On a night that most Canadians were glued to Game 7 of the World Series, the University of Regina Rams delivered an absolute thriller of a West Semifinal, winning a hard-fought contest against the University of Manitoba Bisons in double-overtime. The Rams started off hot, getting on the board with a major just 54 seconds into play following a 67-yard return by Quinton Fettes, a seven-yard scramble from QB Owen Sieben and finally a 30-yard run into the end zone from running back Marshall Erichsen. Manitoba’s response was almost instant. Bisons quarterback Jackson Tachinski hit receiver Payton Yakimishyn for a 37-yard gain to get into Rams territory. Five plays later, Tachinski hit a five-yard run into the end zone to tie up the game 7-7. The Bisons would go on to concede a safety midway through the first quarter. The Rams extended their lead following an 11-play, 73-yard drive that took 5:52 off the clock and bled into the second quarter. Erichsen proved to be the workhorse on the drive, recording six rushes for 39 yards in addition to a 12-yard reception. Rams QB Noah Pelletier would claim the touchdown for the green and gold on a one-yard plunge to make the score 16-7. Kicker Ty Gorniak would claim the first of his five field goals of the night on the Rams’ next possession to extend the team’s lead 19-7. However, Manitoba answered back in a big way. A blocked punt deep in Regina territory led to a short Maya Turner field goal for the Bisons. A Rams fumble soon after led to a 26-yard touchdown catch by Nathan Udoh, cutting the Rams’ lead to just 19-17. The third quarter saw only a 32-yard field goal from Gorniak to put the Rams up 22-17. Manitoba would take the lead for the first time midway through the fourth quarter. Taking advantage of a short field, Tachinski had a 24-yard scramble which was followed by a 32-yard touchdown pass to Udoh. Tachinski’s pass on the two-point conversion would be intercepted, holding the Bisons to a one-point lead. The Rams scored a rouge on the following possession. Rams’ kicker Isaac Wegner bombed a 52-yard punt into the end zone. Ethan Jaster would go on to take Manitoba’s Shakur Harris in the end zone to tie the game 23-23 with just under three minutes to go. Manitoba leapfrogged into the lead once again on the next possession. Tachinski hit Yakimishyn for 32 yards and the Bisons settled for a 16-yard field goal to put Manitoba up 26-23 with just 33 seconds left. QB Sieben would nail three consecutive passes to get Regina into field goal range, connecting with Christian Katende for six yards, Rylan Sokul for eight yards and finally Emmett Steadman for a 28-yard gain. Gorniak would step in and complete a 35-yard attempt to tie and send the game into overtime. Turner and Gorniak traded field goals in the first overtime. The Rams had first possession in the second overtime and Gorniak would nail his fifth and final field goal of the night, putting Regina up 32-29. Turner was once again called out for another field goal from 23 yards out. However, her attempt would ricochet off the left upright, ending the Bisons’ season and handing the Rams their ticket to the Hardy Cup. Saturday’s matchup represented the first time in Rams history that a postseason game went into overtime. Paired with the Rams’ overtime loss to UBC on Oct. 24, it’s also the first time the U of R has played back-to-back overtime games. Erichsen led the offence with 13 rushes and 95 yards and seven catches for 58 yards, leading to a total of 153 yards. However, he was forced to leave the game early in the third due to injury. Katende rushed for 67 yards while Sokul had six catches for a team-leading 61 yards. For the second consecutive season, the Rams will travel to Saskatoon to face off against the University of Saskatchewan Huskies in the 88th annual Hardy Cup. Kickoff is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 8 at Griffiths Stadium.
