Maritime Football League
2008 Game Summaries

Week 3: June 13-14

Mustangs top P.E.I. to remain perfect
Riverview posts another impressive Maritime Football League win

The Riverview Molson Mustangs continue to gallop along in impressive fashion.

They extended their winning streak to 12 games with a 38-14 victory over the Prince Edward Island Privateers in Maritime Football League action on Saturday in Charlottetown. The Mustangs haven't suffered a loss since Aug. 5, 2006.

Riverview, the defending Maritime Bowl champion, jumped out to a 20-0 halftime lead en route to improving its record to 2-0. Pat Forbes hauled in a 30-yard touchdown pass from Kelly Nicols in the first quarter to get things started.

A.J. Gallant added a 12-yard touchdown run early in the second quarter and J.R. Gallant connected with Forbes on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the dying seconds of the first half. Bryce Wade was good on two of three convert attempts in the first half.

Justin Savoie had a five-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter and, with the missed convert, that made it 26-0. Jeff Hillier had a 45-yard touchdown pass to cut P.E.I.'s deficit to 26-6 after three quarters.

Riverview added fourth quarter touchdowns to make it 39-6 on A.J. Gallant's one-yard dive into the end zone and a 35-yard pass from Nicols to Donovan Boucher. P.E.I., which dropped to 0-3, scored a late touchdown with a two-point convert to round out the summary.

``Overall, we played a good controlled offensive game,'' said Riverview defensive back and linebacker coach Jeff Reath. ``Our offence scored on every possession except for one. We only had one punt.

``Donovan Boucher was a good player for us. He had one touchdown and 250 yards in all-purpose yardage. Pat Forbes had a couple of real key receptions that set up touchdowns.''

Riverview wasn't able to field its best lineup in this game. It was missing a handful of key players due to injury.

``It was a hard-hitting game on both sides of the ball,'' said Reath. ``Our defence played really well. We had an interception by Derek Van Den Brink. Shawn Wareham had two sacks and a couple of tackles in the backfield. We were missing some key starters on defence, but the guys that were there played really well.

``Everybody on the team saw some field time today. They were able to step into positions and do a good job filling the holes we had given the guys we were missing.''

There remains three undefeated teams: Saint John Wanderers (3-0), Riverview (2-0) and Dartmouth Knights (2-0).

In Saturday's other action, the Wanderers downed the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton 23-18, Dartmouth defeated the Halifax Shockers 15-13 and the Saint John Longhorns trounced Super City Mean Green of Halifax 34-12.

Riverview will visit the Halifax Shockers on Saturday. The Moncton Great Canadian Marshals, 1-2, will be on the road to face the Saint John Longhorns on Saturday.

Wanderers, Longhorns take Maritime victories

Deck head
Telegraph-Journal
Published on June 16, 2008
Appeared on Page B4

Both Saint John teams were victorious in Maritime Football League action Saturday.

The Longhorns traveled to Halifax and topped Super City Mean Green 34-12 while the Wanderers remained undefeated with a 23-18 road win over the Capital Area Gladiators.

The Gladiators (1-2) put up a spirited battle against the powerhouse Wanderers (3-0), holding leads of 3-0 and 11-7, but Jon Haines had a three-touchdown performance to lead the Saint John offence. Haines ran for majors of four, six, and eight yards, the latter to make it 23-11 late in the game.

Andrew Hubbard of the Gladiators returned the kickoff 60 yards to make it 23-18, but the Wanderers were able to hold them off. Josh Brown, Phil Dobson and Jay Watson were standouts on defence for Saint John. Chris Chesworth kicked two extra points and a field goal.

Alden Pezerovic led Capital Area with a 40-yard TD reception, a field goal and an extra point. The Gladiators also picked up a safety in the first half.

For the Longhorns (2-1), Jordan Blizzard put the game out of reach in the fourth quarter with a 65-yard touchdown run and a 12-yard TD pass from Reece Roche. Roche and Peter Shea also had rushing touchdowns, while Alex Boyle opened the scoring with a five-yard interception return. Mean Green fell to 1-2.

In other Saturday games, the Riverview Mustangs (2-0) won their 12th straight, topping the P.E.I. Privateers (0-3) 38-14, and the Dartmouth Knights (2-0) handed the Halifax Shockers (2-1) their first loss, 15-13 in the fifth annual battle of the bridge.

Friday, the UNBSJ Wolves let a 14-0 lead slip away as they fell 21-14 to the host Moncton Marshals.

Justin Mousek and Matt Sode had the touchdowns for the Wolves (0-3), with Mousek converting both.

Tied 14-14 late in the fourth quarter, the Wolves tried to punt the ball through the end-zone for a single point. Wayne Crossman picked up the ball and returned it 125 yards for a sensational touchdown to give the Marshals a 20-14 lead with 1:25 remaining. Moncton (1-2) missed the convert, but moments later got the ball back and added a single on Olivier Eddie's 65-yard punt through the end-zone. Eddie ran for a 55-yard TD earlier in the game. Jordan Kenny had the other major for the Marshals.

Friday, the Wolves meet the Wanderers at 6:30 p.m. at Millidgeville Field. The Longhorns host Moncton at 4 p.m. Saturday, also at Millidgeville.

Meanwhile, the Saint John Storm blew into Halifax on a windy Saturday and blew away the Halifax Explosion 46-0 in Maritime Women's Football League play.

Quarterback Lisa Harlow hit Michelle Young-Mather with a 15-yard touchdown pass to open the scoring, capping an 85-yard drive that put the Storm ahead for good. Harlow ran for another major on a QB sneak and Tammy Saunders and Lori Boyles ran for two TDs each, including a 35-yard dash by Boyles. Terri Shannon converted five two-point conversions.

Mather and Boyles each had an interception, Amanda Craine notched a sack and linebackers Jaclyn Brewer and Amber Dennis had eight tackles each.

The first-place Storm is now 3-0 and has outscored its opponents 116-6 heading into Saturday's action in Truro, N.S. against the Fredericton Gladiators.

Gladiators come up short in grid circuit

Daily Gleaner
Published on June 16, 2008
Appeared on Page B2

For the second straight week, it was close but no cigar for the Capital Area DQ Gladiators in the Maritime Senior Men's Football League.

A week ago, they took on the defending Maritime champion Riverview Mustangs, battled them hard for the first half before eventually losing 27-13 at Oromocto's Mackenzie field.

On Saturday, they were again on home field facing the unbeaten Saint John Wanderers at 3-0.

And again, the Gladiators would end up on the short end of the scoreboard, this one by a 23-18 count.

Other action in the league saw Dartmouth Knights defeat Halifax Shockers 15-13, Saint John Longhorns hammer Super City Mean Green 34-12, the Mustangs get past winless P.E.I. Privateers 38-14 and Moncton Marshals edge UNBSJ Sea Wolves 21-14.

Running back Jon Haines scored three touchdowns including one in the final quarter to account for most the Wanderers offence against the Glads, now 1-2 on the season.

Haines got his first major from about 10 yards out in the first quarter and with the Chris Chesworth convert, it gave the Wanderers a 7-3 at that point. Justin Conn's 25-yard field goal accounted for the Glads scoring.

Both defences held strong in the second quarter with the only points being a two-point safety awarded to the Glads after a bad exchange from centre. Setting up the scoring sequence was a Alden Pezerovic punt that pinned the Saint Johnners back to their own 10-yard line.

Capital City took the lead late in the second quarter when quarterback Andrew Hickey connected with Pezerovic on a 35-yard pass and run play. The two-point conversion failed but the Glads led, 11-7, with about a minute left to go in the half. That gave the Wanderers enough time to get into field goal range and the kick by Chesworth was good, making it 11-10.

Wanderers used their running game to drive the ball down the field early in the third quarter and again, it was Haines finding paydirt from a yard out to restore the lead for the port city crew. The two-point conversion failed, so the Wanderers led 16-11.

Another Haines major in the final quarter and a successful convert put Saint John up 23-11, however, the Glads got right back in it when Andrew Hubbard took the ensuing kickoff 85 yards for the major score. Zack Cann booted the convert and it was 23-18.

But that was as close as they would get as the Saint John defence held the fort with the Glads final drive ending at mid-field.

Gladiators host the Dartmouth Knights Saturday beginning at 4 o'clock at Mackenzie field.

Marshals post first win

Moncton beats Saint John Wolves 21-14 in Maritime Football League action

The Moncton Great Canadian Marshals finally had reason to celebrate.

They posted their first win of the season in dramatic fashion, rallying from a 14-0 deficit to defeat the Saint John Wolves 21-14 in Maritime Football League action last night at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

Tied 14-14 late in the fourth quarter, the Wolves tried to punt the ball through the endzone from the 25- yard line for a single point. Wayne Crossman picked up the ball deep in his endzone and returned it the length of the field for a sensational touchdown to give the Marshals a 20-14 lead with 1:25 remaining.

Crossman returned the ball about 125 yards in total — 15 yards to get it out of the endzone and then 110 yards the length of the field. The Marshals missed the convert, but moments later got the ball back and added a single on Olivier Eddie’s 65- yard punt through the endzone.

“The guys did a great job blocking to spring me loose,’’ said Crossman.

“It’s a great feeling because we needed this win badly. We came into this game with a must-win attitude and it was like a playoff atmosphere.

“The Marshals have been struggling the past couple of years.

Tonight is a turning point and I definitely think we’ll surprise some teams as the season goes along.’’ Moncton improved to 1-2 while Saint John dropped to 0-3. Moncton is 7-18 in the regular season and playoffs combined since capturing the 2004 Maritime Bowl and this marked just the third win for the club in the past 17 games.

“We stayed confident even when we fell behind 14-0,’’ said Crossman.

“We knew we had the players to come back. It took awhile for our offence to get going. They attacked us good and their defence blitzed.’’ Saint John began the game with a 75-yard drive that consumed 8:02 and opened the scoring on Justin Mousek’s one-yard touchdown run to make it 7-0.

The Wolves made it 14-0 early in the second quarter on a 13-yard touchdown pass to Matt Sode. The Marshals cut their deficit to 14- 7 in the final minute of the first half on Jordan Kenny’s three-yard touchdown run.

Moncton created a 14-14 tie with 10:11 remaining in the third quarter on Olivier Eddie’s 55-yard touchdown run.

“This was a playoff game for us,’’ said Marshals linebacker Shane Mosher. “This was really a gut check win for us.

“We got behind 14-0, but just kept battling. We knew they couldn’t run the ball on us. Our front five did a great job stuffing them. We forced them to throw the football and our secondary stepped up to do a great job. Then we got the big plays on offence.’’ The Saint John Wanderers and Halifax Shockers, both 2-0, sit atop the league. The Riverview Mustangs and Dartmouth Knights are both 1-0.

Riverview, the defending Maritime Bowl champion, visits the Prince Edward Island Privateers today at 4 p.m. on the UPEI campus.

The Mustangs are on an 11-game winning streak.

In other action today, the Wanderers visit the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton, Dartmouth hosts the Shockers and the Longhorns visit the Super City Mean Green of Halifax.

Riverview opened the season with a 27-13 road win over Capital Area last weekend.

“We were a long way from perfect, but we played well for a team that has not been able to practice as a unit,’’ said Mustangs head coach Robbie Weir. “We have some key people that haven’t been able to come to practice very often yet.

“We were a little sloppy. Our timing was off. Defensively, we were very strong. Fredericton was unable to run the ball against us.

They were able to move the ball in the air a little bit and our defensive coach Sean MacIsaac has worked on solving that problem this week.’’

Longhorns hit road for redemption

MFL: Saint John squad sits at 1-1 after two games

SAINT JOHN - Saint John Longhorns head coach Eric Sabean is looking for a better effort from his team this weekend.

True, the Longhorns are coming off a 19-15 win over the University of New Brunswick Saint John Wolves. But the field boss of the Port City squad saw that victory as a hollow one.

"We would admit ourselves we played pretty terrible the last two weeks,'' said Sabean, whose team suffered a 35-0 setback to the Saint John Wanderers in Week 1. "Last week against the Wolves was probably the lowlight of my coaching career. No disrespect to the Wolves, because they're a tough group of kids, but this week the guys are fired up and angry.

"They have something to prove This is a huge week for us. We can't come out and have another effort like we had against the Wanderers and against the Wolves.''

The Longhorns will look to redeem themselves Saturday at 4 p.m. at Beazley Field in Dartmouth, N.S., against the Super City Mean Green (1-1). The Super City side is looking to regroup after last weekend's 63-0 whipping from the Wanderers in Millidgeville. The Mean Green made their Maritime Football League debut in style, outlasting the Moncton Marshals 32-27 in Week 1.

"I watched them at the (pre-season) jamboree (in Moncton),'' Sabean said. "I watched them last weekend and videotaped their game. I'd like to think I know them well.''

The Longhorns' coach said Nova Scotia teams generally carry fewer players for road games, adding Super City is likely no exception. That said, he won't be surprised to see some faces in Saturday's lineup that were nowhere to be seen last weekend in the contest against the Wanderers in Millidgeville.

"I expect it will be a tougher game than what the Wanderer had,'' Sabean said. "Whether it is work or school, there are always guys who don't make it.''

The MFL's Week 3 schedule actually kicks off tonight when UNBSJ (0-2) visits Moncton (0-2) at 8 p.m., at Rocky Stone. The rest of Saturday's docket includes three other tilts: Before the Longhorns and Mean Green grind it out at Beazley Field, the Dartmouth Knights (1-0) will battle the Halifax Shockers (2-0) at 1 p.m. at the same venue. In Charlottetown, the Prince Edward Island Privateers (0-2) host the Riverview Mustangs (1-0) at the University of P.E.I., while the Wanderers (2-0) look to win their third straight in Oromocto against the Capital Area Gladiators (1-0) at 4 p.m.

After two games in Millidgeville, Sabean said the Longhorns are looking forward to a road game. But the coach insists pressure to play well at home is not an excuse for lapses.

"To me it doesn't matter what field you're on,'' said Sabean. "It's not like we have 50,000 fans in the stands. We've talked big about this team to you folks at the paper and anyone else who may have asked. It's time to step up.''

Sabean said the offence takes as much responsibility as the defence for the Week 1 loss to the Wanderers. The Longhorns failed to move the ball, giving their Saint John counterparts good field position on several occasions and allowing the Wanderers to wear down the Longhorns' defence. Sabean said controlling the clock is a key objective in Saturday's affair against Super City.

"The one thing that has lived up to the hype is the defence,'' the coach said. "The big thing is executing plays offensively and trying to keep our defence off the field.''

Sabean credits defensive coordinator Bob Kane for his influence in the early going.

"The guys just love him and he's been a huge help to me,'' said Sabean. "He's been around the game and it's a big plus to have him around.''

Another positive sign is the play of linebacker Andrew Hamilton, who initially was expected to miss some time due to a community college program involving work with NB Power. Aside from Hamilton's huge hits, he brings a lot of intensity, Sabean said.

"He's managed to make it to both games and for both of those games, he's been a spark.''

Marshals look for first win

MFL action set for tonight at Rocky Stone Memorial Field

It would be easy to understand if the Moncton Great Canadian Marshals are feeling dejected.

They've hit tough times with a 6-18 record in the regular season and playoffs combined since capturing the 2004 Maritime Bowl. They will look for their first win this season when they face the Saint John Wolves in Maritime Football League action tonight at 8 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

The Marshals, Wolves and Prince Edward Island Privateers are tied for last in the league at 0-2.

"You would be surprised how good the attitude is around the team,'' said Marshals linebacker Shane Mosher. "After the last game, there was nobody hanging their heads.

"We have a positive dressing room. I think it's a little better than last season. We're a group of young guys and I think we're fairly tight. The guys want to make this team better and I think we'll get there if we keep working at it. There's not much choice. We have to learn on the job and we have to get better.''

Moncton is coming off a 61-25 loss to the Dartmouth Knights last weekend.

"We felt the score didn't reflect how well we played,'' said Mosher. "There were a couple of key mistakes that we made on defence and it took us awhile to make adjustments. They had four or five big plays on us because of that and we also had some breakdowns on special teams that hurt us.

"We played well at times. We've just got to do it more consistently. We don't just want to come out, run around and make some tackles. We all have the same goal in mind. We want to be competitive and we want to win.''

The Saint John Wanderers and Halifax Shockers, both 2-0, sit atop the league. Other undefeated clubs are the Riverview Molson Mustangs and Dartmouth, both 1-0.

Riverview, the defending Maritime Bowl champion, will play on the road against P.E.I. tomorrow. The Mustangs are on an 11-game winning streak and haven't lost since Aug. 5, 2006.

Moncton has just two wins in the past 16 games in the regular season and playoffs combined. Marshals head coach Dan Fougere also believes the club showed good things despite last weekend's blowout loss.

"Our offence moved the ball and our defence had three sacks and a couple of interceptions,'' he said. "Defensively, our front five has done very well (in the first two games). We still have some work to do with our defensive backs, but they're getting better. It's experience that we need more than anything for the defensive backs because they're all new to the league.''

Moncton was among the worst offences in the MFL, scoring an average of 12 points per game in each of the past two seasons. The Marshals are scoring an average of 26 points per game this season, but the bad news is they're averaging 46 points against per game.

"We're way stronger than we were last season,'' said Marshals offensive lineman Mario Basque. "We're younger this season, but the guys are coming out and they're showing more commitment. The guys are not getting discouraged with our 0-2 start. We're staying positive and looking forward to the next six games.

"We only have one returnee on defence. We've got a lot of young guys who are in their first season in the league. I think if everybody stays committed that we're going to learn from our mistakes and improve as a team.''