KINGSTON, Ont. (August 31, 2011) - Labour Day's home opener between the Queen's Gaels and the no.3 McMaster Marauders will display two teams in different phases of a championship pursuit. The Gaels are coming off their first losing season in five years while the Marauders are looking to challenge for a title after a disappointing OUA semi-final loss in 2010.

The opener is a significant matchup for Queen's as their last game against McMaster was an OUA quarter-final road loss. The Gaels struggled with the passing game on both sides of the ball and could not muster enough offence to overcome the McMaster attack. Justin Chapdelaine of Abbotsford, B.C. was the offensive catalyst for the Gaels as he created 204 yards (125 passing, 79 rushing) of the Gaels' 372 yards of net offence. His efforts were not enough for the Gaels as they fell by a 40-19 score.

McMaster will have two stars returning to their line-up this season in quarterback Kyle Quinlan of South Woodslee, Ont. and linebacker Ryan Chmielewski of St. Catherine's, Ont. Quinlan was the OUA's most efficient passer in 2010 when he threw 19 touchdowns and only six interceptions. Chmielewski was one of the province's top defensive players last season with 41 tackles, 3.5 sacks and three interceptions.

The Gaels will be looking to second year quarterback Billy McPhee of Burlington, Ont. to lead a young core on offence. With Chapdelaine moving to the receiver position, he joins Giovanni Aprile of Toronto as the top passing target. Ryan Granberg of Sherwood Park, Alta. returns to build on his impressive 2010 season which saw him lead the Gaels in rushing. Osie Ukwuoma of Mississauga, Ont. returns from a year away from the team and will challenge the McMaster offence on the defensive side of the ball on a dynamic defensive line that includes Frank Pankewich of Thunder Bay, Ont. who was one of the top pass rushers in the CIS in 2010. The addition of Ukwuoma to the Gaels' defence will make the unit a tough test for a young McMaster offensive line which will have three new starters.