Maritime Football League
2008 Game Summaries

Week 4: June 20-21

HALIFAX - A.J. Gallant and Donovan Boucher hooked up on three touchdown passes as the Riverview Molson Mustangs cruised to a 30-0 victory over the Halifax Shockers in Maritime Football League play over the weekend.

Quarterback Gallant sent a 25 yard pass to receiver Boucher to open the scoring, and the pair added another touchdown on a 12 yard pass later in the game.

The Mustangs, who led 16-0 at half, also had a 1-yard touchdown run from Stevie Cormier.

The third Gallant-to-Boucher strike on the day finished Riverview's offensive onslaught, the final touchdown being a 57 yard scoring play.

Boucher finished with seven receptions for 172 yards and Stevie Cormier had 170 rushing yards for the Mustangs.

Brice Wade converted all four points after touchdown and Jason Terris (four sacks) and Shawn Wareham (two sacks) were defensive standouts.

The Mustangs also had a safety in the game.

With the victory, Riverview improved to 3-0, while Halifax fell to 2-2.

The Mustangs next game is Saturday at home, against the Dartmouth Knights in the Sunfest Bowl. Kickoff is 4 p.m.

Also Saturday, the Moncton Marshals fell 20-11 to the Saint John Longhorns on the road.

D.J. Carmichael returned an interception 85 yards for a touchdown for the Marshals while Olivier Eddie kicked a field goal and a single in the loss.

Saint John improved its record to 3-1 while Moncton dropped to 1-3.

The Marshals visit the Halifax Shockers (2-2) July 5 at 1 p.m.

Longhorns take it to Moncton

Telegraph-Journal

Glads battle but a familiar result

For the third straight week, the Capital Area DQ Gladiators finished on the short end of the scoreboard in Maritime Senior Men's Football League action.

This one at Oromocto's MacKenzie Field Saturday was by far the most frustrating.

After quarterback Andrew Hickey marched the Glads down the field late in the game and found Jay Thomas alone in the end zone from 35 yards out to tie the game, a bad snap on the enusing extra point attempt left the door open for the Dartmouth Knights with about a minute to go.

Knights quarterback Vince Williams drove the ball to the Gladiators 20-yard line and with seconds remaining on the clock, Mike Squires booted a single point that would prove to be the margin of victory. Glads had a couple of desperation plays left but couldn't get in scoring position.

So when it was all over, it was the Knights improving to 3-0 with a 49-48 victory over the Gladiators, now 1-3, in a game that took nearly four hours to complete.

In other action, Saint John Wanderers improved to 4-0 with a 64-0 thrashing of the winless UNB Sea Wolves. Riverview Mustangs improved to 3-0 with a 30-0 shellacking of the Halifax Shockers. P.E.I. Privateers edged the Super City Mean Green 25-24 while it was the Saint John Longhorns improving to 3-1 with a 20-11 victory over the Moncton Marshals in Saint John.

In Oromocto, the Gladiators fell behind early, 14-0, and were fighting from behind almost the entire way against the Knights.

Dartmouth scored on its very first possession, recovering an on-sides kick to start the game at the Glads 40-yard line and capitalizing with Mitch Willigar taking it over from 10 yards out for the major. Bruce Armstrong made the convert.

Glads turned the ball over via fumble on their own 30 and this time it was Williams finding Armstrong in the end zone from 15 yards out to cap the Dartmouth scoring drive, making it 14-0 barely five minutes into the contest.

Hickey put the Glads on the board when he busted loose for a 70-yard touchdown run, making it 14-6. After the Glads recovered a fumble on the Knights 35, they drove to the five yard line before failing on a fourth down gamble.

But that disappointment wouldn't last long as Elliot Hicks picked off a Williams pass and returned the ball 30 yards for the major score. When Glads Brendan Cornford found Jeff Taylor in the end zone to complete the two-point conversion attempt, the game was tied at 14.

Knights took control early in the second quarter, however, scoring a pair of touchdowns on Williams passes to Ryan Sabean and Mike Squires. With Armstrong converting both, the Knights led 28-14 with three minutes left in the first half.

That proved to be enough time for the Glads to draw even. First it was Hickey, who was replacing the injured Cornford at quarterback, putting together a drive capped off by a five-yard scoring strike to Taylor. Cann's convert made it a seven point game.

Just as the half was drawing to an end and the Knights were looking to answer the Taylor major, Williams had a pass intercepted by Glads' Bobby McIntyre at centrefield. A face guard violation put the ball on the Knights 45-yard line. From there, Hickey got the ball to Taylor who combined with Andrew Hubbard on a hook and ladder play that allowed Hubbard to take it all the way to the five-yard line. Hickey capped the drive with a one-yard plunge for the major. Cann's convert tied the game at the half.

Knights took the second half kickoff and marched down the field via the passing of Williams, hitting paydirt with Edwin Bamoya taking a pass from 15 yards out. Again, though, the Glads answered with Hickey running it in from 10 yards out on the ensuing drive. A bad snap on the convert attempt left the Glads trailing, 35-34.

Late in the third, the Knights upped their lead when Williams found Chico Francis on a 20-yard scoring strike. The convert by Armstrong made it 42-34 at the end of three quarters.

On their next possession beginning the fourth, the Glads drove the ball down field once again with Hickey finding Taylor on the end zone from three yards out for the major. He two collaborated on a the two-point conversion and suddenly, it was 42-42.

Starting at his own 10, Williams drove the ball down the field yet again for the Knights, finding Squires in the end zone from 10 yards out for the major score. A bad snap on the convert attempt made it 48-42 with three minutes remaining.

That set the stage for the Hickey to Thomas major and the enusing botched extra point. Squires single point on the enuing drive would tell the tale.

Gladiators are off until July 5 when they play the Super City Mean Green in Halifax.

In Maritime senior women's football league action, the defending champion Capital Area Curves Lady Gladiators dropped to 0-4 when they lost 32-0 to the Saint John Storm. They play Halifax Xplosion Saturday in Halifax.

Telegraph-Journal

Saint John Wanderers quarterback Jon Hachey is chased by Obi Ikejiani of the University of New Brunswick Saint John Wolves during Maritime Football League action Friday night at Millidgeville Field, where the Wanderers posted a 64-0 victory. Hachey started things with a 31-yard touchdown pass to Mike Thomas. The Wanderers’ second major was a 45-yard punt return by Jon Haines. Piers Doiron kept the momentum going when he ran the ball into the endzone from five yards out, and Doug MacPhee added to the onslaught on a 21-yard reception from Hachey.

Haines kept the offence going with a 25-yard TD run and then Jeremy McAulay hit MacPhee for a 25-yard TD reception. MacPhee followed that with a 23-yard TD reception from McAulay, and then Thomas tallied a two-point convert from Hachey. McAulay chipped in with a quarterback keep and Doiron scored on a 17-yard run. Chris Chesworth notched eight points after the touchdown.

SAINT JOHN - The Saint John Wanderers can afford to walk with a swagger these days.

They lead the Maritime Football League with a 3-0 record entering tonight's tilt against the University of New Brunswick Saint John Wolves (0-3) at 6:30 p.m. in Millidgeville.

"You don't take anyone lightly in this league,'' Wanderers head coach Dave Grandy said. "We're a veteran team and we know that you have to prepare the same every week. Our preparation is always the same. No matter who we're playing, we're practising as hard as we can.''

All of that practice appears to be paying off, especially when the Wanderers play in Millidgeville, where they opened the season with a 35-0 whitewashing of the Saint John Longhorns before a 63-0 shutout of Super City Mean Green in week two. Last week's win was a 23-18 triumph over the Capital Area Gladiators in Oromocto.

"When you play in your backyard, it's always a little easier,'' Grandy said. "When you travel and you're on the road, you're out of your element. Last week was a hard-fought game.''

While home cooking always tastes good to the Wanderers, the meal will feel a bit rushed tonight. Each of their first three games has fallen on a Saturday, while the Wolves have played two Friday night contests, including last week's 21-14 road loss to the Moncton Marshals.

"They're 0-3 but they played Halifax close in the second half (of a 41-8 loss in week one),'' Grandy said. "I watched the Wolves-Longhorns game (a 19-15 loss in week 2) and that was a hard-fought game. They have a lot of younger guys and there's no quit in them. For 11 or 12 quarters, they've been playing pretty good football.

"I expect them to come out hard. If they beat us, it would be like a championship to them. Everybody wants to take a shot at us. I expect a hard-hitting game. I certainly don't expect them to roll over.''

Grandy said some of the Wanderers' early success is due to the play of young defensive backs Chris Ogden, who used to play for the Wolves, and Aaron Gordon, who missed most of last year with an ankle injury. Offensively, running backs Piers Doiron and Nick Coombs have both made strong impressions, the coach added.

Meanwhile, there are four MFL contests on Saturday. The Riverview Royals (2-0) visit the Halifax Shockers (2-1) at 1 p.m.; the Prince Edward Island Privateers (0-3) visit Super City Mean Green (1-2) at 4 p.m.; the Moncton Marshals (1-2) visit the Saint John Longhorns (2-1) at 4 p.m., and the Dartmouth Knights (2-0) visit the Capital Area Gladiators (1-2) at 4 p.m.