The start of the game was delayed by almost three hours because of localized thunderstorms that lit up the sky over Canada Games Stadium, making for unsafe playing conditions.
On a rain-soaked field, it was the Hurricanes who struck first. Rookie running back Chucky Ortiz flashed his moves, gaining yards in chunks on consecutive plays, running off-tackle left, then right, and then up the middle for a 15-yard touchdown. Alex Quinn added the point-after to make it 7-0 just five minutes into the first quarter.
Late in the opening frame, another big gain by Ortiz to the Seawolves 27-yard line set up a pass from quarterback Nick Hunsley to Luke Williams. On the next play, Ortiz took it in from the 8-yard line and the Canes were up 13-0. The convert attempt failed.
In the second quarter both defenses clamped down, punctuated by a blocked punt by the Seawolves and an interception that halted another Hurricanes drive late in the first half. Holland College held on to the 13-0 lead at the intermission.
Strong defensive play by the ’Canes in the third quarter stymied the Seawolves’ ground game. Late in the quarter, however, it was Saint John’s defense that came up big with an interception for a touchdown. The pick-six followed by the point-after had the Seawolves back in the hunt with the score at 13-7 in favour of Holland College.
A fumble recovery by Nathan Conway early in the fourth quarter set up a 13-yard field goal by Quinn, which extended the Hurricanes lead to 16-7. Late in the quarter, with the Seawolves driving downfield, again it was Conway, who combined with Kaeto Okafor on a huge quarterback sack. Holland College took over on downs and ran out the clock to seal the win.
Conway’s performance earned him the APM Defensive Player of the Game. Ortiz, who racked up 220 yards on 25 carries in his debut was the APM Offensive Player of the Game. The running back also shared AFL Player of the Game honours with Seawolves Alex McGarvey.
In the other AFL game on Saturday, the UNB Fredericton Red Bombers defeated the Dalhousie University Tigers 13-2. Next action for the Hurricanes is Saturday, September 22, at 1 p.m., when they host the Red Bombers at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place. A big crowd is expected for the home opener, which is a rematch of last year’s AFL championship game.
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