Losing the Dunsmore Cup will be a tough memory to recall, I'm sure for a long time to come. After seeing the results of the Uteck Bowl this past weekend though, the pain of that loss has been compounded by the realization that had we managed to pull out a win in Laval, our chances of advancing to the Vanier Cup would have been great.

Without taking anything away from Calgary, as they emerged as the champions from another tough conference, it's still hard to accept that they would have been nearly as tough an opponent as Laval was after they lost by a margin of 49 points on Saturday. Now I know just as well as anyone how tough it is to play in Peps Stadium, especially how tough it is to respond once Laval gets rolling, and the crowd is pumped, and Calgary was not prepared to play in that environment, and wasn't able to adjust to the difficult circumstances that they faced early on in the game.

We love our fans, and all those that come out to support us; Calgary wouldn't have been facing the same disadvantages though, had they been playing on our field. Still, after seeing the effort that they put forth, I think our team would have been well prepared to succeed against them. I realize that certain teams match up differently against each other and it is possible that Calgary is much better suited to play our team than they are to play Laval. Maybe it's arrogance then that makes me think this way, and the best team doesn't win on every occasion, but I really believe that we would have beaten Calgary. So the same scenario has repeated itself three years in a row now, and I would be lying if I said it wasn't frustrating; we have always felt that advancing past the Dunsmore Cup is the greatest obstacle to overcome in our quest to advance to a Vanier Cup final, and it seems true again this year. Good luck to Laval and Western this coming Saturday, I will watch and enjoy the game regardless of which team wins. The only thing that will upset me will be if Western gets trounced as easily as Calgary was. This would only add to the disappointment of knowing that 2008 could have been Concordia's year-- it was there for the taking. 

Dunsmore Cup

With under 2 minutes left in the game, I couldn't help but feel that the game was ours.  We had battled back in the fourth quarter from being down 20-3, and closed the score to 20-17. We had all of the momentum; while I was on the sideline watching our offense make plays, I could sense the crowd getting nervous. Though it wasn't the biggest Laval crowd we've played in front of, it definitely seemed like the loudest, as they were doing their best to force us to take offsides and delay-of-game penalties, trying desperately to give an advantage to Laval's defense.

After Mike Donnelly caught a short pass and ran for another 40 yards down to the Laval 15 yard line, I remember thinking to myself that we had to go for the touchdown. Yes, we were in field goal range, and could have played to go to overtime, but we had them on the ropes, and I felt like we needed to go for the knockout punch. We had to capitalize on our opportunity while we had the chance, and that's exactly what our coaches decided to do. Unfortunately, things didn't turn out the way we had hoped, and Laval's defense came up with a big turn-over in the endzone. The crowd roared; a demoralizing sound that I've heard many times before, except this time, it was as much an expression of relief as it was exuberance.  

This is the closest I've ever come to winning the Dunsmore Cup. It's unfortunate, because as a team we knew we had an opportunity to do something special, and it was not for lack of effort that we came up short. Afterwards, some of my teammates apologized for not getting myself and the other fifth-year guys to the Vanier Cup. I have to say that no one person could be held accountable for the way things turned out, and that we lost as a team. Instead of dwelling on the loss, I would prefer to thank my teammates and coaches for contributing to one of greatest experiences of my life: representing the University as a Concordia Stinger. 

After a convincing win over Sherbrooke this past weekend, we are all eagerly anticipating our next opportunity to compete for the Dunsmore Cup. This will be our third straight Quebec-final appearance, and those of us on the team that have experienced the past 2 defeats are especially motivated to prevail this year. Though we've lost twice already to Laval this season, our team feels that we played well enough to win at Laval in week 4, and that losing the turnover battle was the factor that made the difference. This is encouraging though because it is a correctable factor, and it is an aspect that we will focus on throughout the week.

If I were to compare this year's edition of the Concordia Stingers to those of the past 2 years, our current team is the one that has faced the most adversity throughout the season. We underperformed in a few games this season, and had to win a couple of them on the last possession of the fourth quarter twice. We were upset by Bishops, and we struggled through the turmoil that such inconsistency brings. We've matured as a team throughout the season though, and I think that it has been evident in our last two wins. We are not a perfect team, but we are now constantly improving, and have been able to overcome the mistakes that had really set us back earlier in the season. Our entire team is excited and ready to take the next step, and prove that we are a Vanier Cup calibre competitor, and perhaps better prepared, mentally, to compete for the Dunsmore Cup.