Quidditch Canada 2017-18 Western Regional Championship Recap

The University of British Columbia Thunderbirds successfully defended their Western Regional Championship title this past weekend in Abbotsford, B.C, ending the weekend with a 7-0 record. The Thunderbirds dominated play all weekend, with only two of their games being range, both being against silver medalists Calgary Mavericks. UBC squared off against Calgary first during round robin pool play where they narrowly won 110* – 70, and again in the championship game, winning once again in range with a final score of 80* – 30.

The UBC Thunderbirds posing with their gold medals after the Quidditch Canada Western Regional finals in Abbotsford, B.C.. Photo credit to Lara Hiles.

Calgary also had a strong showing this weekend, with standout performances from keepers Alexes Hushlak and Joel Martens, as well as beater/seeker Christopher Dehler. They ended the first day 3-2, with a close loss to the UBC Thunderbirds and an out-of-range loss to their provincial rivals, the Edmonton Aurors. They would match up against Edmonton in the semi-final game once again on Day 2, winning a spot in the gold medal game with a 110*-50 win, and eventually ending their tournament run 4-3. Edmonton, whose 14 person roster had dwindled down to 11 by the end of the semi-final game, was forced to forfeit the rest of the tournament in order to ensure the safety of their remaining players.

Bronze would go to the University of British Columbia’s affiliate team, the UBC Quidditch Club. UBCQC played a number of close games on Day 1, losing within range to both SFU and to Calgary. Their play-in game on Day 2 matched them up once again against SFU Quidditch Club, where they caught from behind to win their way into the semi-final round with a final score of 130*-110. Though UBCQC lost to their affiliate team, the UBC Thunderbirds, in the semi-final round, they would be granted the bronze medal by virtue of Edmonton’s forfeiture.

Quidditch Canada’s Western Regional Championship Tournament was made possible due to the support and hard work of our volunteers, the City of Abbotsford, and Tourism Abbotsford. We would also like to thank SMSnet, Entripy, and Sportscanada.TV for their hand in ensuring the success of this event.

Interested in reliving our regional championships? Head over to sportscanada.tv/quidditchcanada to watch all livestreamed games from both Eastern and Western regional championships. We look forward to seeing our teams compete for the national title in Hamilton, ON on March 31-April 1, 2018.

*A previous version of this article indicated that the UBC Thunderbirds played three in-range games over the weekend instead of two. This has now been corrected.