Queen's Men's Ultimate looked to extend their perfect season as they headed to Brampton, Ont. this weekend, taking on the best teams in the country over six games.
Pool play games against Victoria, Sherbrooke, and Ottawa were all won in convincing fashion 11-9, 15-3, and 13-9 respectively. Fifth-year veterans Eli Park and Will Dickson anchored the D-line, putting up nine blocks between them. First-year sensation Kai Huang added six goals. Throughout the day, the team displayed the clinical efficiency and relentless defence that has been their staple through the season.
In the quarterfinals, Queen's came up firing, earning two defensive breaks to put McMaster on their heels. The Marauders fired back with three breaks of their own. Queen's roared into the second half and controlled the game the rest of the way, winning 13-11.
Semifinals against Montreal was a re-match of the 2021 National final and the Gaels were looking for a different result. After giving up an early break, the Gaels O-line tightened up and played clean throughout the rest of the first half, giving the defensive lines time to earn two breaks and a lead to close out the half. Eli Park came up big again with five assists, while nine different Gaels made grabs in the end zone for goals. A last goal from Montreal after time ran out ended the game 12-11 in favour of Queen's, sending them back to finals for the first time since 2021.
The Gaels drew Victoria in a re-match from the first game of the tournament. Victoria opted for a huck and pin style and passive zone defense approach which put the Gaels on offence working upwind for more than 60 per cent of the game. The first break of the game went to Queen's as Dax Miller dished it into the upwind end zone to Quinton Malec, letting the Gaels take half 6-5. After converting the next point downwind, the teams traded holds to 9-7 with 10 minutes left. After a quick Victoria turn, Queen's completed an astonishing 67 consecutive passes and a final break to end the game, crowning the Gaels National Champions.
Eli Park's three goals and one assist earned him Finals MVP honours. The coaches would like to recognize Tyler Gunasekera, who played an astonishing 15 of 17 points in the final with an unprecedented 70 throws and 100 per cent completion rate. 18 different Gaels earned a goal or assist on the weekend. A testament to the depth of talent on this roster.
Head Coach Pete Galbraith had this to say after the win, "I'm so unbelievably proud of this group. They got punched a number of times this weekend and kept coming back swinging harder. It's a concept we talked about all season long and it was amazing to see that tenacity get showcased in the biggest moments of our season!"
