KINGSTON, Ont. (November 5, 2009) – After earning a bye through the quarter-finals, the Queen's Gaels open their quest for the Yates Cup this Saturday against the McMaster Marauders.

The No. 4 ranked Gaels last played two weeks ago when they saw their team-record 17 game regular season winning streak come to an end against the Laurier Golden Hawks. As for the Marauders, they are coming off an upset victory over the Ottawa Gee Gees last week on the road in an OUA Quarter-final match.

These two teams previously met each other at Richardson Stadium back in Week 2. In that game, the Gaels prevailed in a closely-contested game 8-7. After QB Danny Brannagan of Burlington, Ont., gave the Gaels a 7-0 lead in the first quarter, both defences stepped up their play and held the offences in check. The Gaels defence, led by Matt Vickers of Stittsville, Ont., was particularly stingy as they held McMaster to 158 total offensive yards.

Despite the scoreline of their previous contest, Saturday's game promises to be an exciting affair between the two teams. McMaster comes into the game riding a five game winning streak, including a 42-35 victory over the Western Mustangs back in Week 5. Kyle Quinlan has taken over the starter's job from Ryan Fantham and has provided a spark to the Marauders offence.

As for the Gaels, although they lost last week to the Golden Hawks, they have proven all season long why they are ranked No. 4 in the country. Brannagan finished the season second in the CIS in passing yards per game with 368 and the running back combination of the Marty Gordon and Jimmy Therrien combined for over 800 rushing yards on the year. Defensively, the Gaels boast one of the most veteran cores in the league, highlighted by Vickers, Jimmy Allin of Belleville, Ont., TJ Leeper of London, Ont., and Osie Ukwuoma of Missisauga, Ont.

Making this matchup even more intriguing is the recent playoff history between the two teams. This decade, Queen's and McMaster have met twice in the playoffs, with the Gaels earning a 25-10 upset win over the Marauders in their most recent matchup in the 2006 OUA Quarter-final. In 2002, the Marauders defeated the Gaels in the Yates Cup by a score of 33-19.

Tickets for the game are available at the Physical Education Centre while students can also get their tickets at Tricolour Outfitters. They will also be on sale on Saturday at Richardson Stadium.

Kickoff between the Gaels and the Marauders is scheduled for 1:00 pm.