Regina Rams season ends with Mitchell Bowl loss to Laval

The University of Regina Rams’ storybook playoff run came to an end in the Mitchell Bowl on Saturday.

The Laval Rouge et Or went on an 11-play, 80-yard that culminated in a touchdown with just 1:19 left in the game to earn the 17-14 win at Mosaic Stadium.

Isaac Gaillardetz caught the five-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Arnaud Desjardins for the game-winning score.

“I’m just so proud of these guys the way they fought all year. It’s a tough one, but proud to be their head coach,” said Rams head coach Mark McConkey.

The Rams, who finished the Canada West regular season with a 3-5 record, embraced the role of the underdog throughout the playoffs.

Regina went into Winnipeg and knocked off the 7-1 Manitoba Bisons 28-25 in the semifinal and then beat the University of Saskatchewan Huskies 19-14 to win the program’s first Hardy Trophy since 2000.

“It was a special year. We didn’t want it to end today. We thought we could go one more week but it was an interesting year,” McConkey said.

“I’m just proud of these guys. We were down — we lost five straight and everyone was counting us out. These guys came to work every day, the coaches did and they believed in each other. That’s going to stick with them the rest of their lives, and that is something no one can take from them.”

Rams quarterback Noah Pelletier, who had 356 yards and an interception in the game, said the playoff run showed what the team could do.

“I think that’s the biggest thing — we are capable of being a really good team when everything kind of comes together and that’s the biggest thing,” Pelletier said.

“We’re going to miss a couple of key components next year, but most of the guys are coming back so we are super excited for that and hopefully we can take it a week further.”

While the Rams enjoyed a lot of success this season, what’s going to hurt the most is how close the program came to knocking off Laval — an 11-time Vanier Cup championship program.

Marshall Erichsen ran a 36-yard touchdown in with 3:45 left in the game to give the Rams a 14-10 lead.

The Rams’ offence couldn’t find the end zone in the first half, so they had to settle for three field goal attempts from Isaac Wegner, who was good on two of them. Regina also added a rouge.

Laval’s offence was held in check throughout much of the first half by the Rams’ defence, as they only had one first down before Laval finally hit a big play just over midway through the second quarter when Desjardins connected with Olivier Cool for a 75-yard touchdown.

In the second half, the Rams’ defence forced two turnovers deep in their own territory to stop Laval drives. That included a Michael Jourdan interception in the third quarter at the Rams’ five-yard line and then forced a fumble at their own seven-yard line, which was also recovered by Jourdan.

But Laval found their offensive stride late when it mattered, going on the game-winning drive.

While the Rams season came to an end and the team made it all the way to the Mitchell Bowl, Pelletier admits they may still be viewed as an underdog next season.

“It’s something we embraced and we are happy to be the underdogs. It’s fun to be able to prove people wrong,” Pelletier said.

Laval will head to the Vanier Cup to take on Laurier in Kingston, On. on Nov. 23. The Rams last appearance in the Vanier Cup came all the way back in 2000.