EDMONTON – The UBCO Heat men's rugby team won their second consecutive Prairies U Championship on this past Sunday afternoon when they defeated the University of Alberta 46-22 in the gold medal match.
 
After falling behind in the opening 10 minutes of the match to Alberta, the Heat rallied to take the lead at halftime. The second half was more of the same from UBCO, scoring multiple times to comfortably claim the conference title, a much different result from last year's narrow 12-5 win over the same Alberta squad.
 
"I am incredibly proud of the effort this year's team has put forth during an intensive season, said head coach Dan Haynes after the victory. "Having played three travelling doubleheader weekends, we will be moving on to nationals having travelled the furthest distance, playing the most rugby per weekend, and still managing to come out on top in the prairies. This speaks to the fortitude of the Heat men's rugby student-athletes."
 
The come-from-behind victory for the Heat in the final was made possible by an even more impressive come-from-behind win in the semifinals. Facing their rivals, the University of Calgary, UBCO fell behind 20-0 heading into halftime. However, the team responded in a big way in the second half, outscoring Calgary 31-3 to post the largest comeback in team history.
 
Holding a perfect 7-0 record on the year following five wins in the regular season, UBCO now gets set to compete in their second Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship (CUMRC), set to be hosted by the ÉTS Piranhas in Montreal.
 
"This team has faced adversity all year and shown an ability to rise above the noise and put their best foot forward on the field," added Haynes. "I am excited to see what this team can do in their second visit to the national stage. All of our success would not be possible without the tireless work of my assistant coaches. They have taken time away from work and family to support the continued development of the players on this team, leading to a positive and challenging environment that has produced some of the best results in our program's history."
 
The 2025 CUMRC is set to run from November 12-16 and will see eight teams compete for the eighth Canadian university men's rugby championship. At last year's event, UBCO finished sixth in their first-ever appearance, highlighted by a consolation semifinal victory over the Memorial Sea-Hawks.