With the postseason seeding already determined, the Holland College Hurricanes are hoping to use Saturday’s game against the Dalhousie Tigers as an opportunity to build momentum heading into the playoffs.
In the final showdown of the Atlantic Football League regular season, the Tigers (5-0) come to Charlottetown with a perfect record on the line, while the Hurricanes (2-3) look to erase their two-game slide.
Game time is 1 p.m. at UPEI Alumni Canada Games Place.
“Each week is an important learning experience to see how far we progress,” said Hurricanes head coach Ross Young. “Our goal this weekend is to gain momentum for the playoffs.”
The Tigers defeated Holland College 49-8 in Week 4. The Hurricanes scored first on a Steve Julien touchdown and took a seven-point lead into the second quarter before the Tigers outscored the Hurricanes 49-1 in the remaining 45 minutes.
“Momentum is everything in football and we lost it after we controlled the first 15 minutes,” Young said.
The loss is not easily forgotten as Young’s team has been preparing for a rematch ever since.
“The players want to go out there and redeem themselves,” he said. “This is an opportunity for them to send a message and prove to everyone that we’re still in this.”
It won’t be easy, as the Tigers lead the league in almost every category, including points for (209) and points allowed (15).
“They’re a great team, but we see an opportunity to try some new things against them.”
Despite the overwhelming discrepancy between Dalhousie and the rest of the league, Young still believes his team is capable of an upset.
“There’s an energy that I didn’t see exist here for two or three weeks,” he said. “I’m seeing a very emotional and confident team out there.”
