The Bow Valley Grizzlies senior men's rugby team have reached the midway point of their Calgary Rugby Union (CRU) Alberta Cup season after a game against the The Canucks RFC on July 28. Heading into the game, the Canucks were ranked second in the league with a 6-1 record where they had outscored their opponents 286-140, compared to the 4-3 Grizzlies who got off to a hot start in league play going 4-1 after they defeated the Calgary Canadian Irish A.C. three times by scores of 74-10, 20-0 and 33-7 while also taking down the Calgary Saints 43-30 before dropping two games against the Calgary Hornets and the top seeded Calgary Rams. The Grizzlies outscored their opponents 211-171 in the process of their first seven games. The contest against the Canucks didn't go as planned for the visitors from the get go as Calgary scored an early try and never looked back, putting constant pressure on the Bow Valley defenders while stifling the Grizzlies offence en route to a convincing 36-0 victory in favour of the hometown Canucks. Last season, the local rugby heroes tore up the pitch with an unstoppable offence and a hard-nosed defence that led them to a 41-24 victory in the senior men's Division 2 city championships over the Red Deer Titans as well as a 88-5 provincial title win over the Leprechaun Tigers Rugby Club The performance pushed the Grizzlies up a tier to Division 1 against tougher teams and more skilled players. Bow Valley head coach Ty Hawes said there was a bit of an adjustment period but he's happy with how the season has gone so far for his team. "The season has gone well so far for us. The expectations aren't as high this season as they have been in the past couple years so the boys are still finding their feet in the higher competition, but are still showing they can compete in this division," Hawes said. "The game against the Canucks, the boys played very well in the first half and were unlucky not to come away with any points, but the crew has been learning and improving every game so as long as that continues to happen then we're on the right track for the remainder of the season." The Alberta Cup division is the top senior men's rugby league in all of Alberta, something Hawes said was going to test his players in the early portion of the season but also said it would help the team moving forward in the long run. Hawes also said a couple players have been major bright spots on the team in the first half of the season. "This is the top competition in Alberta so the players are bigger, stronger and faster, but I think the team has competed very well all things considered," said Hawes. "It's great for guys like Mac Tivendale and Karl Bauer who have been with the club since its inception, to see them progress through the divisions and prove their able to compete at every level is fantastic. I think between the two guys, you can count on one hand how many games they've missed ... they're so good and very consistent with their play. The durability shown from them, they're just a couple of guys I never have to worry able performing on game day." "It was also good to see James Cowley get his first run out on the weekend, who's fresh off the boat from England. He had a great first game at the eight spot. I'm really looking forward to seeing what he can bring to the squad for the remainder of the season." The Grizzlies will now have the August long weekend off before getting back on the pitch Aug. 11 and 18 against the Saints and the Rams. Hawes said he expects a tough battle from two of the tougher Calgary teams, but believes his team is up to the challenge. "The next couple games against the Saints and Rams should be tough. They're both very good teams with the Rams at the top of the division table," Hawes said. "They should be great competition for the boys in our den at Mitford Ponds."
