GEORGIAN 33, CONESTOGA 24

BARRIE, Ont. - Looking for a strong start to their 2014 OCAA men's rugby season, the Georgian Grizzlies hosted last year's defending bronze medalists the Conestoga Condors on Sunday afternoon at the Barrie Community Sports Complex.

Georgian had a great start when second-year wing Tyler Thornhill (Midland, Ont.) scored a try seven minutes into the game followed shortly after by a successful penalty kick by rookie Anderson Do (Mississauga, Ont.).

The Condors then put the Grizzlies on their heels, scoring three tries in a span of 10 minutes forcing Georgian to regroup.

Needing to close the gap before the half, the Grizzlies capitalized on their opportunities scoring two quick tries to pull within in one point, trailing 19-18 at halftime.

Georgian had a strong second half as they made the most of the Condors penalty troubles leading to a 33-24 victory to earn their first win of the year.

The Grizzlies were led by fifth-year veteran Robin Calamatta (Erin, Ont.) who had two tries along with Andrew Noble (Alliston, Ont.) who had a very strong game. Georgian's other tries were scored by rookies Zachary Day (Barrie, Ont.) and Anderson Do who in his first OCAA contest had a try, a convert and two penalty kicks, scoring 13 points for the Grizzlies.

Conestoga had tries from Brandon and James Innis (Collingwood, Ont.), Jacob Robertson (New Hamburg, Ont.) and Michael Sullivan (Guelph, Ont.) as they dropped their record to 1-1 on the year.

These two teams will meet again in Kitchener, Ont. on the last day of the regular season on Oct. 19.

The Grizzlies will look to keep rolling when they host the Mohawk Mountaineers (0-1) in their next game on Sunday, Sept. 21 at 1 p.m. Grizzlies home games are open to the public at no charge and fans are encouraged to come out.

Source: Georgian College