KINGSTON, Ont. - The St. Lawrence Surge completed an undefeated season in men's rugby on Saturday, winning the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) gold medal match 13-7 over the Georgian Grizzlies.
In front of a couple hundred enthusiastic spectators and two dozen seagulls, both teams looked to resolve an earlier 12-12 stalemate last month at Georgian.
Both clubs were measured in the early going with a provincial championship on the line. Near the midway mark of the opening half, Georgian had the first real opportunity to put points on the scoreboard, but missed on a penalty kick.
That seemed to tilt the field in favour of St. Lawrence the remainder of the half, with first-year scrum half Samuel Meindl (Trenton, Ont.) successful on two penalty kick opportunities of his own to give the Surge a 6-0 lead into halftime.
St. Lawrence came on strong in the second half, and were just millimetres away from punching in the first try of the match, but were held off by a strong Georgian defensive effort. But that narrow escape was nullified shortly afterwards, as a blocked kick by St. Lawrence first-year lock Edem Afidenyo (Kingston, Ont.) allowed fifth-year teammate Charles Oulton (Napanee, Ont.) to recover the ball and cross the goal line. With Meindl's convert the Surge were ahead 13-0.
The Grizzlies would not return home without a fight, and with less than 10 minutes remaining, first-year prop Rahal Delpachitra (Sri Lanka) put Georgian on the board with a try. First-year scrum half Benjamin Robinson (Frankford, Ont.) was successful on the convert to make it a one possession game.
For a fleeting moment Georgian looked as if it may gain one last opportunity for an offensive push, but St. Lawrence held firm, and a long run towards the Georgian end zone didn't reach pay dirt, but ran out the clock as the Surge celebrated their OCAA championship.
St. Lawrence fourth-year outside centre Evan Sim-Spence (Kingston, Ont.) was named Championship MVP, while first-year flanker Kyle Landry (Kingston, Ont.) and Meindl of the Surge, and first-year scrum half James Robb-Kennedy (Barrie, Ont.) and fourth-year 8-man Daniel Martyn (Barrie, Ont.) of the Grizzlies were named Championship All-Stars.
St. Lawrence won its first-ever OCAA gold medal in Division I play, having won the Division II championship in 2008. The Surge went undefeated in 2021 with an overall record of 5-0-1. Georgian's silver is a sixth consecutive OCAA medal for the program.
In the OCAA bronze medal match in Oshawa, Ont., the host Durham Lords defeated the Humber Hawks 17-7. Making their debut in OCAA league play in 2018, the win marks the third consecutive season the Lords claimed a provincial medal following back-to-back championships in 2018 and 2019.
On the pitch, Durham jumped out to a two-score lead over the Hawks, carrying that 14-0 mark into the second half. However, Humber would close the gap with a try and convert of its own to make it a 14-7 contest heading into the final stretch.
A penalty kick for Durham late in the contest, combined with stellar defence in the closing minutes, secured the victory for the home side.
First-year centre Josh Dusome (Oshawa, Ont.) scored both tries for the Lords in the win, with fellow freshman Justin Taylor (Whitby, Ont.) kicking both converts and the game-sealing penalty kick. Second-year fly half Abbas Popal (Toronto, Ont.) scored the lone try for the Hawks, while also kicking the convert.
With files from Durham Lords
- OCAA -
ABOUT ONTARIO COLLEGES ATHLETIC ASSOCIATION
For over 50 years, the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association has been a dedicated leader in amateur athletics through the provision of quality varsity and recreational athletic opportunities at the collegiate level.
For additional information please contact:
Josh Bell-Webster
Marketing and Communications
Ontario Colleges Athletic Association
Tel: 416-426-7041
E-mail: bell-webster@ocaa.com