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GEE-GEES’ PANDA GAME WIN-STREAK CAPPED AT SIX IN UPSETTING 20-14 LOSS TO THE RAVENS
After keeping Pedro the Panda safe for seven years now, the pressure was on for the Gee-Gees going into Sunday’s 56th Panda Game. The Gees were the favourites to win the match-up, having entered top 10 status in U SPORTS. Nevertheless, in an unfortunate turn of events, the Gees were humbled in front of a sold out TD Place, dropping a 20-14 decision to the Ravens.
Despite controlling stretches of the first half and striking late in the final minute, the Gees couldn’t overcome a pair of jaw-dropping blocked kicks that turned the tide in Carleton’s favour.
After a scoreless first quarter, the Gees broke the deadlock early in the second. A hurried throw by Raven’s starting quarterback was picked off by Gee-Gees defensive back Nicolas Dion, who stepped in front of the pass at midfield.
On the very next snap, quarterback Josh Janssen fired deep over the middle to Robin Collioud who shook loose of two Ravens and sprinted clear for a 43-yard touchdown. A long punt on the following possession forced Carleton into their own endzone, and Ottawa added a single point to extend the margin to 8–0.
Momentum seemed to be in the Gee-Gees’ favour, but the Ravens leaned on quarterback Elijah Barnes to steady their offense. With under three minutes left in the half, Barnes strung together completions that pushed the Ravens deep into Gee-Gees’ territory. He capped the drive with a dart to Tristan Ready in the endzone. The Gee-Gees defense stopped the two-point try, holding the lead at 8–6.
On the ensuing possession, the Gees lined up to punt from deep in their own zone. Carleton linebacker Ethan Boxall broke through the protection, blocking the kick cleanly and scooping the ball himself before crossing into the endzone.
In the span of a minute, the Gees lead evaporated into a 14–8 halftime deficit.
The Gee-Gees regrouped to start the third quarter, but Carleton carried their surge forward. A long completion from Barnes set up a short field goal to make it 17–8.
The Gees mounted a response late in the frame, driving into kicking range, but once again special teams proved costly and Carleton’s rush unit got a hand on the attempt.
The Ravens added another field goal midway through the final quarter to go up 20–8, forcing the Gees into fight or flight. With less than a minute remaining, Janssen engineered a desperate drive capped by a short touchdown strike, cutting the deficit to six.
The Gee-Gees sideline erupted as they recovered the onside kick and had one last chance to steal the win. The Hail Mary heave into the endzone as time expired was swatted down by Carleton defenders, sealing the loss and Pedro’s re-homing.
With the rivalry aside, the loss was also devastating since it would have played a pivotal role in play-off contention for the Gees.
With this in mind, Coach Marcel Bellefeuille remarked :“I don’t want to take anything away from Carleton, they did a great job […] but we just didn’t play to our level of our capability today. We didn’t do some of the things we practiced all week and talked about all week. It’s unfortunate the outcome, but we have to be better and now we’ve put ourselves in a bit of a ‘play-off fight for our lives’ now.”
When asked about their sudden surge towards the end of the fourth quarter, running-back Charles Asselin expressed: “We fight every game up until the very end […] but I think [Carleton] was hungrier, they wanted it more. I think we came in a little flat, and we didn’t finish our drives. We’re going to have to make some corrections going into our next game against Windsor.”
The chanting and singing that echoed from the Ravens’ locker room left no doubt that they were over the moon.
In fact, Frederich Hachey believes that the win launches the team into an entirely new trajectory.
When asked about the significance of finally ending their Panda Game losing streak, Hachey declared that “it means everything. I feel like this could be a turn around point for our program [with] getting new recruits. Showing that we could finally win this Panda bowl, it feels amazing right now.”
Despite the fierce rivalry between the two universities, the crosstown competitors displayed remarkable camaraderie after the game as they exchanged friendly high-fives and offered genuine compliments on each other’s play – showing sportsmanship like few others could.
Staying true to their classic tit-for-tat fashion, the Ravens are now fifth in the OUA standings, with the Gee-Gees trailing in sixth. Unfortunately, the Gee-Gees must bid farewell to Pedro, but there’s no time to dwell. With two games left in their regular season, an uphill battle to stay in play-off contention kicks off this weekend.
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