The Redmen are National Champions.

You aren’t going to hear that phrase often at McGill unless you’re talking about the baseball program, which won it all in ‘06, made the final in ‘08, and climbed to the pinnacle yet again this past weekend, winning the national championships.

Despite entering the tournament as a wild card and winning only 33 per cent of their round robin matches, the Redmen stepped up in the clutch, winning three straight elimination games en route to the title.

The Redmen started the tournament off hot, beating the Atlantic Conference Champion Cape Breton Capers 8-2 on Friday, in a powerful team hitting performance supported by strong pitching from David Haberstram.

On Saturday, McGill was shut out in two straight against Durham (8-0) and Concordia (5-0). The two losses pushed McGill to the brink of elimination, forcing the team to play a one-game tiebreak against the St. Claire Saints. McGill trailed 4-0 after two innings but scored 16 unanswered runs, keeping their season alive with a 16-4 win.

In the semifinals on Sunday McGill faced the undefeated Durham Lords, who had a 21-0 record entering the game. McGill had veteran ace Anthony Carbone on the mound, who up until then had not pitched more than a single inning in any game due to an arm injury.

Carbone threw a complete game, allowing only four hits, shutting out the Lords 3-0 and leading the Redmen to the final.

“I actually wanted that game so badly,” said Carbone. “I was a little worried, to be honest, before the game started that my arm wouldn’t hold up for all seven innings, because going into every game I thought, ‘I want to end every game I start.’ I wasn’t sure how my arm was going to react after having not pitched more than an inning all year but … I just felt so confident because of all the boys behind me and how well we were playing.”

In the final, the Redmen faced the Brock Badgers, who eliminated the Stingers in the other semi. McGill opened the game with two quick runs in the first inning but the Badgers then scored five straight.

The Redmen hitters broke loose again in the fourth for six runs and a lead that they never relinquished, but not before the Brock bats tested McGill’s vaunted pitching depth.

L.J. Aguinaga came on in relief of starter and game one hero David Haberman after a tough two innings. Rookie Daniel Porter replaced him with the bases loaded in the sixth. He finished the game against the heart of the Badgers’ order and earned the save.

Chan Arndt took home tournament MVP honours going 12 for 21 with eight RBI.

Shortstop Alexander Day caught the fly ball that gave McGill the win.

“There was one out left … I turned to Chan at third base and he smiled at me and I smiled at him and then Chan yelled at me like, ‘shut up, shut up, focus!’ And the next thing you know there’s a soft line-drive hit my way. I think I was already three feet in the air smiling and jumping.”

The Redmen retained four former National Champions from the 2006 team: Noah Lezcz, Anthony Carbone, Alexander Day and Jacob Gallinger. Perhaps more importantly, the team has a number of holdovers from 2008, when McGill got all the way to the final and led in the fifth inning before losing to the University of New Brunswick Cougars.

“This season, honestly, player-for-player, I think the teams we beat on Sunday were probably superior talent than us,” said Alexander Day. “But what made this win special is that we were able to win based on the X-factor, the team unity.”

McGill Head Coach Ernie D’Alessandro, in his 15th year with the team, was happy with the character his team showed.

“Guys are playing with — I mean, I’m pretty sure one of my guys has a broken bone in the foot— they gutted it out the whole tournament and we never, never doubted ourselves,” he said.

Josh Gordon was named to the Nationals All-Star Team as a first baseman and Daniel Kost-Stephenson was named Pitcher of the Year.

Next season McGill’s most successful team expects to see increased fan support at Trudeau Field as they begin their title defence.

Adam Scotti

Adam Scotti

The McGill Redmen were looking for a win against the University of Montreal Carabins this past Sunday, but their 1-1 tie secured them a spot in the Quebec Students Sport Federation playoffs. A win would have served the team well in the conference rankings but they couldn’t put on the finishing touches.

Both teams struggled to control the match from the kickoff. Eventually, the Carabins offence warmed up and began to create chances in McGill’s half of the field. Senior midfielder Thomas Lucas worked hard to parry the ball away from the Carabins forwards.

The first goal of the match was controversial. In the 37th minute of play, Carabins goalkeeper Gregory Morin-Maltais caught freshman forward William Hoyle’s high shot. Upon catching the ball overhead, however, Morin-Maltais backed into his own goal. Despite the Carabins’ complaints, the Redmen received the benefit of the doubt and the goal counted.

The second half opened with the Carabins on the offensive. Four minutes into the half, midfielder Maxime Laurey fired a superb free kick into the top right corner of the net. The Redmen seemed momentarily shaken by the early equalizer.

McGill Head Coach David Simon responded by replacing midfielder Cory Marcon with forward Alexander King in hopes of shifting the momentum. King proved to be a solution, as the Redmen offence picked up the pace and generated offensive chances.

Possession changed frequently and both teams were unable to complete plays. But after few more minutes of attack the Redmen started to control the game.

Midfielders Yohann Capolungo and Olivier Babineau created scoring opportunities for striker George Banks, who saw the field well and used his speed to his advantage.

“I was very pleased with George Banks’s performance,” said Simon. “It’s the first game he started up front. He’s coming back from a double knee surgery, he hasn’t played in a year, he is really peaking at the right time and we are going to need him.”

Lucas provided the Redmen with well-aimed corners and free kicks but was unable to connect with strikers in scoring position.

“It’s been the same old story for our team–we can’t really finish,” Said Lucas. “And that’s not just forwards, that’s a collective thing. We lack that killer instinct. We are pretty young and it’s going to come eventually. Hopefully it comes at the right time in the next few games.”

Morin-Maltais recovered from his first half gaffe with a commendable second, in which he stopped a barrage of Redmen shots on net.

It was evident that tension was high as players began to get more physical as the game wore on. In addition to numerous fouls, the referee issued two yellow cards in the second half—one to each team.

With the clock ticking down, Simon put in striker Sebastien Munro in hopes of a late winner, but the match concluded 1-1.

“Despite not winning the game, I felt that we were the better team overall in terms of play and in terms of opportunities that we created—especially the last half hour,” said Simon. “It didn’t go in but I think that if we can keep that momentum and that desire to move on forward, we can be dangerous next weekend and in the playoffs.”

The Redmen travel to Concordia next weekend. With two games remaining in the regular season, McGill is looking for a win to set up their regular season finale against UQAM, which could determine the second seed in the QSSF.

Adam Scotti

The McGill Redmen’s 15 game winning streak came to an end Sunday afternoon with an emotional loss to arch-rival Concordia. It was a tight game until the last 10 minutes, but Concordia made plays when it mattered most and defeated McGill 17-10.

The first half was extremely slow for both teams. The Redmen were ineffective passing and Concordia’s lineouts were off the mark.The referee kept calling penalties on McGill’s scrums and also sent a Concordia player to the sin bin.

“The ref was saying that we were engaging too quickly and I think that comes with communication with the forward pack. I don’t think it will be a problem, we just need to work on it a little more,” said fly half Josh Reznick.

The first chance for points came in the 19th minute, but Gideon Balloch missed the kick.

The first half ended disappointingly for McGill. The score remained 0-0 and second-row Maxwell Gregory had to leave the game with a dislocated shoulder.

After the scoreless first half, the second started off very well with McGill aggressively pushing for a try. With a steal from Concordia’s lineout, McGill took possession near Concordia’s end. Scrum half Josh Reznick made a beautiful inside pass to Rodderick Mackenzie who scored the first try of the game. Balloch made the ensuing conversion to make the score 7-0.

A few minutes later, McGill extended their lead to 10-0 as a penalty against Concordia resulted in Balloch making another kick.

The Stingers would answer though with a beautiful offensive play resulting in a try and narroweing McGill’s lead 12 minutes into the second half. The following conversion, however, was nowhere close to the goal posts, and the score remained 10-5 for the Redmen.

McGill was called on a penalty a couple minutes later, giving the Stingers a chance for three points, but they could not convert.

In the 20th minute, another try and successful conversion by Concordia left the Redmen in uncharted territory. They now trailed 12-10.

Tensions ran high in the game’s dying minutes. Pushing and shoving began and sent Redmen center Sam Skulsky and a Concordia player being sent to the penalty box.

McGill desperately pushed for another try but Concordia’s defence held. The Stingers answered with another try, and could have put the game out of reach with a successful conversion. However, Concordia again failed and the score remained 17-10. Despite one last opportunity McGill could not even the game.

While the Redmen were obviously frustrated, they remained optimistic after the game.

“We’re obviously disappointed with the outcome,” said McGill Head Coach Craig Beemer, “but it was a really good wake up call. Concordia played well, and on a few defensive mistakes by us they were able to capitalize and score a couple of really nice tries. We were pretty well matched. I don’t see any other team being better than another when it comes to physical presence or skill. We are usually predominately the better skilled team but I wouldn’t say that right now. They are even with us at this point.”

Reznick agreed that the loss and tightly contested game could ultimately prove beneficial for the Redmen in the upcoming playoffs.

“I think this is the first time our team faced adversity in a long time,” he said. “I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing, it’s a learning experience. We’re starting to build now towards the playoffs and we have to take this loss in stride, and hopefully put forth a better effort come semifinals. I think the intensity was there today, we were hitting hard but we just weren’t necessarily playing the smartest rugby in the world.”

The Redmen now head to the playoffs, hoping to have learned something from the loss. They will try to begin a new winning streak on November 7, when they play the  Sherbrooke Vert et Or in the Quebec Student Sports Federation semifinal at Molson Stadium.

Adam Scotti

The McGill Martlets demolished the University of Waterloo Warriors 72-47 in the final game of the Redbird Classic at Love Competition Hall. The Martlets started slow, but once they found their offensive rhythm they were near impossible to stop.

McGill trailed 6-1 halfway through the first quarter, but closed with a furious 15-1 run. The Martlets used intense defensive pressure to force turnovers from their opponents that led to easy baskets in transition.

“More pressure defensively,” said McGill Head Coach Ryan Thorne when asked what the keys were to the first quarter run. “We didn’t make it easy on them. We got some early baskets by pushing it up the court and getting into early offence.”

Forward Anneth Him-Lazarenko led the Martlets first quarter charge, with five points, all off free-throws. The Warrior defence was unable to handle Him-Lazarenko in the post. They were forced to constantly foul the post-player to keep her from scoring easy layups.

McGill continued to build on their lead in the second quarter. Him-Lazarenko and sharpshooting guard Marie-Eve Martin worked together to lead the McGill offence. Him-Lazarenko’s presence inside opened up the perimeter for Martin, who began to dominate.

“We have Annette here working inside, so obviously if they double her inside I’m open outside,” said Martin. “The key was that we played as a team, that’s what worked best.”

At halftime, the duo had combined for 20 points and the Martlets led 32-18.

Martin opened the third scoring  one of her four three-pointers. She shot 6-10 and finished with a game-high 16 points in just 23 minutes.

“We expect that [from Martin] every night,” explained Thorne. “We got it from Marty all weekend. That’s the kind of player she is, she works hard at every opportunity. Sometimes the shots falling and sometimes its not, but she’ll always give you that effort.”

By the end of the third quarter, McGill led 58-30. The starters sat the rest of the game. The bench looked impressive playing against Waterloo’s top players. Led by center Valerie L’Ecuyer the bench confidently finished the game. L’Ecuyer scored 12 points and grabbed four rebounds.

Despite the one-sided win, the Martlets were disappointed not to have won their home tournament. The Redbird Classic began well for the Martlets as they thumped University of Prince Edward Island 69-42. However, they lost their next game 64-52 to eventual tournament champions, University of Toronto.

On the men’s side of the classic, the University of Western Ontario was crowned champion. They edged McGill 72-67 on Saturday to remain undefeated. The Redmen won their other two games with an impressive 76-69 win over UPEI and 79-67 victory against Queen’s University.

The Martlets see room for improvement as they head into the regular season next month.

“We have to expect more from our starting players,” said Thorne when asked how his team could improve. “If our starting line gets us off and going, coming off the bench we have some solid players who will maintain them.”

Martin added that defensive improvements  must be made.

“What we need to improve on is our defence,” she said. “Just rotate and communicate on defence.”

The Martlets open their regular season against Bishop’s on November 13 at Love Competition Hall. With Him-Lazarenko and Martin looking like two of the best players in Quebec, McGill looks primed for a successful season.

In one of the best-kept NBA secrets since “The Decision,” the New York Knicks practiced at McGill’s Love Competition Hall on Thursday. Amid little fanfare, the Knicks put in an afternoon of practice in preparation for an exhibition game Friday night against the Toronto Raptors at the Bell Centre. Members of the Redmen and Martlets basketball teams, as well as some members of the local sports media, observed the superstars.

It was the kind of event that doesn’t come around every day, and those who were there to witness it were not disappointed. On the same hardwood that our varsity teams call home and on which many of us play intramural sports, NBA players were practicing. Signs around the gym notified students that the gym was closed, and many did not even realize that their intramural contests were cancelled because of the presence of professional basketball players.

The Knicks relished a day outside of their usual surroundings and enjoyed practicing in a university environment. “To be able to go to a college where there’s lots of energy and excitement, that’s always good,” said Knicks Head Coach Mike D’Antoni. “Practicing every day, it becomes a bit of drudgery, so it’s a nice change.” Many of the pros took some time to help out the McGill athletes with some shooting technique.

The coach also mentioned that his players were enjoying their time in Montreal. “Most of our players have never been to Montreal. It’s a beautiful city, and for them to be able to experience the city the night before, I think it’s great.”

Whether that statement meant that players were loading up on poutine and enjoying the infamous Montreal nightlife or soaking in the culture is a mystery. If anyone saw some larger than average men on their way to the bar scene on Thursday night, they probably saw the Knicks.

While varsity athletes were allowed down to the gym to watch the practice, those who are not so athletically gifted were forced to watch from the windows above the gym near Tomlinson Hall. Surprisingly, in this age of instant communication, there were only about twenty people watching from above. Whether this was because McGill students don’t care about basketball or if they were too focused on their studies is irrelevant; they missed a rare opportunity.

Later on, a crowd gathered in the hall as the Knicks made their way from the gym to the bus back to their hotel. Some lucky students were able to take pictures with stars, like power forward Amar’e Stoudamire. One fan was even heard shouting to the newly signed free agent, “Take us back to the Holy Land!” A clever pun combining Amar’e’s task of revitalizing the team with the NBA’s longest playoff drought and the summer rumours that the star big man travelled to Israel and is now exploring his alleged Jewish heritage.

Returning to the playoffs will be a tough task for the Knicks but in an Eastern Conference dominated by only a couple of teams, the last few spots should be up for grabs. “We have some good players, we’re young and we need to come together,” said D’Antoni. “We’ll try to make the playoffs, and 29 other teams are trying to do the same. We have a good shot at being pretty good this year.”

If the Knicks live up to expectations this season, a few McGill students will remember that the road back to the post-season began with a shoot-around at our very own gym.

John Kelsey

John Kelsey

The McGill Redmen trounced the Queen’s University Gaels 7-1 Saturday night, in a lopsided, but spirited game that featured strong defence, volatile tempers, and a four-goal performance by star forward Francis Verreault-Paul. It was the sixth straight win for the Redmen, who are undefeated this season.

From the opening face-off, the Redmen (6-0) played a high-intensity game, dominating in shots and scoring chances. They relegated most of the play to the Queen’s zone and led 3-0 by the end of the first period. Redmen sniper Verreault-Paul scored McGill’s opening two goals.

 “Queen’s is a solid team and we played really well tonight. We played well in our own end,” said Captain Evan Vossen, clearly pleased with his team’s efforts. “Just the little things we’ve worked on are paying off, so if we can just keep going like that we’ll have a lot of success.”

During the second period, McGill’s offence exploded with four unanswered goals. Verreault-Paul led the second-period offensive assault with his third and fourth goals of the game. Verrault-Paul was unstoppable all game, earning praise from his teammates

 “That’s just the kind of guy he is,” Vossen said. “He’s definitely a sniper, with him you know what you’re going to get. Everybody like [centre Guillaume] Doucet made great plays tonight and he was the beneficiary. He was able to finish them off.”

In the second period, tempers flared as the Queen’s team became increasingly frustrated. As a series of after-the-whistle shoving matches ensued, the rambunctious and large home crowd roared. Nine separate players went to the penalty box for roughing in the span of less than one minute.

“We were up 5-0 at that point and tried not to get in their game too much, but we have to protect and defend ourselves a bit, so for sure the tempers were running high,” said Guillaume Doucet, who picked up three assists in the contest. “It’s always a rivalry when we play against Queen’s. The crowd is always loud, especially when it’s here.”

By the start of the third period, the Redmen led 7-0. McGill noticeably relaxed failing to score and only mustering four shots on goal in the third. The Gaels put up the lone marker of the period when forward Brock Ouellet scored at 1:13. The goal was the only blemish on Redmen goaltender Hubert Morin’s near-perfect night. He stopped 16 of the 17 shots sent his way.

The game was a penalty-filled outing and resulted in the Redmen’s special teams units dominating the night. They scored twice on the powerplay and notched two impressive shorthanded markers.

“Those goals are definitely big momentum builders,” said Head Coach Kelly Nobes about McGill’s special teams dominace. “Scoring on your penalty kill is unexpected and our special teams were very effective, with our power play also generating a couple goals. We were very opportunistic. We scored when we got our chances.”  

With an impressive six straight wins, the pressure is on for the Redmen to continue performing at this calibre.

“You try not to think about it, we go one night at a time, but tonight feels good, it’s a big win,” Doucet said. “It doesn’t mean much for the streak though, because next game we have to do it all over again. But it’s still a big step in the right direction. We need to keep playing like we did tonight.”

The Redmen look to keep their win streak alive on Friday in Kingston.

Adam Scotti

The nation’s number-one-ranked team, the Laval Rouge-et-Or (8-0) massacred the winless McGill Redmen (0-8), who were looking for just their second home victory in two years. Laval scored a minute and a half into the first quarter and never looked back, posting a 68-0 win over the Redmen.

There were no good signs for McGill on Saturday, especially for the many seniors who have now played their last game on McGill’s home field.

“We can’t take a lot out of this game,” said Head Coach Sonny Wolfe. “It just shows us how far we have to go to compete with the best.”

Laval scored as many touchdowns as McGill had first downs. When Rouge-et-Or placekicker Christopher Milo sent his seventh extra point through the uprights just before halftime, a flock of seagulls that had been congregating on the empty north side stands abruptly got up and flew away. Like looking directly into the sun, no one, not even the birds, could keep their eyes on the game for an extended period of time.

Except, that is, for the many Laval fans who made the trip to Montreal and were louder than the home supporters.  They at least had something to cheer about.  The highlight of the game for McGill came in the first quarter when third year defensive back Joff Gorin intercepted an errant Bruno Prud’homme pass, one of the few mistakes Laval made all game. The drive, of course, ended in another three-and-out for the Redmen.

The 130th season of McGill football will mercifully end next weekend as the Redmen go on the road to face Sherbrooke Vert-et-Or. The team is already eliminated from playoff contention, meaning that McGill has now missed the Quebec University Football League playoffs four years in a row. A loss to Sherbrooke would cap off McGill’s third winless season in the last four years.