Gaiters roll over Lions

The 1 p.m. kickoff time was not evident as both the Gaiters and Lions struggled early. In the first frame there was very little offence. Bishop’s managed to get a single point on a missed field goal early in the quarter but that was it for scoring.

The purple and white got the offence moving as they switched ends of the field for the second period. A 28 yard Mathieu Paquette (Magog, QC) field goal was followed shortly after by a Jordan Heather (Oromocto, N.B.) to David Haddrall (Kingston, ON) 11 yard touchdown strike. The first big play of the game would happen later in the frame as the Gaiters starting pivot, Heather connected with Kevin Wojcik (Orleans, ON) for a 53 yard touchdown. The hosts would take an 18-0 halftime lead.

Early in the third quarter the Gaiters got their special team rolling as Ryon McCalla (Brampton, ON) returned a punt 80 yards to pay dirt. Paquette extend the lead and got redemption from an earlier miss as he was successful on a 44 yard field goal. The Lions only points of the game came when the Gaiters conceded a safety as they were deep in their own territory, making the score 28-2 heading into the final frame.

Rookie kicker Kevin Kitamura (Richmond Hill, ON) boomed a 55 yard punt early in the fourth quarter. The Lions mishandled it. It was picked up by the Gaiters Jerome Mercier (Quebec City, QC) and run 15 yards for the last major of the game. The final whistle sounded with the Gaiters on top 35-2, giving head coach Kevin Mackey his first win at the helm.

“There were a lot of positives, some negatives too,” said Mackey. “Our special teams played well, so did the offensive line. We took too many penalties and do have stuff to work on next week. I am happy but not satisfied.”

The Gaiters will return to finish off training camp as they prepare to travel to Montreal to face Concordia next weekend. The game is set for 1 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 1. You can follow the Gaiters anytime at www.gaiters.ca.