dominated the head-to-head overall, capturing three of the previous four meetings, including last year's upset win at Nixon Field. While the hosts held the lead early in the second half in the 2021 finale, it was three straight tries from the Gryphons that put them ahead for good and earned them their OUA-leading 17th title. Guelph will hope for much of the same on Friday and will surely rely on the deep championship pedigree and tradition that has made the program one of the best in the country.
Friday's two combatants are certainly no strangers to head-to-head competition on the championship stage, but they also had a chance to face off in the regular season just a few weeks ago. Coming out of that contest in the penultimate week of regular season play, at which point both sides had yet to drop a match, it was the Gaels who prevailed with the still unblemished record thanks to a 45-18 win. Maggie Banks (Coquitlam, B.C.) led the way with three of the team's seven tries (15 points) in the win, while Gibson chipped in with four converts. Despite the win, the 18 points scored by Guelph were the most of any of the Gaels' opponents this year.
As part of Queen's undefeated campaign thus far, they have maintained their place atop the U SPORTS national rankings, flexing their muscle on both sides of the ball across their six regular season contests. The defending national champs outscored their opponents by a combined 488-21 mark, surrendering points in only two of those six games. They continued this dominance into their lone playoff fixture, a 90-0 win over Western in last weekend's semifinal, and will have momentum on their side as they look to put the cherry on top of their conference slate and avenge their loss from a season ago.
What They're Saying:
"We're really excited about the prospect of an OUA Championship on Nixon Field and the fact that we get to get back in the ring with Guelph. We know that they are a very talented rugby team. We know that they bring their A-game every time they get in the ring with us and it's great because we know that we have to bring our A-game in order to do the things that we know we can do when we're in this sort of battle." - Dan Valley, Queen's Gaels, Head Coach
Championship Details
When: Friday, October 28 (7:00pm)
Where: Nixon Field (Queen's University)
Participating Schools (9): Guelph Gryphons, Queen's Gaels (host)
Stream: oua.tv / cbcsports.ca / CBC Gem
Defending Champions: Guelph Gryphons | ALL PAST CHAMPIONS
Student-Athletes to Watch:
Kendra Cousineau, Guelph Gryphons | Falling just shy of the century mark in scoring on the year, Cousineau's incredible campaign was the centerpiece of another similarly strong season for Guelph. The Port Colborne, Ont. native finished second among the OUA scoring leaders with 96 points (nine tires, 24 conversations) and knows what it takes to claim victory on the banner season stage, with her all-star contributions of 2021 playing a large part in the team's title a year ago.
Lizzie Gibson, Queen's Gaels | When looking for the offensive sparkplug of the country's top-ranked Gaels, Gibson has been that and then some throughout the 2022 campaign. The second-year back row from Caledon, Ont. was the nation's leader in scoring, contributing 14 tries and 53 conversions for Queen's this season - good for 176 points overall - and will be looking to bring that same dynamic play to the pitch with an OUA gold medal on the line this weekend.
Maddie Hobson, Guelph Gryphons | Hobson has had some tough shoes to fill this season, as she has taken over at flanker for the Gryphons following the graduation of former all-Canadian Talia Hoffman. The third-year psychology major from Kitchener, Ont. has been up to the task; however, and after seeing her predecessor play an important role in Guelph's 2021 championship win, Hobson will set her sights on a similar showing in 2022.
Carmen Izyk, Queen's Gaels | A two-time all-Canadian, Izyk will be another focal point for the Queen's offence as they look to continue their undefeated stretch of play. The third-year wing/back 3 was second on the Tricolour's scoring list (45 points) thanks to a sparkling nine tries on the year. And after being recognized as a standout among her peers across the country in both 2019 and 2021, Izyk will hope that she can add a third such recognition on the heels of a high-calibre championship performance.
Lara Jorgensen, Guelph Gryphons | Another member of Guelph's OUA championship squad from 2021, Jorgensen has demonstrated a strong scoring touch this season for the Gryphons. In her second year with the team, the centre from Aurora, Ont. collected six tries and finished among the province's top-15 in scoring with those 30 points.
Maddy Kushner, Queen's Gaels | Tied with teammate Izyk with nine tries and 45 points on the year, also good for a spot among the conference's top-seven scorers, Kushner is similarly familiar with what it takes to thrive on the pitch in these massive moments. Having helped Queen's take home the national title a year ago and being named an OUA and U SPORTS all-star along the way, the third-year fly half from Ottawa, Ont. has been able to step up for her team time and time again.
Storylines to Keep an Eye On:
It has become commonplace to see the Gaels and Gryphons as the final two teams standing for OUA supremacy, as this will mark the fifth consecutive time they have met in the Women's Rugby Championship. While Queen's came away with the win in 2019, it is Guelph that has dominated the head-to-head overall, capturing three of the previous four meetings, including last year's upset win at Nixon Field. While the hosts held the lead early in the second half in the 2021 finale, it was three straight tries from the Gryphons that put them ahead for good and earned them their OUA-leading 17th title. Guelph will hope for much of the same on Friday and will surely rely on the deep championship pedigree and tradition that has made the program one of the best in the country.
Friday's two combatants are certainly no strangers to head-to-head competition on the championship stage, but they also had a chance to face off in the regular season just a few weeks ago. Coming out of that contest in the penultimate week of regular season play, at which point both sides had yet to drop a match, it was the Gaels who prevailed with the still unblemished record thanks to a 45-18 win. Maggie Banks (Coquitlam, B.C.) led the way with three of the team's seven tries (15 points) in the win, while Gibson chipped in with four converts. Despite the win, the 18 points scored by Guelph were the most of any of the Gaels' opponents this year.
As part of Queen's undefeated campaign thus far, they have maintained their place atop the U SPORTS national rankings, flexing their muscle on both sides of the ball across their six regular season contests. The defending national champs outscored their opponents by a combined 488-21 mark, surrendering points in only two of those six games. They continued this dominance into their lone playoff fixture, a 90-0 win over Western in last weekend's semifinal, and will have momentum on their side as they look to put the cherry on top of their conference slate and avenge their loss from a season ago.
What They're Saying:
"We're really excited about the prospect of an OUA Championship on Nixon Field and the fact that we get to get back in the ring with Guelph. We know that they are a very talented rugby team. We know that they bring their A-game every time they get in the ring with us and it's great because we know that we have to bring our A-game in order to do the things that we know we can do when we're in this sort of battle." - Dan Valley, Queen's Gaels, Head Coach