Seawolves season grows to six games

Football: UNBSJ to play first home game at Canada Games Stadium Oct. 8

SAINT JOHN – The Atlantic Football League blitzed its way onto the sports scene last year and this season promises to bring an even larger playbook with new teams and a refurbished Canada Games Stadium in Saint John.

The University of New Brunswick Seawolves, seen in action last season versus the UNB Red Bombers at Shamrock Park, will play an expanded schedule this year, with three home games slated for the newly renovated Canada Games Stadium.

With the University of Dalhousie Tigers and Prince Edward Island’s Holland College Hurricanes joining the league, five teams from three provinces will battle for gridiron supremacy.

The University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves, UNB Fredericton Red Bombers and the Moncton Junior Mustangs were part of the league’s inaugural season.

Barry Ogden, the Seawolves’ president and general manager, said the Holland College team will also include players for the University of P.E.I.

“They’ve never had a team,” Ogden said of Holland College. “There’s been no fall football in P.E.I. at this level in 31 years.”

The Dalhousie Tigers, he said, haven’t fielded a football team in 34 years.

The pair of new teams will mean each squad will get three regular season home games instead of last year’s pair of tilts.

The long awaited $7-million refurbishment of the Canada Games Stadium should be completed in September. Located at UNB Saint John, the artificial turf field will be home to the Seawolves.

“We will have a great venue,” Ogden said. “Last year we had some terrible mud bowls, very unsafe fields.”

Last season the Seawolves played their home games at Millidgeville Field and Shamrock Park.

“We bounced back and forth, but it really hurt our attendance,” Ogden said. “We’re hoping the venue will really change it and bring out the community.”

The Seawolves will play their first month of the season away including an exhibition game Sept. 12 against the Husson College Eagles of Bangor, Maine.

The Seawolves season opener is Sept. 25 in Moncton against the Junior Mustangs. Their first home game at the Canada Games Stadium is slated for Oct. 8 against Holland College.

Saint John went undefeated in the regular season but lost the championship Moosehead Cup to Fredericton.

Ogden said they’re trying to attract another squad to even out the league’s numbers.

“We are looking for that sixth team, which would be great.”

Interest in football, he said, is growing at the minor and high school levels with players who don’t want to hang up the pads after school is over.

“They’re not going to go play for a big team and sit on the bench, but they want a place to play.”

With the refurbished Canada Games Stadium, Ogden hopes the fans will support the Seawolves and the league by taking in the games.

“It’s the first time ever university football is going to be played at our university.”

Even though the league is only in its second season, Ogden said the level of play was high and the teams were evenly matched.

“There was a whole bunch of games that ended in the fourth quarter.”

While the league is growing, Ogden hopes community support will grow as well.

“We really, really want to see the community come to what we believe is the nicest stadium in Atlantic Canada.”