GRIZZLIES DEFEAT BRUINS WIN BROWN BEAR TROPHY IN RUGBY RETURN
The Grizzlies defeated their rivals the Sheridan Bruins 29-7 on Saturday to hold on to the brown bear trophy in the Battle of the Bears
The Georgian Grizzlies men's rugby team took on the Sheridan Bruins in the fourth ever Battle of the Bears rivalry game on Saturday afternoon at the Sheridan College Trafalgar campus in Oakville.
While things can get intense on the field between these two teams, this year's match took on a different meaning with it being the first time either team has played after last season was cancelled due to the pandemic.
Both teams played hard, but there was an air of appreciation from both sides just to be able to step on the field once again.
Once the game started, it was back to business. The Grizzlies came out of the gate ready to play, putting up some early scores and never looking back in a 29-7 victory.
Georgian had tries from five different individuals on the afternoon to lead the way with Ryan Irvine (Stoney Creek), Daniel Martyn (Barrie), Rio Campo (Barrie), Braidon Foster (Barrie) and James Robb-Kennedy (Barrie) each finding the try zone.
Rookie Benjamin Robinson (Frankford) also had two converts in the contest.
This is the second straight brown bear trophy win for the Grizzlies who now hold an all-time 3-1 record in the Battle of the Bears over the Bruins.
The Grizzlies will be back in action next Sunday, Oct. 3 when they host the St. Lawrence Surge (1-0), who are coming off a 21-19 win over the reigning champion Durham Lords in their opener.
This year's rugby schedule has been modified with each team playing in a four-game regular season round robin which will be followed by a four-team playoff. The Grizzlies will travel to take on the Humber Hawks (0-0) on Oct. 9 and will host the Durham Lords (0-1) on Oct. 23 to complete their regular season.
Battle of the Bears history
Game Results
Sept. 25, 2021 Georgian 29 @ Sheridan 7
Oct. 5, 2019 Georgian 46 @ Sheridan 22
Oct. 20, 2018 Georgian 21 @ Sheridan 40
Oct. 22, 2017 Sheridan 17 @ Georgian 29
Most individual points scored in a single game
Jad Hamade Sheridan 17 points (2017)
Zach Patfield Georgian 20 points (2019)
Both the Grizzlies and the Bruins came together post-game in celebration of both their returns to the rugby field after last season was cancelled due to the pandemic.