OSHAWA, Ont. - The Durham College men's rugby team celebrated their fifth year with a fifth medal on Saturday afternoon, winning bronze at the 2023 OCAA championship.

Sawyer Hopkins (Whitby) was first on the board for the Lords, powering through a pair of St. Lawrence Surge defenders early in the afternoon to put the Lords ahead.

Not long later, Alexander Lee (Pickering) showed off his speed, racing past the back line to give the Lords a 12-0 lead.

Hopkins scored his second and Terrell Carter (Oshawa) added a try, giving the Lords a 22-7 lead at halftime.

Jonathan Grant (Whitby) opened the second half scoring, diving across the line for the final few yards for the last try of the game, winning it 29-7 over the Surge.

Lee was named the Player of the Game for the Lords.

Before the medal presentation, Lords head coach John Watkins was presented with his Coach of the Year award, Tyler Janes (Pickering) with his Scoring Champion award, and Janes, Carter, Lee, Liam Spafford (Oshawa) and Reese Watkins (Oshawa) with their League All-Star awards.

Since officially joining the OCAA in 2018 for competitive play, the Lords have won three gold and two bronze medals, making it five in five seasons with the 2020 season canceled.

Source: Durham Lords

Photo Credit: Allan Fournier