Gaels look to take Thanksgiving matchup at home

KINGSTON, Ont. (October 6, 2010) – The Queen’s Gaels are looking to get their season back on track this weekend as they return home to face the University of Toronto Varsity Blues (2-3).

The Gaels come into this matchup having lost three consecutive games to nationally ranked squads. The Gaels dropped close matchups to the Guelph Gryphons (who were ranked tenth at the time), the Ottawa Gee-Gees (who were ranked second), and the Western Mustangs (who were ranked fifth). The Mustangs were the latest to top the Gaels as they beat Queen’s 46-10 at TD Waterhouse Stadium.

Offensively the Gaels were led by Jimmy Therrien (Montreal) who put up over 100 yards rushing for the third time in his career. Justin Chapdelaine (Abbotsford, B.C.) saw the majority of time at quarterback for Queen’s and put up 115 yards passing, and scored Queen’s lone touchdown on the ground. Defensively the Gaels were led by Frank Pankewich (Thunder Bay, Ont.) who had 11 tackles, and Sam Sabourin (Stittsville, Ont.) who had added nine tackles of his own. Calgary’s Matt Webster also had the first interception of his career which led to Chapdelaine’s rushing touchdown.

The Varsity Blues enter this week’s matchup as the talk of the CIS. Despite being massive underdogs to the Ottawa Gee-Gees last weekend, the Varsity Blues came away with the 40-35 victory in the contest. It was the first time since 1974 since Toronto had topped Ottawa, and it was their first victory against a nationally ranked opponent in over a decade.

Toronto quarterback Andrew Gillis (Markham, Ont.) was named CIS and OUA Offensive Player of the Week for his performance as he went 28 of 45 attempts passing for 343 yards and two touchdowns. Derek Batchelor (Mississauga, Ont.) was the Varsity Blues’ leader on defence as he had seven tackles and two interceptions.

It has been two full seasons since these long-time rivals met last in the 2008 season, a game the Gaels took by a score of 58-14. Despite being behind in the all-time matchup (Toronto leads Queen’s 88-81-4), Queen’s has not lost to the University of Toronto in their last 11 matchups dating back to 1975.

Photo: Jeff Chan
By: Christopher Lund