Quidditch Canada 2017-18 Eastern Regional Championship Recap

Cover Photo credit to Annemieke Drost.

Valhalla Quidditch went undefeated (7-0) this past weekend at the 2017 Eastern Regional Championship in Oshawa, Ontario, earning the first gold medal in their club’s history. The championship game against McGill University Quidditch resulted in a 150*-40 win for Valhalla. This game would mark the third time McGill and Valhalla matched up over the weekend, with each Valhalla win being well out of snitch catch range. Valhalla’s offensive power was consistent with their play over the course of the 2017-18 season so far, boasting an average of 110 quaffle points per game throughout the weekend, and allowing an average of only 40 quaffle points against.

Valhalla Quidditch receiving their gold medals at the 2017-18 Eastern Championship Tournament in Oshawa, ON on November 12, 2017. Photo by Annemieke Drost.

McGill, despite struggling against Valhalla, were able to hold on throughout pool play and bracket play, with close wins against the Guelph Gryphons on Day 1 (80-120*) and the Waterloo Ridgebacks (120-110*) in the quarterfinals on Day 2. Their quarterfinal match-up might have ended very differently, had McGill chaser Robyn Fortune not scored just 9 seconds before Waterloo seeker Derek Taylor caught the snitch. The Guelph-McGill semifinal match-up was a hard-fought game, with each team getting carded six times. McGill jumped to an early thirty point lead that Guelph was unable to close, allowing McGill to secure their spot in the final match and walk away with a silver medal.

L’Université de Montréal Quidditch climbed the ranks throughout the weekend, starting the tournament ranked 7th, and playing a total of nine games to end their tournament run ranked third. Their only Pool Play loss came at the hands of the Guelph Gryphons, who they matched up against in their final match bronze medal match, where UdeM caught from behind, ending the game 80*-60.

Quidditch Canada’s Eastern Regional Championship Tournament would not have been possible without the support of our volunteers, the City of Oshawa, Durham Tourism, Sports Durham, and Trent University Durham. We would also like to extend our thanks to Entripy, to Sportscanada.TV, and to SMSNet for their continued support over the weekend. 

We now turn to the weekend ahead, where our six western teams will compete in Abbotsford, BC for the Western Regional Championship. RSVP to the Facebook Event here.