University of Regina alumni are remembering the first and only other Rams-Huskies Canada West football championship on the weekend of the second ever all-Saskatchewan Hardy Cup,
In 2002, the Rams were still the new kids on the block in their fourth season playing Canadian university football, after a glorious 45-year-run in junior competition, including 15 national championships.
A trip to the Vanier Cup in their second year and winning records in the two seasons after that had the Canadian football world thinking perhaps the Rams would start to dominate like they did in junior. But that came to a halt one November afternoon on a snow-covered Taylor Field when the Huskies raced out to a 28-0 lead before Regina fought back with a couple touchdowns and were driving deep into Saskatchewan territory to try and make it a one possession game before halftime.
Then disaster struck.
Scrimmaging from the Huskies 18-yard-line down 28-14, Rams quarterback Mark Anderson aimed for his receiver, Shane Ostapowich near the end zone, stepped into his throw on the slippery surface, and was picked off by Saskatchewan defensive back Ryan Barnstable, who proceeded to high-tail it back the other way for a touchdown in a 14-point-swing and an insurmountable deficit. From there, the Huskies silenced the Rams, U of R fans in the stands and players on the field watched mostly helplessly as the team was upset 44-28.
“They scored a couple quick ones and had that pick-six on us,” Ostapowich said 22 years later.
“Your back is up against the wall and you're really looking for any type of spark. We were able to get one from Chris Ashman. He returned a punt for us in those snowy conditions and it ignited us. We were able to claw back and get within one score. But unfortunately for us, they tacked one on at the end and put us away.”
Another Rams receiver, Mike Thomas, was also on the field when that interception-turned-touchdown shot down their hopes. He remembers that day probably more than he would like to.
“The thing that I remember the most is the weather. Leading up to the game, we actually had relatively good weather in the city. We were able to practice without having to have the fields cleared. It was looking like we were going to have a really great game for us on that Saturday and we were a pass heavy team. We had a great ground game, but were reliant upon the pass more than anything. All of a sudden, we woke up Saturday morning and there was a bunch of snow on the field."
“The game plan probably changed in our offensive coordinator’s mind and Bernie Schmidt still wanted to go and execute. I do remember so many ebbs and flows in that game. The one that obviously was tough was that 110-yard interception return touchdown that Ryan Barnstable had against us," Thomas said.
“When I'm able to tell you the exact name of the player and how far the distance was of their play, it lets you know how much it really stuck with me over the years and is again now as the team is getting prepared to play against Saskatchewan in another Hardy Cup. Those memories come back and hopefully it's able to be a reverse effect this time for the Rams.”
Mark Stevens was a running back for the Huskies that day and remembers being part of a tired, old team visiting Regina to take on such a cool, new program that seemed ready to take over the province’s university football dominance. Since that day, the Rams have made it to two other Hardy Cups, losing both while the Huskies have made eight, winning six. In some ways, it feels like that game was a turning point for the rivalry.
“They were old. They were a very veteran team. They had guys that had played together for about eight, nine years. They had played all their years with the junior Rams and then they all flipped over and [kept] playing. We knew that they were going to be good for that first initial three, four years," Stevens said about the 2002 Rams.
“They had a couple good years there where they were in the national picture. We [the Huskies] had a lot of talent. We were just young, so that 2002 game possibly could have been a crossroads, because we knew that Regina team was going to age out. They were going to lose a lot of their talent, and then it becomes a battle of recruiting.”
The Rams alumni are thankful to know that this year’s team does not rely quite so heavily on the passing game and doesn’t need to worry about snow with temperatures forecast to hit close to double-digits throughout Saturday’s game in Saskatoon. Thomas, the Executive Director of Football Saskatchewan, is making the trip from Regina and admits a Rams win in this Hardy Cup won’t erase the pain but might make him feel a little better about it.
“The best thing that could ever happen for those players is coming out with a win,” Thomas said. “What it does for the alumni is it allows us to be able to be proud for those players and for us as former players, maybe not rid any demons, but more so be proud of the adversity that these players have gone through. To know that they can overcome any type of measures that are put in front of them.”
Road teams are perfect in these Regina vs. Saskatchewan Hardy Cups and the Rams plan to keep it that way. You can listen to the Hardy Cup broadcast live on www.620ckrm.com by finding the CKRM 2 stream from the drop-down menu on the main page. Pre-game show starts at 12:45 p.m. with kickoff to follow at 1 p.m.
