WINNIPEG – For the second straight season, the No. 4 seed Manitoba Bisons (4-4) will meet the No. 1 seed Calgary Dinos (6-2) in the Hardy Cup Semifinal, with a berth in the conference final on the line. The game will be played on Saturday, November 2 at 1 p.m. CDT at McMahon Stadium in Calgary.
Fans in Manitoba can watch the Canada West Football Showcase game on Bell MTS Fibe TV channel 1802 or online at CanadaWest.TV (fee required).
In the post-season for the second straight season, the Bisons will look to advance to the Hardy Cup for the first time since 2014 with a win on Saturday. Manitoba and Calgary tied their season series at 1-1, with the Dinos winning the first matchup on Sep. 6 at McMahon Stadium (24-10) and the Bisons winning the latter on Oct. 19 at IG Field (43-29).
Opportunistic defence will be a key for Manitoba if they're going to earn their first win in McMahon since the 2014 Hardy Cup. The Bisons are tied for third in the nation with three defensive touchdowns, with consistent pressure starting from their line. Manitoba has 13 sacks on the season, with seven of those coming from fifth-year end
Derek Dufault, who ranks fourth in U SPORTS in that category.
Chris Larsen,
Jeremie Drouin, and
Kent Hicks also have two sacks each.
In the secondary,
Shae Weekes and
Arjay Shelley have three interceptions each, while true freshman
Austin Balan has impressed with two picks and four pass breakups from the free safety position.
The quarterback matchup is between two veterans, as fifth-year Dinos pivot Adam Sinagra faces fourth-year Bison
Des Catellier. The Calgary native Catellier hasn't been as efficient in his fourth year as he was in his third but has still racked up yardage through the air. His 217.9 passing yards per game have him fifth in Canada West, with nine touchdowns and eight interceptions.
Sinagra, meanwhile, has averaged 287.7 yards per game in an offence that has been successful over a long period. Still, his ten interceptions are the highest in the conference, as the Dinos have stuttered a couple times through the regular season — losing to Manitoba and Saskatchewan.
These two teams also met in the Hardy Cup semis last year, when Calgary advanced thanks to a 37-13 win.
MATCHUP HEADLINES
- In the U SPORTS Top 10, Calgary is ranked eighth and second among teams in Canada West. The Huskies are just above them in seventh.
- This season, whichever teams comes out of the conference and wins the Hardy Cup will host the OUA champion in the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday, November 16.
HOOFPRINTS: MANITOBA BISONS (4-4)
LAST WEEK: L 14-47, Oct. 25 at Regina
- Consistent Kicking: With a conference-best 21 field goals and 82 points, fifth-year Matt Riley has made his mark in the Bisons program record books. His made field goal total ranks him third all-time, behind only Jamie Boreham's seasons of 23 (2001) and 22 (2002). Last week, his 53-yarder against Regina was the third longest kick in team history, again only behind kicks of 54 and 55 by Boreham.
- Des in the Books: After cementing his starter status, QB Des Catellier also climbed the program record books in the 2019 regular season. He's currently 5th all time in passing yards at 5,011, 262 behind John Makie (2005-08) and is 2nd in pass completions (453), behind only Shane Munson's 507 (1999-2003).
HOOFPRINTS: CALGARY DINOS (6-2)
LAST WEEK: W 36-17, Oct. 26 vs. Calgary
- Opportunities Taken: While their offence is the star, the Dinos have also had a similarly opportunistic defence to Manitoba's with 12 fumbles recovered and 11 defensive interceptions, both the best marks in Canada West.
- Return to Glory: Though they were beaten by the Huskies last season, Calgary has won eight of the last 11 Hardy Cups dating back to 2008, with the Bisons (2014), Thunderbirds (2015), and last year's Sask team the only interruptions to their dynasty.
