Riot Lose In Home Heartbreaker

Following a hard-fought road victory on May 13^th, the Regina Riot played host to the visiting Saskatoon Valkyries last Sunday in the back half of a home-and-home series. It was the Riot’s 3^rd Annual Teal Game in support of the Ovarian Cancer Society, a sponsorship that the Riot is very happy to be part of.

“We are extremely proud to have been able to work with the OCC team to bring awareness to the cause of ovarian cancer,” said first year Head Coach Olivier Eddie. The game ended up raising $1,750 in support of the cause.

An evening kickoff of 7:30pm meant that the lights at Historic Mosaic Stadium got to be fired up for game action one more time, something that I’m sure gave more than a few fans in attendance a slight chill (though that may have just been the breeze).

The game, like all games played between these two teams over the past few seasons, was a tightly contested affair. The Riot took a lead early in the first quarter, and did their best not to relinquish it for the remainder of the game. The strategy proved to be successful, right up until there were only 7 seconds remaining on the clock. It was at that point that the Valkyries scored their second touchdown of the game, giving the road team the 20-17 lead and ultimately the victory.

“I have to give it to them; they found a way to hang in there and get 10 points in the 4^th quarter to win the game,” said Eddie after the game. “Thankfully for us, we won the plus-minus battle for the season and will keep hold of 1^st place in our conference.”

That first place conference standing means that the Riot are the favourites to host a home playoff game, which would be taking place on June 4^th. Before they can begin preparing for the postseason, however, the Riot need to set their sights on their regular season finale this weekend in Winnipeg.

“We need a win this weekend in Winnipeg to secure a home playoff game,” explained Eddie. “It’s been one of our goals since the beginning of the season to host this playoff game, and right now we’re one win away from doing so. I think our athletes will be ready to go and fight for it, and I’m optimistic about our chances of locking this up.”

This week’s matchup takes place on Sunday, May 28^th at Nomads Field against the host Winnipeg Wolfpack. The game kicks off at 2:00pm Regina time. Be sure to follow @ReginaRiot on Twitter for live game coverage.