December 2, 2021
Banner Season: Ravens host familiar finals foe Varsity Blues for right to hoist Hershorn Trophy
Burlington, Ont. - The path to the provincial finale may have looked different this season, but even with successful regional qualifier wins under their belts, the Toronto Varsity Blues and Carleton Ravens once again find themselves battling for banner season glory in the pool. The perennial contenders will add to their latest stretch of gold medal meetings when they take to the Ravens Pool on December 4 at 3:00pm for the 2021 OUA Water Polo Championship.
2021 OUA Water Polo Championship | Fan Guide
It has been another dominant run for both sides, but it was the four-time defending champion Blues who really flexed their offensive muscle this past weekend.
They began their qualifier run with a five-goal opening quarter against McMaster, which included goals from captain Diego Gonzalez (Ottawa, Ont.) and leading scorer Bruno Marunica (Regina, Sask.). The duo would go on to combine for seven goals in the game, which Toronto won handily by a 17-4 margin, and set them up for a win-and-they're-in game against Western.
They would parlay their pristine play into that next match, and it was Cam Hexter that got the team off and running in their encore. An opening quarter hat trick from the Surrey, B.C. product set the offensive tone early, as the Blues built up a 16-0 lead at the break, and his five-goal mark for the game buoyed what was a dominant 28-1 dismantling of the Mustangs overall.
The 45-goal explosion, which was coupled with a stingy defensive showing from netminder Minos Kotsambasis (Kitchener, Ont.) across the two games, not only gave Toronto the wins, but ensured they would have the chance to compete for their fifth consecutive OUA championship against what is a familiar foe in Carleton.
While their path wasn't quite as one-sided, the Ravens also proved once again that they have what it takes to prevail over their fellow conference competitors, even in the most pressure-packed of situations. With Ottawa having already won their first qualifying match, a win against Carleton would have punched their ticket to the finale, and it looked as though the Gee-Gees would do just that when they took a lead into the final quarter of play. Carleton, however, had other plans.
The black birds tied the game before the end of regulation, and used a perfect 5-for-5 showing in the shootout - including the final tally from Quinn Davies - to edge their cross-town rivals in the hard-fought victory. From there, the Ravens comfortably took down the host Gaels behind a masterful offensive showing from OUA athlete of the week, David Lapins, and made sure that their side would be featured in the final yet again. A pair of goals in each of the first three quarters from the former member of the Canadian national team were enough to set the Ravens up with a five-goal win (11-6) and earn Carleton the right to host the season's last match.
In addition to those who provided the heroics in the qualifiers, the Ravens will also turn to standouts like Andrei Djukic (South Surrey, Alta.) and Leandro Velazquez to turn the tides in their favour on Saturday.
Coming out of the qualifiers, fans will once again be treated to the matchup that has concluded the OUA water polo season eight times over the last nine seasons. Backed by their head-to-head familiarity in the finals, Toronto and Carleton are consistent contributors to the OUA championship history books, combining to take home the last 16 OUA banners. After alternating championships from 2010 through 2015, it has been all Toronto, having won the last four conference banners, but Carleton comes in poised to end their drought on home turf and dethrone the defending champs.
The highly-anticipated OUA Water Polo Championship, which will close out the OUA's fall banner season, hits the water at 3:00pm on Saturday, December 4 at the Ravens Pool, with the winner set to hoist the historic Hershorn Trophy once again.
2021 OUA Water Polo Championship | Fan Guide
It has been another dominant run for both sides, but it was the four-time defending champion Blues who really flexed their offensive muscle this past weekend.
They began their qualifier run with a five-goal opening quarter against McMaster, which included goals from captain Diego Gonzalez (Ottawa, Ont.) and leading scorer Bruno Marunica (Regina, Sask.). The duo would go on to combine for seven goals in the game, which Toronto won handily by a 17-4 margin, and set them up for a win-and-they're-in game against Western.
They would parlay their pristine play into that next match, and it was Cam Hexter that got the team off and running in their encore. An opening quarter hat trick from the Surrey, B.C. product set the offensive tone early, as the Blues built up a 16-0 lead at the break, and his five-goal mark for the game buoyed what was a dominant 28-1 dismantling of the Mustangs overall.
The 45-goal explosion, which was coupled with a stingy defensive showing from netminder Minos Kotsambasis (Kitchener, Ont.) across the two games, not only gave Toronto the wins, but ensured they would have the chance to compete for their fifth consecutive OUA championship against what is a familiar foe in Carleton.
While their path wasn't quite as one-sided, the Ravens also proved once again that they have what it takes to prevail over their fellow conference competitors, even in the most pressure-packed of situations. With Ottawa having already won their first qualifying match, a win against Carleton would have punched their ticket to the finale, and it looked as though the Gee-Gees would do just that when they took a lead into the final quarter of play. Carleton, however, had other plans.
The black birds tied the game before the end of regulation, and used a perfect 5-for-5 showing in the shootout - including the final tally from Quinn Davies - to edge their cross-town rivals in the hard-fought victory. From there, the Ravens comfortably took down the host Gaels behind a masterful offensive showing from OUA athlete of the week, David Lapins, and made sure that their side would be featured in the final yet again. A pair of goals in each of the first three quarters from the former member of the Canadian national team were enough to set the Ravens up with a five-goal win (11-6) and earn Carleton the right to host the season's last match.
In addition to those who provided the heroics in the qualifiers, the Ravens will also turn to standouts like Andrei Djukic (South Surrey, Alta.) and Leandro Velazquez to turn the tides in their favour on Saturday.
Coming out of the qualifiers, fans will once again be treated to the matchup that has concluded the OUA water polo season eight times over the last nine seasons. Backed by their head-to-head familiarity in the finals, Toronto and Carleton are consistent contributors to the OUA championship history books, combining to take home the last 16 OUA banners. After alternating championships from 2010 through 2015, it has been all Toronto, having won the last four conference banners, but Carleton comes in poised to end their drought on home turf and dethrone the defending champs.
The highly-anticipated OUA Water Polo Championship, which will close out the OUA's fall banner season, hits the water at 3:00pm on Saturday, December 4 at the Ravens Pool, with the winner set to hoist the historic Hershorn Trophy once again.
