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FB: Hardy Cup semi-finals loom large in Saskatchewan

November 1, 2022

by Brian Swane, special to CW

Four teams. Two cities. One province.

While the Saskatchewan Roughriders may have missed the 2022 CFL playoffs, Canada West is more than filling the void of postseason football in The Land of the Living Skies.

Saskatchewan will be grounds for both Hardy Cup semi-finals on Saturday (Nov. 5), when the Saskatchewan Huskies entertain the Manitoba Bisons at Griffiths Stadium at 1 p.m., and the Regina Rams host the UBC Thunderbirds at Mosaic Stadium at 4 p.m. Catch all the action streaming live and on demand on SaskTel, TELUS and Canada West TV.

This marks the first time that both Canada West football semi-finals are happening in the pigskin-mad province. Scheduled kickoff in the two games is separated by only three hours, which is also about the length of time it takes to drive from Saskatoon to Regina.

A day this rare and special is a fitting follow-up to what was a spectacular regular season of Canada West football among the conference's six teams. The mantra that on any given day any team can beat any other has never held so true: Consider that over the course of the eight-week schedule, Calgary beat Alberta which beat UBC which beat Saskatchewan which beat Regina which beat Manitoba which beat Calgary.

In fact, Canada West was so competitive in 2022, that the last playoff spot was not decided until the final moments of the last game. Alberta and Manitoba headed into their respective games last Saturday (Oct. 29) battling for fourth place in the standings and the subsequent postseason berth. After the Golden Bears defeated UBC on a field goal with only 21 seconds left, the Bisons needed a win against Regina to punch their ticket, and did just that, coming from behind in the fourth quarter.

The result is a pair of games that are overflowing with subplots. For starters, Saskatchewan vs. Manitoba is a re-match of the 2021 Hardy Cup, which the Huskies won to capture a record 20th championship. In the case of the Cougars and T-Birds, it was just two seasons ago that both missed the playoffs after finishing in the bottom two spots of the standings; now one of them will have an opportunity to play for the Hardy Cup.

Here's a look at Saturday's semi-finals. The winners will meet in the 85th Hardy Cup at the home of the higher seeded team on Nov. 12.

Saskatchewan Huskies (7-1, first place) vs. Manitoba Bisons (4-4, fourth place), 1 p.m. at Griffiths Stadium in Saskatoon

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Regular season result: Huskies def. Bisons 43-22 at Saskatchewan on Sept. 30

Fast Facts:

  • Saskatchewan has won 16 straight home games in the Canada West regular season and playoffs combined. The Huskies' last loss at Griffiths Stadium came to Calgary on Sept. 14, 2018.
  • Before beating Regina in their regular season finale, the Bisons were winless in 2022 away from Winnipeg. Manitoba finished 1-3 on the road, giving up an average 33.5 points in those games.

Players to watch:

  • Mason Nyhus, Saskatchewan. After helping the Huskies to a Hardy Cup triumph and being named a Canada West All-Star in 2021, the fifth-year quarterback led the conference in passing completions (197), yards (2,759) and touchdowns (18) this season.
  • AK Gassama, Manitoba. No one made more big plays in Canada West this season than the third-year receiver, who had at least one catch of 47 or more yards in five of Manitoba's eight games, and led the conference in receiving yards (749) and yards per catch (20.8).

Regina Rams (5-3, second place) vs. UBC Thunderbirds (4-4, third place), 4 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium in Regina

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Regular season result: Rams def. Thunderbirds 21-13 at UBC on Sept. 23

Fast Facts:

  • Regina is in the playoffs for the first time since 2017 and hosting its first postseason game in six years. The Rams' last playoff win came a decade ago, against the Huskies in the 2012 semi-final.
  • Since winning the 2015 Hardy Cup, the T-Birds' only playoff victories have come over Regina. UBC beat the Rams in consecutive semi-finals, 2016 at Mosaic Stadium and 2017 in Vancouver.

Players to watch:

  • Anthony Bennett, Regina. In his second season with the Rams after transferring from Florida Atlantic University, the fifth-year defensive lineman increased his numbers in nearly every defensive stat category, leading Canada West in both sacks (8) tackles for loss (10.5).
  • Isaiah Knight, UBC. The second-year running back, who led Canada West in rushing yards (754) this season, ran for over 100 yards five times, including in UBC's upset of Saskatchewan on Oct. 22, when he had 231 yards and three touchdowns combined rushing and receiving.