07
MAY, 2018
News
Final Rankings Released for the 2017-18 Season
Cover photo credited to Dave Chapman.
The league team rankings for the 2017-18 season have been updated, following the results of the 2018 National Championship. As they are accessible now, the rankings incorporate the results of all official games played this season, from the first tournament of the year which occurred on September 23, 2017 in Montreal, QC, to the gold medal championship game played at Tim Hortons Field on April 2, 2018 in Hamilton, ON.
When the Elo Ranking System was first implemented by Quidditch Canada, it was determined that teams in the Eastern and Western regions would be ranked separately until the National Championship, when teams from different regions would play each other for the first time and the rankings could be consolidated. Though the planned schedule for the National Championship had to be altered due to extreme weather conditions, the tournament was successful in providing teams an opportunity to prove themselves on a national level.
The Gold, Silver, and Bronze medalists from the 2017-18 National Championship. Photo credit to Dave Chapman.
The top 5 teams per our finalized Elo Rankings include all of our Nationals podium winners. Valhalla, ranked 1st, took gold after a 6-0 tournament run, ending with no games ending in snitch range (within 30 points). They end the season with the best record in Quidditch Canada’s history: 32 wins and 1 loss.
Calgary Mavericks, ranked 10th coming into the tournament, lost only their first game to Royal City (100*-90), and then went undefeated for the remainder of the tournament until their appearance in the finals against Valhalla. Every bracket-play game played on day 2 leading up to their gold-medal game appearance ended in snitch range. The Mavericks secured Calgary’s first Nationals medal and end their season ranked 5th overall.
The Guelph Gryphons came into the tournament ranked 5th among the 17 teams competing for gold. Those who followed Quidditch Canada’s National Preview piece know that Guelph was set to face tough competition at Nationals, sharing a pool with Queen’s Quidditch (with whom Guelph has a season record of 1-1) and UdeM Quidditch (with whom Guelph has a season record of 2-1). Guelph beat both Queen’s and UdeM on Day 1, and went on to defeat Queen’s again in the quarter finals on day 2 130*-120. Though they lost to the eventual champions – Valhalla Quidditch – in the semifinals, they had the opportunity to replay their regionals bronze medal match loss, facing UdeM once more and coming out victorious. They end their season ranked 2nd overall.
Queen’s Quidditch Club, huddled before the start of their first game on Day 1 of Quidditch Canada’s 2018 National Championship. Photo credit to Jelissa Kollaard.
Final season rankings also show UBC Thunderbirds and Queen’s Quidditch ranked 3rd and 4th respectively. Both had an impressive season, facing touch match-ups and close losses in bracket play at Nationals to eventual medal winners.
UBC Thunderbirds on brooms up on Day 1 of Quidditch Canada’s 2018 National Championship. Photo credit to Dave Chapman.
Quidditch Canada’s Gameplay department also generated additional team statistics for all teams who competed at Nationals. Those statistics can be found in the ranking spreadsheet under the ‘2018 Nationals Team Stats’ tab. Additional team stats for the season are expected to be completed in the coming weeks.
Quidditch Canada would like to thank this opportunity to thank its National Tournament Partners, with a special thank you to Tourism Hamilton, SMSNet, WeeStreem, and Boston Pizza. We would also like to thank all teams, athletes, volunteers, and spectators from across the country for supporting our organization this past season, and helping us take an important step forward for our sport this year.