The Huskies and Rams will meet for a Championship after two finishes

It’s been more than 20 years since the University of Regina Rams and the University of Saskatchewan Huskies met for the Canada West Football Championship.

After two potential finishes, they’ll do it again on Saturday afternoon. The Huskies scored twice touchdowns in the final minute of their Canada West semifinal against the host British Columbia Thunderbirds to win 38-33.

Meanwhile, the fourth-place Rams got a 16-yard touchdown catch from Nicholas Sirleaf with 19 seconds left, and stun the top-ranked Manitoba Bisons for a 28-25 victory. The back-to-back wins mean the Huskies, who finished third in the regular season with a 5-3 record, will face the Rams, who went 3-5 in the conference finals.

Earlier this week, Huskies coach Scott Flory said they’ve had a lot of close games this season:

“We had 57 minutes to play, we have to put some things in order, but in the last three minutes we know we can move the ball, shut people down, and get the points.”

Flory referenced this quote after Saturday’s game: “These young men, in the final three minutes of the game, just continue to make plays and to believe,” Flory said. “They never quit. This is one of the most resilient teams I’ve been around.”

The Huskies trailed UBC 33-20 early in the fourth quarter and moved closer with a 24-yard Lukas Scott field goal and a rouge.

With just over a minute left in the game, Saskatchewan wide receiver Ercy Avul found the back of the net and scored on a 33-yard touchdown pass from Anton Amundrud. That extra point made it 33-31.

The Huskies had a perfect on-side kick that was recovered by Saskatchewan’s Katley Joseph at the UBC 52.

After that: Ryker Frank ran for 13 yards and ran for 37 more to the UBC 2-yard line. Two plays later, Frank ran in from 1 yard out and the Huskies took the lead with 29 seconds left in the game. They won too.

This is Saskatchewan’s fifth trip to the Canada West final in the last six seasons. Last year, they lost in the semifinals, ending their four-year streak.

Regina’s last conference final appearance was a 38-14 loss to Calgary in 2012.

“It will be great to be back in Griffiths at home in front of our fans,” said Flory, who matched the Rams this season with a 33-28 loss and a 22-20 win. “This is what we want. We weren’t ready for it in the regular season, but now we have the opportunity. “We know we’re going to have a good Rams team, our local rival, and I think that’s going to shake things up.”

On Saturday, Amundrud completed 31 of 42 passes for 381 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Frank took 26 passes for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while Rhett Vavra carried 13 passes for 187 yards and a touchdown.

On the scoring side, Saskatchewan got a 2-yard touchdown catch from Vavra (with backup quarterback Jake Farrell behind center), two 1-yard touchdown runs from Frank, and a 33-yard catch from Avul. Scott added field goals of 30, 22, and 24 yards.

UBC had 12-yard touchdown catches from Mark Webb, 14 yards from Caleb Cunningham, 75 yards by Sam Davenport, 16 yards by Shemar McBean, and 14 yards field goal from Kieran Flannery-Fleck.

The winner of Saturday’s Huskies/Rams game will advance to next weekend’s game against the Quebec champions, while the survivor will advance to the Vanier Cup on Nov. 23 at Queen’s.

“There was no panic,” Flory said of the final minutes. “I had a calm, cool, and professional attitude throughout the game and it was no different in the last three minutes.”