For Regina Rams receiver Nicholas Sirleaf, it was bittersweet watching the Vanier Cup in his team’s home stadium.
“It definitely doesn’t rub me the right way to know that we could’ve been playing in that game,” said Sirleaf.
Sirleaf could only sit and watch as the Montreal Carabins defeated the Saskatchewan Huskies 30-16 to win their second Vanier Cup in three years in front of a raucous crowd of 8,896 people.
“Honestly, we’re just going to use that as fuel and hopefully make it next year,” said Sirleaf.
The all-star receiver made it very clear he was not cheering for either team in the game.
“When it comes to a league that I play in, I won’t cheer for any other team but my own,” said Sirleaf. “That’s just how competitive I am.”
Fellow Rams receiver Blake Laidlaw had a different perspective on cheering for a team in the Vanier Cup.
“I was hoping the Huskies won, would’ve been super awesome to have a clean sweep of Saskatchewan, the Grey Cup, Canadian Bowl and the Vanier,” said Laidlaw.
With the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders winning the Grey Cup and the Canadian Junior Football League’s Saskatoon Hilltops winning the Canadian Bowl, the Huskies were aiming to complete the sweep of Saskatchewan teams winning major Canadian football championships.
While the Rams were hoping for a different outcome to this season, for Carabins fan Bernard Gourgon the Vanier Cup was a storybook end to a great season for the Montreal Carabins.
“I tell you it was quite a ride, quite a joy ride too,” said Gourgon.
Gourgon is the father of Carabins receiver Brandon Gourgon, who had two catches for 49 yards and a touchdown in the Vanier Cup, which was also the final game of his U Sports career. This was the second Vanier Cup the senior Gourgon has attended, and he praised the fan experience in Regina.
“I can say it’s a little bit more festive over here than it was in Kingston,” said Gourgon.
With the game being in Regina, there were many fans wearing green and white supporting the Huskies, however there was also a sizeable contingent of Carabins fans.
“That’s the norm for the Carabins. The fans travel with the team. We went to Halifax, we came here, we travel with the team,” said Gourgon.
For Jaxson Bowerin, who is a second-year student at the University of Regina, while the game itself was great, he would’ve liked to see the hometown Rams in the Vanier Cup.
“Obviously it would’ve been awesome to see them there, especially since it was a Canwest representative in the game,” said Bowerin.
This was the first Vanier Cup that Bowerin has attended, and he had high praise for the atmosphere.
“Absolutely electric. Other than a professional CFL game, I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people in a stadium at once,” said Bowerin.
“A lot more (fans) than I thought there was going to be, even from the visiting Montreal team.”
