Maritime Football League
2008 Game Summaries

Week 6: July 4-5

SAINT JOHN - Saint John teams fell short at home in Saturday's Maritime Football League action. The Saint John Longhorns dropped a 24-7 decision to the Dartmouth Knights in an afternoon tilt at Millidgeville Field. The lone Longhorns touchdown came on a 45-yard pass-and-run play from Reece Roche to Jim Mather. John Phillips added the conversion as the Longhorns fell to 3-2. Dartmouth improved to 4-1, good for a share of second place.

In the evening, the UNBSJ Wolves fell 13-8 against the P.E.I. Privateers at Arthur Miller Field in Rothesay. The cellar-dwelling Wolves have yet to find a win, and sit 0-5, while P.E.I. improved to 2-3.

Saint John's other MFL team, the Wanderers, won Friday night, topping the host Riverview Mustangs 36-26 to end Riverview's 14-game winning streak. Saint John improved its first-place record to 5-0, while Riverview fell into a tie for second at 4-1. The defending champions' last defeat came 36-33 at the hands of the Wanderers on Aug. 5, 2006.

Leading 29-26, Saint John put the game away with less than two minutes remaining when quarterback Jon Hachey scored on a one-yard run. Jon Haines ran for three TDs to pace the Wanderers, who led 22-13 at halftime. Hachey also hooked up with Mike Thomas on a 15-yard TD pass.

The Mustangs trailed 29-13 early in the second half, but Steve Cormier scored on an 18-yard run and A.J. Gallant threw a 21-yard pass to Francis Best to pull within three. The other Riverview touchdowns came from Gallant, on a nine-yard run, and Donovan Boucher, on a 65-yard pass from Gallant. Josh Scott contributed 200 yards in kickoff returns in the loss.

In other Saturday games, the Halifax Shockers hammered the Moncton Marshals 41-7 to improve to 3-2 and a share of fourth place with the Longhorns. The other game saw the Capital Area Gladiators beat up on Super City Mean Green 47-6. The Gladiators are tied for sixth with P.E.I. at 2-3, while Mean Green and the Marshals sit tied for eighth at 1-4.

Mustangs' winning streak ends

Rival Saint John beats Riverview 36-26 in MFL action

The Riverview Mustangs' 14-game winning streak came to an end last night, courtesy of their greatest rivals.

The Mustangs fell 36-26 to the visiting Saint John Wanderers in a key Maritime Football League regular season game at Dobson Field.

Saint John improved its first-place record to 5-0 and is the only remaining undefeated team in the league. Riverview is now second at 4-1.

The defending Maritime champion Mustangs' previous last loss was a 36-33 decision to the Wanderers on Aug. 5, 2006.

Leading just 29-26, Saint John put the game away with less than two minutes remaining when quarterback Jon Hachey scored on an one-yard quarterback keep.

Running back Jon Haines ran for three touchdowns to pace the Wanderers, who led 22-13 at halftime. Hachey also hooked up with Mike Thomas on a 15-yard touchdown pass in the victory.

The Mustangs trailed 29-13 early in the second half, but received back-to-back touchdowns from running back Steve Cormier and quarterback A.J. Gallant to pull within three points. Cormier scored on an 18-yard run and Gallant threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Francis Best as the home team stared to rally.

Saint John secured the win, however, when Hachey found the end zone in the final two minutes to hand Riverview its first loss in nearly two years.

The other Mustangs touchdowns came from Gallant, on a nine-yard run, and Donovan Boucher, on a 65-yard pass from Gallant. Bryce Wade kicked two converts in the loss.

Cormier led Riverview offensively with 165 yards rushing while Justin Savoie added 103 yards rushing. Josh Scott contributed 200 yards in kickoff returns in the loss.

The Moncton Marshals (1-3) visit the Halifax Shockers (2-2) today at 1 p.m.

Undefeated MFL powers do battle tonight

Riverview Mustangs host Saint John Wanderers at Dobson Field

No pep talk is needed. There's always plenty of extra motivation when it's the Riverview Molson Mustangs versus the Saint John Wanderers.

"That's the first thing we look for when we get the schedule each season. When are we playing the Wanderers?,'' said Mustangs offensive lineman Bob Giffard in speaking about the greatest rivalry in the Maritime Football League.

"We treat it like a playoff game whenever we play them because there's always implications as to who's hosting the game if we meet in the playoffs. They're definitely our biggest rival. That's the team we like to play against the most. The Wanderers are the only team to ever beat us on our field and that's something we take personally.''

Riverview hosts Saint John tonight at 7 p.m. at Dobson Field. It's a battle between two clubs that are tied atop the standings with 4-0 records.

The Mustangs, who have had a more difficult schedule, have outscored opponents 117-34 and their average margin of victory is 21 points. The Wanderers have posted three shutouts, ran up a 185-18 tally on their victims and their average margin of victory is 42 points.

The defending Maritime Bowl champion Mustangs have a lifetime record of 26-4 in the regular season and playoffs combined and they're currently on a 14-game winning streak. Their last loss was a 36-33 decision against the Wanderers on Aug. 5, 2006.

"It's nice to have won 14 games in a row, but we're not making a big deal about it,'' said Giffard. "I think everyone knows what happened to the New England Patriots (who were undefeated last season before losing in the Super Bowl). It's more of an uphill battle when you're the champion because everyone is charged up to play against you.''

Riverview has shown no signs of being complacent after hoisting the Maritime Bowl for the first time.

"We just pride ourselves on winning,'' said Mustangs wide receiver Donovan Boucher. "We all have the will to win inside of us. We're allowed to have two practices per week, the same as every other team, and we pride ourselves on everyone showing up.

"We want to make sure we're well prepared for every game. Our coaching staff is incredible. They basically instill the pride and desire in us. We're definitely looking forward to this game against the Wanderers. They've been our biggest rival ever since we came into the league.''

Riverview is a fourth-year club and all four of its lifetime losses have come against the Wanderers. The Wanderers are 4-1 in the lifetime series between these clubs and four of their meetings were decided by five points or less.

"(Tonight) has all the elements to be the game that it's hyped up to be,'' said Wanderers head coach Dave Grandy. "It should be exciting. If you go back over the last three years, it's pretty much whoever had the ball last has won the game when we played each other.

"Riverview is our biggest rivalry for sure. Between these two teams, we've won three Maritime Bowls in the past five years. (Tonight) is a marquee matchup between the top two teams in the MFL over the past three years.''

Riverview's 14-game winning streak is still far from the league record. That mark belongs to the Wanderers, who had a string of 24 consecutive victories snapped with a 24-8 loss to Riverview last season.

"They ended our streak,'' said Granby. "It would be a little bit of revenge if we can pay them back.''

There are four games tomorrow. The Moncton Great Canadian Marshals (1-3) visit the Halifax Shockers (2-2), the Capital Area Gladiators of Fredericton (1-3) face the Super City Mean Green (1-3) in Halifax, the Saint John Longhorns (3-1) host the Dartmouth Knights (3-1) and the Prince Edward Island Privateers (1-3) visit the UNB Saint John Wolves (0-4).

UNBSJ hopes to turf 4-game skid

Gridiron Wolves take on P.E.I. Privateers in Maritime Football League action Saturday

ROTHESAY - The University of New Brunswick Saint John Wolves could use a fresh start.

They've lost their first four games in the early going of the Maritime Football League and making the playoffs will be a tall order. That said, the Wolves will play their next four contests at Arthur Miller Fields in Rothesay. After four rough road contests, the Wolves are looking forward to debuting on the new artificial turf surface on Saturday at 6 p.m. against the Prince Edward Island Privateers (1-3).

"It'll be new to everybody,'' UNBSJ head coach Bob Cote said. "I find the turf helps everybody. It's better footing and it adds a little speed to the game, which makes it more enjoyable.''

While Cote wishes his club were bringing a better record into the tilt, he's excited about what it will mean to play at Miller Fields, which cost about $2.4 million to construct.

"I think it really helps. It could attract more of the younger kids playing in the Fundy Minor (Football) system,'' the coach said.

Arthur Miller Fields feature two different turf playing surfaces. The lower field is exclusively for soccer and the upper field is for multiple sports. The upper field is made of the same turf the New England Patriots play on in Foxborough, Mass. The field is the first of its kind in Eastern Canada.

The land for the fields was donated by Arthur Miller, who also donated $1 million towards the project. The fields resemble grass but underneath the surface are silica sand and cryogenic rubber, which provide more cushioning while decreasing the risk of injury.

In an effort to celebrate their new digs, the Wolves are selling season passes for $10 for all four home games. Single-game tickets are $4. Passes are available from players or at the gate on Saturday.

Cote is counting on the change of scenery to help change the scene on the scoreboard.

"I think we've had a couple of close games that could have gone either way,'' the coach said. "We've progressed in some ways. We're getting some experience under our belts.

"I expect a close, hard-hitting game. We enjoy playing P.E.I., because it's always been competitive over the last few years.

"I don't think we're discouraged. Our last outing wasn't as good as we had hoped (a 64-0 setback to the league-leading Saint John Wanderers), but our guys are pretty optimistic.''

The worst part of the loss to the Wanderers came when outside linebacker Justin Mousek blew out his medial collateral ligament. Cote said several players must step up on Saturday, including defensive linemen Dave Thompson and Brad Copping. On the offensive side of the ball, the Wolves will count on quarterback Sean Gormley to connect with receivers Jamie Barefoot and Matt Sode.

"I think we can definitely win this game,'' third-year UNBSJ defensive back Lee Maloney said. "This weekend could be a transformation for us. Our problem is that we lose our confidence every time we get down.''

Meanwhile, there are four other MFL games on the weekend docket.

Two teams continue to pursue perfection as the Wanderers (4-0) visit the Riverview Mustangs (3-0) tonight at 7 p.m. There are two tilts in Halifax on Saturday. The Halifax Shockers (2-2) welcome the Moncton Marshals (1-3) for a 1 p.m. kick-off, while the Super City Mean Green (1-3) tangle with the Capital Area Gladiators (1-3) at 4 p.m. Saturday's other contest is at Millidgeville Field, where the Dartmouth Knights (3-0) visit the Saint John Longhorns (3-1) at 3 p.m.