Winning squads to represent Canada at worlds in the Bahamas

HALIFAX, NS (May 30, 2016) – Fleur de Lys (QC) and Saskatchewan won the respective female and male draws at Football Canada’s Senior Flag Football Invitational on Sunday May 29, 2016 at Dalhousie University in Halifax. With victories, the national champions earned the right to represent Canada at the 2016 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, September 7-12 in Grand Bahamas, the Bahamas.

Following round-robin play on Friday and Saturday, both of Sunday afternoon’s finals featured matchups between teams from Quebec and Saskatchewan.

View full results here: http://footballcanada.com/national-championships/2016-senior-flag-invitational/sr-flag-2016-results-resultats/ 

Photos are available for media use only at the following Dropbox folder: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/tn6yylxii2emr0s/AADJjz_IIkN_M77L01mBVrzNa?dl=0 

Defending champion Quebec return to world stage

Quebec-based Fleur de Lys are no stranger to international competition after having captured gold at both the 2010 and 2014 world championships. The Fleur de Lys went undefeated in Senior Invitational play and earned a bye to the gold medal game with a 28-18 victory over Saskatchewan on Saturday evening.

Meeting once again in the finals, the Fleur de Lys kept their undefeated streak intact with a 30-6 gold medal game victory against Saskatchewan, earning a berth at the worlds. Emilie Pfeiffer-Badoux led Quebec with three touchdowns and an interception while Emilie Carrier and Audrey Sauve each scored touchdowns in the victory. Julene Friesen scored Saskatchewan’s lone touchdown in the final.

Fleur de Lys roster:

#	First name	Last Name	Hometown
2	Sabrina	Fortin	Maskinonge
4	Ariane	Lacoursiere	La Prairie
8	Vanessa	Birri	Montreal
10	Sabrina	Gervais	Maskinonge
11	Catherine	Piche	Vaudreuil
18	Emilie	Tardif	Montreal
23	Emilie	Pfeiffer-Badoux	Montreal
44	Emilie	Carrier	Montreal
66	Audrey	Sauve-Desjardins	Montreal
81	Joannie	Lanthier	Montreal
88	Avery	Brevett	Toronto

Head coach: François Bougie

Assistant coach & GM: Rich Lachance

Saskatchewan look to ride wave of momentum into Bahamas

After dropping their opening game of the tournament, Saskatchewan’s men’s team got stronger every game they played at the 2016 Canadian Invitational.

They finished round-robin play with a 3-1 record, earning second place in Pool A. They began Sunday morning with a 41-14 win against Nova, the third place team in Pool B. Next Saskatchewan handed Manitoba, the top ranked team in Pool B, their first loss of the tournament with a 44-28 victory.

The Big Doggs, the second place team in Pool B, followed a similar path to the finals as they knocked off the Montreal Wolfpack, the third place team in Pool A, in Sunday’s other quarter-final. They setup a gold medal game matchup against Saskatchewan after defeating top seed from Pool A, DMB, in their semi-final game.

Saskatchewan continued their hot play in the gold medal game as a three-touchdown performance from Mitchell Hillis and a late touchdown from Chad Braun sealed the green and white’s victory, 38-26, over the Big Doggs. Jacques Void scored a team high two touchdowns for the Big Doggs in the defeat.

With the win, Saskatchewan will now represent Canada in the male division at the 2016 IFAF Flag Football World Championships, hoping to improve upon a fourth place finish in 2014. Nova Scotia previously represented Canada’s men at the 2010, 2012 and 2014 world championships.

Team Saskatchewan’s roster:

#	First name	Last Name	Hometown
3	Chris	Friesen	Saskatoon
4	Steven	Bilan	Saskatoon
8	Kit	Hillis	Saskatoon
10	Joel	Lipinski	Saskatoon
15	Braxton	Lawrence	Saskatoon
17	Michael	Waldron	Saskatoon
19	Kyle	Siemens	Saskatoon
20	Chad	Braun	Saskatoon
24	Mitchell	Friesen	Saskatoon
29	David	Stevens	Saskatoon
71	Karl	Philips	Saskatoon
87	Mitchell	Hillis	Saskatoon

 Head coach: Lyle Evanisky

 Assistant coach & GM: Chad Palmer

In the men’s third place game, Manitoba rebounded from their semi-final loss to capture bronze with a 33-27 win over Nova Scotia-based DMB.

For more information regarding the event, please visit www.footballcanada.com. 

About Football Canada

Established in 1884, Football Canada is the national governing body of amateur football in Canada and a proud member of the International Federation of American Football (IFAF). Working closely with the provincial football associations, we develop programs and resources for players, coaches, officials in the three disciplines of Tackle, Flag and Touch Football. Football Canada’s vision statement is “from playground to stadium” where players can participate in the game of football throughout a lifetime recreationally, competitively and internationally. 

Contact Information:

Patrick DeLottinville

Coordinator, Communications

Football Canada

613-564-0003 x 226

communications@footballcanada.com