UNBSJ teams come up empty on the field of play

Published Monday September 26th, 2011  in the Telegraph Journal

It was not a good day on the field of play for the University of New Brunswick Saint John Seawolves.

St. Thomas University Tommies soccer teams collected a pair of victories over UNBSJ, registering a 2-1 triumph in men’s action and a 2-0 decision in women’s play.

In women’s action, STU captain Rachel Green score in the 70th minute and Hailee Cornford score a minute later in the 71th minute to give STU the win and the all-important three points.

Elmer Morales and Craig Draper scored for the Tommies while Manuel Reyes answered for UNBSJ. The Tommies defended hard to record their third win of the season and remain unbeaten.

On Sunday, St. Thomas and Crandall University played to a 1-1 draw. STU’s Amanda Benedict was ejected from the game in the 36th minute for a hard tackle on defender Meaghan Dickie. Cornford broke the scoreless game with a run through the Crandall defence at the 59th minute but Crandall answered on a terrific header by Heather Gallant with three minutes left.

In football action, the Fredericton Red Bombers dropped the Seawolves 33-7. In other action, Holland College of Charlottetown got past Dalhousie University 16-13. Matt Hanson returned the game’s opening kickoff for a touchdown but the Seawolves dropped a 33-7 decision to the Fredericton Red Bombers in Atlantic Football League acion on Saturday at the Canada Games Stadium.

In women’s rugby action, the Mounties held on for a 10-7 win over St. Thomas, which moved them into first place.

In football action, the Saint Mary’s Huskies handed the Mount Allison Mounties a 60-6 defeat at Moncton’s Rocky Stone Field during the CIS game that was part of Scotiabank’s 2011 Touchdown Atlantic festivities. Major scoring for Saint Mary’s came from kicker Brett Lauther with 21 points (five field goals and six extra points), while Michael Dawes added two rushing touchdowns, and Jahmeek Taylor scored the first major of the game and made an 80-yard punt return for six points late in the third quarter. Jesse Mills and Melvin Abankwah contributed single touchdowns each. Mounties’ kicker Alex Curtis accounted for Mount Allison’s scoring with his two field goals of 35 and 29 yards. Leading rusher for the Huskies was Craig Leger with 129 yards on 14 carries. Mount Allison’s leader in the ground game was Emmanuel Musangu with 82 yards on 22 carries. In other action, the St. Francis Xavier X-Men fell 33-14 to the Acadia Axemen.

In Atlantic University Sport soccer action, the St. Francis Xavier University X-Men enjoyed a swing through Sackville on the weekend, defeating the Mount Allison University Mounties 4-0 in women’s university soccer action and 2-0 in men’s play.

Hurricanes rock Red Bombers on weekend

By K. Bryannah James – Sports Editor on September 21, 2011 in the Brunswickan

The UNB Red Bombers may have lost this past weekend against the Holland College Hurricanes, but it wasn’t due to any lack of commitment by the team. During the game, it was a hard-pressed struggle between the two teams, until the final quarter when the Hurricanes blew past the Bombers.

The first quarter started with a touchdown 15 seconds into the beginning of play by the Hurricanes’ Demetrius Ferguson. However, it was quickly balanced by a 13-yard run by Bomber, Eric Smith to tie the game 7-7.

“My offensive line was wicked tonight, I just can’t thank them enough,” Smith said.

Smith, who’s playing his last year as a Red Bomber, is one of the leading players to put points on the board, as his touchdown was one of three for the evening.

“I’m just a big guy who likes to play football. The boys on the field call me tanker, because I’m a firefighter in Oromocto. I just like getting the ball and playing.”

By the second quarter of the game the stakes were raised when the Hurricanes seized an opportunity as quarterback Jeffrey Madsen fumbled the ball, allowing the Hurricanes to one-up the Bombers, 14-7.

However, as the Bombers’ offense lined up on the 30-yard line, Sean Middleton ran downfield to the 14-yard line, securing the Bombers’ second first down.

Directly following, Smith put together two runs to get his second touchdown of the game and get the Bombers back on even ground at 14-14.

As the neck-to-neck game continued, it was just before the end of the first half when the Hurricanes blew past the Bombers with a touchdown by Ferguson, unsettling the Bombers and going into halftime with a 21-14 lead.

The Bombers started the third quarter with a bang as their special teams put the ball on the 50-yard line, giving UNB a good run.

Madsen had a strong pass to Cody Stewart, grabbing a first down for the Bombers, which was directly followed by Smith’s third touchdown for the evening, to tie the game again, 21-21.

“Eric was just phenomenal tonight, his effort was just incredible. Second, third, fourth, effort all the way through to score those touchdowns,” said Bomber head coach, Mike Dollimore.

Holland College answered back off he kickoff to take the lead again, 28-21. The Bombers scored their a fourth and final touchdown against the Hurricanes, when Madsen passed the ball to Stewart for nine-yard TD catch; the score now at 28-28.

“Jeff, we’ve given him a whole new offence in some ways and he’s getting used to that. But you know I thought he threw the ball fairly well, he got pressured and it sort of threw him off a little bit and he got sacked a couple times and you can’t do much when you’ve got peoples’ hands in your face. He did well to get the ball out a couple of times and he threw some very nice passes and I thought he did a great job tonight,” Dollimore said.

By the fourth quarter of the game, the Bombers didn’t move much on the scoreboard, but the Hurricanes did rock them down the lines as they pulled away with two more touchdown passes, leaving the BMO Centre with a 44-28 victory.

Special teams cost Bombers

Published Monday September 19th, 2011 By CHRISTOPHER CAMERON For The Daily Gleaner

The University of New Brunswick Red Bombers struggled on special teams from the opening kickoff Saturday night, resulting in a 44-28 loss to the Holland College Hurricanes in their Atlantic Football League season opener at BMO Centre.

Demetrius Ferguson returned the opening kick for a touchdown just 15 seconds in and the Charlottetown-based Hurricanes grabbed an instant 7-0 lead.

The Red Bombers tied it when Eric Smith ran 13 yards to the Hurricanes’ 14, then capped the drive with a seven-yard TD – his first of three.

In the second quarter, Holland College defensive tackle Tom Lund pounced on the ball on the UNB 38-yard line after quarterback Jeff Madsen fumbled the ball. Solid running by Dave Clark and Vinnie DeSciscio set up a two-yard strike from Nick Hunsley to Robbie Tufts and gave the Hurricanes a 14-7 lead.

The Red Bombers tied it 14-14 two possessions later, as Sean Middleton had a 25-yard run and Smith had back-to-back short runs for his second touchdown of the game.

“Eric was phenomenal tonight with second, third and fourth efforts all the way through to score those touchdowns,” said UNB head coach Mike Dollimore. “The offensive line gave him some holes to run through, but he broke some tackles and it was just incredible to watch and inspiring for the team.”

With just a minute left in the first half, the speedy Fergsuon took in a long UNB punt near his own goal line. He started up the near sideline before reversing direction and outrunning everyone for a 105-yard touchdown. The ‘Canes took a 21-14 lead to the dressing room.

“Special teams is always the weakest part (of the team) when you start off the season like this,” said Dollimore. “The difficulty is getting everyone out on time before the season. Special teams take a week or two to gel.

“If you take away those plays, it’s an even game.”

The Bombers tied it 21-21 in the third quarter, thanks to a 23-yard TD run by Smith.

“I’m just a big guy that likes to play football,” said Smith. “The guys on the field like to call me tanker cause I’m a firefighter in Oromocto. I just like getting the ball and playing. It’s my last year; I’ve got a career. I might as well have fun.”

The ‘Canes answered back on the ensuing kickoff, which was returned 60 yards by Clark to UNB’s 37, setting up a 15-yard touchdown pass from Hunsley to wideout Jeff Hillier. The score and the convert by Enrique Alonzo-Ruiz, who was perfect on the night, made it 28-21 for the visitors.

Answering back one last time, the Bombers would push the ball down the field from their own 45 into the endzone as Cody Stewart caught a nine-yard TD pass from Madsen with 1:01 left in the third quarter.

That would be all the offence for the Red Bombers, however.

The Hurricanes took control in the fourth quarter.

A 58-yard touchdown run by Clark – he rushed for 182 yards on 16 carries – gave the ‘Canes a 35-28 lead. The defence then stepped up with a big tackle in the backfield by Marcus Dunphy, followed by a huge quarterback sack by Nathan Condon and Ryan Adams. It proved to be the turning point of the game.

Taking over on downs, the Hurricanes capped a drive with a 17-yard touchdown pass from Hunsley to Justin Murphy, extending the lead to 42-28. A James Court interception sealed the win and a UNB safety rounded out the scoring.

Prior to the match Dollimore expected Holland College and Dalhousie to be his team’s toughest tests this season, but felt the Bombers played well against the Hurricanes, who had routed the UNBSJ Seawolves 62-0 the week before.

“I was quite pleased with the way we moved the ball and we showed some real promise at defence as well,” said Dollimore. “I don’t think Saint John is a pushover because they just beat Dal.”

UNB’s next game is Saturday at Saint John.

Last minute heroics clinch third place

Christopher Cameron – Sports Editor of the Brunswickian November 3, 2010 9:43 AM ADT

The Red Bombers went into their last game of the season with a playoff spot locked up, but third place on the line.

Defeating the Holland College Hurricanes meant facing Dalhousie Tigers in the first round of the playoffs while a loss meant playing the undefeated UNBSJ Seawolves.

The UNBF Red Bombers were able to pull off the win, but by no means was it an easy victory.

The Bombers came out in the first half with a TD pass by Pat Forbes followed by a TD run from QB Jeff Madsen running the ball into the end zone himself. The early first half offence from Holland College was no match for UNB as they mustered seven points, with the first half ending 13-7.

In the second half, the Bombers opened up the half as the receiving team. They kicked off their first drive on the Hurricanes 55. Forbes took a pass to the 37 yard line, but after another run and a penalty the Bombers had to punt the ball away.

Their special teams stepped up allowing the Hurricanes to get no return, holding them inside their own five yard line. The Bombers were able to get a safety after no run from the Hurricanes to put themselves up 15-7.

After UNB’s next possession did nothing and they punted the ball back to the Hurricanes, the Bombers holes on defence from previous games became evident again.

Holland College kicked off their possession on their own 40, but after a run to the Bombers 52, a timeout was called. Another run play from the Hurricanes found the hole and Phillimon Rolle took it to the house for a 52-yard TD run.

Head coach Mike Dollimore knows this is where consistency is needed on the team.

“We were inconsistent throughout the whole game as was the other team,” said Dollimore. “We had moments of glory on both offence and defence, but faltered for awhile and got ourselves in a bad situation.”

With the Hurricanes now within one, the Bombers bench became silent. The third quarter ended at 15-14 for the Bombers, with their most important quarter of the regular season remaining.

The Hurricanes came out firing and with ten minutes remaining in the game a pass TD from the Bombers 20 yard line gave the Holland College faithful something to cheer about, putting the team up 21-15.

Both teams were unable to convert on any offensive chances trading possessions until, with 1:13 left in the game, the Bombers had the ball. It was now or never and the arm of Brendan Cornford in for an injured Madsen, who sprained his finger at the end of the first half, had the game on his shoulders.

Starting their drive on the Hurricanes 39, a twelve yard pass to Andrew Guest kicked off the drive. They followed with a 17 yard run to the ten for another first down. A short gain by Eric Smith gave Cornford 18 seconds and ten yards to win the game.

Off the snap it looked like all the receivers were covered, but Forbes got Cornford’s attention at the back of the end zone. Cornford completed the pass under pressure and the Bombers had tied the game. The point after was good to put the Bombers up 22-21.

“It was unbelievable, I don’t even know what to say,” said Cornford. “I saw his hands at the back of the end zone. I trusted him, let it go and he caught it.”

Two incomplete passes from the Hurricanes and the game was in the books. Dollimore is happy with the result, but wishes the win had of come easier.

“We hung in there and Cornford came in and made a phenomenal play at the end of the game, as did Pat Forbes in catching it. It was a good win to come away with, but it was a tough game.”

The Bombers will now take on Dalhousie the weekend of Nov. 13 with final time to be announced. Dollimore is not concerned as much with the plays on the field but more with who will be making them.

“We have to heal, we have some key injuries still,” he said. “We always come away from games like this with a bunch of injuries, nagging injuries and some of them serious. We have to heal and get our key players healthy.”

In other AFL action UNBSJ destroyed Moncton 38-0.

Cornford rallies Bombers to dramatic gridiron victory

Published Monday November 1st, 2010 by Robert Touchie of the Daily Gleaner

In a season that has left UNB Red Bombers quarterback Brendan Cornford feeling he’s been at the losing end of a bad trick, Cornford was pleased to come off the bench and provide his Bomber mates an early treat to their Halloween celebrations, leading the Red Bombers to a last minute 22-21 Atlantic Football League victory over the Holland College Hurricanes before 269 frozen fans at Chapman Field.

With the win, UNB runs its AFL record to 3-3, while the Hurricanes fall to 2-4 as the playoff picture begins to come closer into focus for the expansion Island entry and the defending league champion Bombers.

UNB came out strong after forcing and recovering a Hurricane fumble on their first play from scrimmage. Just one possession later, starting quarterback Jeff Madsen found Pat Forbes with a 20 yard pass play at the 10 minute mark of the first quarter to put UNB ahead 7-0.

Holland College responded midway through the second quarter when Jeff Hillier took a 15 yard Nick Hunsley pass 55 yards after finding a seam in the Bomber defence and darting diagonally across the frozen Chapman turf to even the score at 7-7.

The half would end 13-7 after a 15 yard TD scamper by Madsen (the PAT was no good) just 1:20 before halftime. UNB added two more points on a Holland College safety on the ‘Canes first possession in the second half.

Madsen left the game late in the fourth quarter with a hand injury, giving way to Cornford.

“The whole game Jeff carried us and then he got banged up and they needed me to come in, but I wasn’t fazed at all about the situation, I actually was really calm and had been playing through my mind from the bench, exactly what I would do if I had to go in,” said Cornford, the starter for the Bombers in their inaugural season..

“Our O-line did an amazing job and when I went in I wanted to score, we needed the win and I felt I had a statement to make. I think I made it, and hopefully there may be more opportunities for me over the remainder of the season.”

In just two series’ Cornford drove his team to the Hurricane goal line twice, winding up with 43 yards passing from four of six pass attempts, drilling one for a TD and one for an interception, just to keep things interesting.

Coming in ‘cold’ on a night that was numbing enough to those brave enough to venture out, Cornford entered the game with UNB trailing 21-15 and 2:39 remaining in the game. Starting on the UNB 40, Cornford led the Bombers on a six play drive that died on the Hurricanes three when he was picked off by Dave Clark. The whole thing took 53 seconds.

As quickly as Cornford had pumped the UNB faithful up, the air quickly appeared gone and it seemed to be ‘game over’.

UNB lineman Tyler Doak and the Bomber defence had something to say about that.

UNB’s stellar defence, led on this night by Doak, Justin DeMerchant, Brian Gilliland and Mike McSorley, came on to stuff the ‘Canes in two plays and force a punt.

That ate up 33 more seconds. More importantly, it forced the Hurricanes to punt from terrible field position and set Cornford and company up on the Hurricane 40 with 1:13 left to play.

Cornford went to work quickly, hitting Andrew Guest with a 12 yard pass, setting up the Bombers on the 28 yard line with a little under a minute to play. Randy Madsen ran 13 yards up the gut on a draw play, right into the eye of the Hurricanes, so to speak.

Cornford didn’t give them time to recover, quickly going to bruising Eric Smith running off tackle for another six yard gain and setting the ‘Canes up for a play action call that sent the UNB faithful into a frenzy.

“The pick on that first series almost threw me off but when I saw I’d get another chance, there was nothing but touchdown in my head,” said Cornford.

It came on a broken play.

“(Pat) Forbes was my last outlet, the tight end (Andrew Guest) was the first but he got held up at the line with the play action and then I saw Ethan McClellan was covered and I finally saw Pat’s hand up and I put it in the space they gave me.”

There wasn’t much: possibly a two foot window of opportunity before Forbes would run out of real estate at the back of the end zone.

“I had maybe a yard, maybe less and I really didn’t notice until the last second when the ball was on me that it was as close as it was,” said Forbes. “But it was a perfect throw under tough circumstances by Brendan and all that was going through my mind at the moment the ball came into my hands was ‘what a perfect ending!’, he said.

The former StFX X-Men, in his first year at UNB, scored the first and last touchdowns for the Bombers. He wound up with six catches for 75 yards. He believes the Bombers are revving up for another title run.

“We’ve come a long way since the beginning of this year and our ‘D’ is really coming together and taking control of this team,” said Forbes.

UNB also put together a solid ground game as Smith rambled for 127 yards on 15 carries and Randy Madsen, had 71 yards on 11 carries. Randy’s brother Jeff finished 6-of-16 passing for 58 yards and a TD while also running for 42 yards and a touchdown.

“It was an up and down game, as it has been really in all our games this year and that’s what you get in a league that is evenly matched like ours is,” said UNB head coach Mike Dollimore. “It’s great to watch and great to coach and I think we are showing everyone, with efforts like these tonight, that this is an excellent place for local talent to play.”

Dollimore was impressed most by Leo Hayes High School alum, Cornford, and Forbes, the Riverview High alum receiver who combined on UNB’s final score.

“That last play of the game with Cornford coming in cold, driving us down the field, giving up an interception; then he turns around and does it all over again, seconds left on the clock, freezing cold, with four Holland College defenders in his face, firing a bullet that’s bang-on to Forbes at the back of the end zone…it was just an amazing play and it speaks volumes of our local talent. The highlight…the story of this game, is Cornford coming in cold and doing what he did.”

Red Bombers outlast Holland College Hurricanes Football Club in exciting game

Monday, October 18, 2010 from the Holland College Website

Charlottetown, PE – The UNB Red Bombers outlasted the Holland College Hurricanes 52-48 in Atlantic Football League action in Charlottetown on Sunday afternoon. The 1,200 spectators who braved the damp weather conditions were treated to a tremendously exciting game that left ‘Canes supporters disappointed but dazzled by numerous great plays by both teams.

The two teams, fighting for playoff positions and home-field advantage, traded touchdowns in the first quarter, which ended with the score tied at 7-7.

In the second quarter, however, the Red Bombers unloaded on the ‘Canes, scoring four touchdowns, a single on a missed field goal, and safety. The ‘Canes answered with two touchdowns of their own: a 20-yard pass from quarterback Nick Hunsley to Jason Mitchell, who rose above a crowd of defenders to pluck the ball out the air, and a pass and run from Hunsley to Jeff Hillier that covered 70 yards.

When the scoring barrage ended at the half, the score was 38-20 in favor of the Red Bombers.

The Hurricanes turned to their ground attack in the third quarter. Two big gains by Dave Clark, including a 24-yard touchdown run, provided a momentum shift for Holland College. A minute later, ‘Canes defender Richard Lush recovered a fumble at midfield. Hunsley quickly found Mitchell in the end zone again, bringing the Hurricanes roaring back to within 4 points of the Red Bombers.

The improbable third-quarter turnaround was capped by an exhilarating 50-yard punt return by the speedy Hiller, and Holland College took over the lead for the first time in the game, 41-38, after the convert by Sebastian Ayangma. Hillier had 276 total yards on the day and three touchdowns.

As the fourth quarter opened, the Red Bombers were intent on launching a counter offensive of their own when cornerback Demetrius Ferguson, who was playing both ways for much of the game, picked off a UNB pass in his own end zone and returned it all the way to midfield. Ferguson remained in the game and Hunsley hit him with a 45-yard touchdown pass that seemed to put the ‘Canes in control of the game at 48-38.

On their next possession, however, the Red Bombers answered with a rushing touchdown by quarterback Jeffrey Madsen. Minutes later, the Hurricanes had a chance to put the game away, but just failed to connect on another long pass. With two minutes left to play, Madsen scored again, on a keeper, and it was UNB that was back on top, 52-48.

Holland College tried valiantly to stage another comeback, but a UNB interception killed one drive and then the expiring clock ended last-ditch efforts to pull out the win for the hometown crowd.

The loss leaves the Hurricanes at 2-3, while the Red Bombers even their record at 2-2. The injury-riddled ‘Canes will enjoy a bye next weekend before heading to Fredericton for a rematch with the Red Bombers on Saturday, October 30th.

Moncton junior football team hosts UNB Fredericton tonight

Published Saturday October 9th, 2010 By Sean Hatchard of the Times & Transcript

The Atlantic Football League regular season has only reached the halfway mark, but these are already desperate times for the Moncton Junior Mustangs.

The Mustangs have started the season at 0-2 and considering teams only play a six-game schedule, they will need to right the ship quickly.

An opportunity comes tonight when Moncton hosts the University of New Brunswick Fredericton Red Bombers at 6 p.m. at Rocky Stone Memorial Field.

The Red Bombers are also 0-2 on the season and will also be looking for their first win of the season.

“This is a huge game for us. With such a short schedule, almost every game has playoff implications. I would think the loser of (tonight’s) game has an almost impossible road to make the playoffs after starting 0-3,” Mustangs head coach Peter Comeau said last night.

“I expect Fredericton to be in the same frame of mind as we are. This is a time of desperation and we both want to get a win and keep our playoff hopes alive. It should be two teams putting it all out there and trying to get their first win under their belt.”

The UNB Saint John Seawolves top the five-team league at 2-0, followed by the Dalhousie Tigers (2-1), Holland College Hurricanes (2-1) and then both Moncton and UNB Fredericton at 0-2.

The Mustangs opened the season with a 44-33 loss to Holland College on the road, blowing a lead in the final minutes, and were hammered 53-13 by the Seawolves in their last game two weeks ago.

The Red Bombers lost 22-19 to Dalhousie and 30-0 to the Seawolves.

“Fredericton is a team in their second year in the league and has the same coaching staff,” said Comeau. “I expect them to have a strong running game and they have some talented receivers with speed they’ll try to get the ball to.”

Comeau is expecting a much better effort from his club than it showed in its last outing.

“I told our players on Tuesday that our game basically starts tonight in practice. We’ve got to be better at being mentally prepared and we definitely have to be prepared to sacrifice ourselves physically. We need to play more blue-collar football,” the coach said.

“We also have to be much better at special teams. We’ve given up valuable real estate on punt and kickoff returns and we’ve got to come prepared to play better in that part of the game. If we do that, I think we can be successful.”

UNB Saint John hosts Holland College on Monday. Dalhousie has a bye this week.

Bombers set to defend Atlantic football crown

Published Friday September 17th, 2010 by Bill Hunt

The University of New Brunswick Red Bombers are all revved up to defend their Atlantic Football League championship.

The Bombers, who won the fledgling circuit’s first championship last season with a 3-1 victory over the University of Saint John Seawolves, begin the quest to repeat when they host the Dalhousie Tigers, one of the two expansion entries in the now five-team loop, Saturday night at 6 p.m. at Chapman Field.

The Holland College Hurricanes of Prince Edward Island are the other new entry, joining the Moncton Junior Mustangs, the Seawolves, and the Bombers in a six-game regular season schedule.

Bombers coach Mike Dollimore has a Bomb Squad of 52 at his disposal – 45 may dress for a particular game – and while he still needs to see everything work, he figures this year’s edition of the Bombers is bigger and better than the squad that went 1-3 last year.

“We’re having a lot of trouble deciding who are going to be our starting 24.”

There are, of course, some obvious choices. Andrew Hubbard, the dynamic wide receiver, is a lock to be one of the targets for veteran quarterback Brendan Cornford, the former Leo Hayes High signal caller, and understudy Jeff Madsen.

“They can both throw the ball very well,” said Dollimore. Andrew Guest and slotback Pat Forbes – his dad Bob was a Bomber in the 1970s and will be in to watch his son play Saturday – are other potential targets.

“I think we’ll be using our slotbacks as an attack tool, with both the run and the pass,” said Dollimore.

The Bombers will platoon an array of running backs over the first couple of games at least. Candidates fighting for field time include returnee Eric Smith, Tommy Broad, Randy Madsen, Rame Zeid and Nick McEachern.

“I think we’re going to try to establish the run,” he said. “Hopefully, that will help establish our passing game.”

Dollimore likes the size and speed of an offensive line which includes Zack Cann, Dylan Sullivan, Andy Ouellette and newcomers Dave Giddings and Andrew Gillingham, among others.

Tackle Tyler Doak returns as “the heart and soul of our defensive line,” Dollimore said.

Jory Smith moves from linebacker to defensive end after playing “brilliantly” in the playoffs last year. Punter Alden Pezerovich – “he basically won the championship game for us last year,” said Dollimore – returns in that role and will play on the D-line as well.

Matt Flosse and James Wilde anchor the linebacking corps. Veteran Justin Demerchant returns to anchor the defensive backfield at free safety. Ryan Soles and Mike McSorley return as veterans in the defensive backfield as well. Brian Gilliland, Dustin Pond and Joey Ley will be part of the mix in the defensive backfield as well.

Dollimore is still putting it all together.

“We’re getting very strong competition, fierce competition among the defensive backs, the receivers, and linebackers,” said Dollimore. “I don’t know yet that we’re any better. We haven’t proven it yet. We have to prove that Saturday night, and hopefully by the end of November. We’re bigger, and it appears we’re every bit as quick.”

Competition and experience ought to bring out the best in the Bombers, too.

“What we’re seeing this year is a much higher level of experience than we did last year,” he said. “The core 40 we had last year were solid football players, but we had 30 or so who had never played the game before or played a long time ago. Those guys kind of cut themselves early this year. I think we’ll probably end up platooning people where we can over the first couple of games to see who fits best in the situation. We’ll probably narrow in on starters in several positions as the season goes along.”

Dollimore is excited about expansion within the league.

“It’s absolutely essential for the success of this league,” he said. “If we had more teams to give us a little more balanced schedule, that would be even better. But there’s not much need to expand beyond five or six teams because the season is so short.”

While the Bombers draw from a cross-section of the community, with “60-70 per cent” UNB students, but others from St. Thomas, New Brunswick Community College and the community at large, the Tigers will be made up entirely of students from the university. Dollimore is familiar with members of their coaching staff, “who are going to be able to put things together quickly, I’m sure,” he said.

Dollimore found the first year of the circuit “an incredibly close league. I’m not expecting anything different. Any game can go either way, I believe.”

Dollimore said it’s not the goal of the Bombers to become a Canadian Interuniversity Sport program.

“To do that, there needs to be a much broader commitment base by everyone, including the university and the alumni. But we have an opportunity now to have a program on the field with about 95 per cent local talent from Fredericton, New Brunswick, and the Maritimes. That includes the players, the coaches and the officials.

“It’s a great thing to see after having spent close to 40 years promoting and working in football. As soon as you go to a CIS model, it’s going to be very expensive, but it’s also going to bring our local talent down to about three to five per cent. This suits our needs at this point in time. If someone wants to refocus down the road, that’s up to them. It’s certainly not my intention at this point.”

Saturday nights are game night on campus for the Bombers. They’ll face the Seawolves in a rematch of the league final Oct. 2 at 7 p.m. at Chapman. They’ll also host the Hurricanes, the Holland College entry, Saturday, Oct. 30 at 7 p.m.

The top four teams advance to the post-season with fourth place playing first and third meeting second at the home of the high finisher Nov. 12 or 13.

Winners pair off at the home of the high finisher in the Nov. 20 championship game.

Bombers up to the challenge

Josh Fleck – The Brunswickan - September 8, 2010

Last year the AFL faced questions concerning how a three team league would work out, but after a successful first season the league is back and now bigger and better.

During the 2009 season, the eventual Moosehead Cup Champion UNB Red Bombers struggled in their regular season posting a 1-3 record. The Bombers stepped up their play in the playoffs making it past the Moncton Junior Raiders to face the undefeated UNBSJ Seawolves in the championship game. The Bombers defeated the Seawolves by a narrow 3-1 margin, with a final minute scare when the UNBSJ kicker missed a field goal wide to lose the game.

If the Red Bombers intend to be champions again this year, they will have to pull up their socks since the league is expanding. Joining the AFL this season are Holland College and Dalhousie University, pushing the league to a total of five teams. With the league expanding, having one more team than the AUS football conference, Commissioner Pat O’Brien has high expectations for the success of this season.

“I believe that the number of players that each team has will be great,” said O’Brien. “There were players in the stands last year who didn’t know how the league would fair, but now that they have seen the level of play, they will probably be more willing to participate. Adding those teams makes the league more interesting.”

Preparing for an extended season and more teams, second year Bombers cornerback Brian Gilliland does not feel the weight of being reigning champions on his shoulders.

“There is absolutely no added pressure when you are trying to repeat as champions,” said Gilliland. “We have the talent on this team to win it all and I would be disappointed if we were not there in the finals again. I am really looking forward to playing the Seawolves because I have played with a lot of their players growing up, so there has been some friendly jawing going on.”

The main concern defensive backs coach Terry McIntyre has for the upcoming season is not knowing what to expect from the Dalhousie and Holland College offences.

“We roughly know what to expect from Saint John and Moncton,” said McIntyre, “but the expansion teams are different. Dal is the real wild card because of the coaching staff they brought in, as well as, the numbers they are getting for try outs.”

The Bombers kick off the AFL season on September 18 playing host to the Dalhousie Tigers at 6 p.m. on Chapman Field.

Red Bombers go into Year 2 with more to kick about

Published Wednesday August 25th, 2010 by David Ritchie

More teams, more games and a more concerted promotional plan marks the beginning of Year 2 in the second coming of Red Bombers football at the University of New Brunswick.

New teams based out of Dalhousie University and Holland College in Charlottetown gives the Atlantic Football League five teams for the upcoming season.

That means a little more variety for the charter members including the defending champion Red Bombers, the UNB in Saint John Seawolves and a club team out of the Moncton area which will be known as the Junior Mustangs this time around. They were the Raiders in Year 1.

In case you missed it, the Bombers edged the Seawolves 3-1 in the inaugural AFL championship game played in the muck and grime of Saint John’s Millidgeville Field.

Yeah, it sounds more like a baseball score than a football result. The weather was lousy, and the late date, Nov. 22, isn’t exactly conducive to the Greatest Show on Turf with our climate.

So maybe the final won’t go down in the annals of amateur football as one of the classics of all time.

But you know, the most important thing about last year was that there was a game to be played on that day, regardless of the weather.

It showed that when determined people with a passion for the game of football want to make something happen, it can be done, even when the obstacles seem prohibitive. They found the time, the energy, the money, the facilities and enough of a support staff to put together a three-team league.

These guys, and we’ll make mention of the respective managers, Barry Ogden in Saint John, Dan Fougere in Moncton and Larry Wisniewski in Fredericton, saw a void for kids graduating out of the extensive high school football system in the province and who, for whatever reasons, weren’t about to pursue the game at the CIS level.

Some might not have been talented enough to get a recruiting sniff from a CIS school. Some might have lacked the prototypical football body and didn’t feel it was physically in their best interests to play at a higher level.

Some simply didn’t want the hassles of committing to a rigorous CIS program, or leaving their hometown to play at that level. Others might have already made a commitment, saw the reality wasn’t what it was cracked up to be, and desire to play the sport at a less intense level.

Still others weren’t ready to begin their post-secondary educational pursuits, or didn’t feel equipped to do so, but yearned to keep playing a game they had come to love in their minor and secondary school years.

Ogden, Wiz, Fougere and countless others in on the planning at some point deemed there were enough of these players around, guys capable of playing a good enough brand of football that people would be willing to pay to see.

Thus, the AFL, a league geared for footballers between the ages of 18-24 and involving mostly university-based players with others from the community at large, became a reality.

How successful was it?

Enough that there’s two more teams on board so Year 2 is going to be even better. Guaranteed.

Are you ready for some football?

It had been 30 years since the UNB Red Bombers last ran onto the field at College Field to play a football game.

Watching the Red Bombers play their rivals from around the Atlantic Conference was the thing to do on a fall Saturday afternoon. You’d bring the wine skin, find a cozy spot in the bleachers, and get to watch quality players such as Donny Davis, Mike Washburn, Stewart Fraser, Chris Skinner, Terry Cripotos, Steve Corscadden, Chuck Proudfoot, etc., do their thing wearing Red Bombers jerseys on the gridiron at College Field.

For incoming students, there was no better way to “orientate” yourself with your new school than to spend Saturday afternoons at College Field. Orientation was as convenient as a walk down the hill. Football was first up, and people who live here all know about how great the climate is in September and October in these parts.

For any number of reasons, the UNB administration of the day saw fit to end that annual rite of fall. And football died a quiet death at the university level in this city.

When Wiz and a former Red Bomber, Mike Dollimore, decided to take the lead with the Fredericton entry into this new AFL venture, they were looking to tap into those memories with the resurrection of the UNB Red Bombers.

They were up front about what this league was all about…that it was a club team operating in a junior league with players from not only UNB but St. Thomas University, New Brunswick Community College and the city at large. And that was the mix head coach Dollimore, who returns, and his coaching staff worked with from the outset of training camp.

The hope and wish was that when those players rushed onto the turf at Chapman Field further up the hill (than College Field), the only thing that would resonate was the Red Bombers were alive and kicking, and that football for university-age youngsters was once again a going concern in this town.

So just imagine the rush for Wiz and Dolly – and all those behind-the-scene football enthusiasts who with their support, financial or otherwise, wanted to see the black and red of Red Bombers football again – when over 2,000 folks gathered under the lights for opening night.

And how exciting it was when the PA announcer first screamed: First down, Red Bombers!!! Touchdown, Red Bombers!!!

Are you ready for some football?

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