FRIDAY POOL PLAY
Few upsets happened on day one at CUC 2008.
On Friday, one team alone would provide enough
Cinderella excitement for an entire tournament.
The teams were split up into two power pools and
one consolation pool for those teams eliminated
from quarterfinals. Teams could not rely on any easy
games, and the goal was to win them all and ensure
a spot in the top eight for Saturday.
POOL E (NOMADS, PHOENIx, GENERAL STRIKE,
MANGINA, TOO BAD, ROY)
The big surprise in the pool was General Strike
beating the heavily favoured Nomads. Nomads was
ranked first and finished that way by beating Phoenix
12-7 in the showcase game of the day (Some would
argue Phoenix defeated themselves with an unusual
high number of turnovers) and forcing a 3-way tie
which they won by point differential. Outside of that
loss, Phoenix once again cruised to easy victories
and a spot in the quarter-finals.
After beating the Nomads, General Strike went
on to win their second and third games of the day.
Mangina lost two games to higher seeded teams, but
got the victory they needed over Too Bad. Both Too
Bad and Roy were heavily outplayed in most of their
Friday games, but managed to play each other in a
very close one won by Too Bad.
POOL F (BLACKFISH, INVICTUS, SOFA KINGS,
MEPHISTO, FIREBIRD, GRAND TRUNK)
Simply put, the best division for drama and
suspense. Grand Trunk, ranked last in the power
pool and looking to stay alive, had an amazing day.
Lead by their young guns and a very strong 5 man
cup zone defense, Grand Trunk overcame a 4-1
deficit to defeated arch rival Firebird. They then beat
top seed Blackfish 12-11 before losing to fourth seed
Mephisto. Grand Trunk had arguably the hardest
schedule on day two, yet almost guaranteed a
quarterfinal position.
However, in order to get into the top 8, Trunk would
need the help of their biggest rival. Specifically,
Firebird would have to defeat Sofa Kings and drop
them out of the top 8. They did just that, overcoming
heavy winds to defeat the Kings 13-9. The game was
capped by a great end zone layout grab by Firebird’s
veteran star Trevor Pound.
Local team Invictus emerged to steal the top seed
out of the pool. Mephisto and Blackfish stayed alive
and joined Grand Trunk in the top 4. Firebird and Sofa
Kings, despite displaying signs of greatness on both
days were relegated to the 9
th
place bracket.
QUARTERFINALS
By Saturday morning, many felt that tournament
t
U
was Nomads to win. Too much talent and depth
were posing problems. However, hope of a different
gho
champion emerged after the Nomads narrowly
b
er
y
escaped an upset from tournament surprise Grand
Trunk. The final score was 15-11, but fans and teams
orr
:
C
alike took notice. b
y
Two teams that wanted to win more than anyone t
o
suffered crushing upsets in this round. Phoenix
Pho
www.canadianultimate.com — Ultimate Canada Magazine 17
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