CALGARY – The UBCO Heat men's rugby team won their third consecutive Prairies U conference championship in thrilling fashion on Sunday with a 10-5 win over the University of Alberta.
After the two teams were tied 5-5 through 80 minutes of action, Everett Pincoski scored the game-winning try as the Heat earned a trip back to the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship (CUMRC).
"I'm very proud of the boys and the effort they put in this season," said UBCO head coach
Dan Haynes after the victory. "This is a very young group with 13 of our travelling team in their first year. It's very exciting to see where this program is headed."
The match marked the third straight year that UBCO and Alberta met with the Prairies U championship on the line. Unlike last year's offensive outburst, a 46-22 Heat win, Sunday's game was a defensive battle.
The Heat got on the board first in the opening 40 minutes with Matt Harris scoring a try. That would be all the offensive output in the first half as UBCO led 5-0 at the break.
Alberta took control of the game in the second half, eventually scoring a try of their own to even the score. That would be all the points in the frame as the two teams headed to sudden-death overtime.
In extra time, the Heat capitalized on a mistake by Alberta with
Patrick Williams scooping up a loose ball and running 50 meters down field. He eventually found Pincoski who converted the try to give his team the victory.
UBCO earned a trip to the championship game with a 19-17 victory over Calgary on Saturday.
The Heat roared out to a 19-5 lead at halftime thanks to two tries from
Ben Shepherd and a single from
Caleb Johnson while
Chase Proznick converted two of the three scores. Calgary would storm back in the second half but the Heat held firm late to pick up the win.
Haynes was recognized as the conference Coach of the Year for the second consecutive season while
Alex Dymock was named Rookie of the Year and
Malachi Freh took home the Back of the Year award.
Up next for the Heat will be a third-straight trip to the Canadian University Men's Rugby Championship, set to be held in Langley, B.C., from November 17-21.
"The returning players know the challenge we face," stated Haynes on the expectations heading to nationals. "We understand that our performance at nationals the last two years has not been to the standard that we would hope it would be, and with the other teams who have qualified for nationals getting stronger each year, we know that challenge remains."
Stay tuned to GoHeat.ca for the complete CUMRC schedule as it becomes available.
