Lacrosse Redmen to take on top-seeded Badgers at Nationals in Ottawa

(PHOTO BY ANDREW DOBROWOLSKYJ)

OTTAWA -- McGill will take on top-seeded Brock in the opener of the Canadian University Field Lacrosse Association Final Four men's lacrosse championship tournament, sponsored by the Bank of America, at Carleton University in Ottawa, Saturday.

This year marks the 25th Bagattaway Cup tourney, which features student-athletes from Canada's 12 premier university field lacrosse teams. The schedule of games to be played on Carleton's Ravens' Field follows:

The Brock Badgers posted an 11-0 record in the CUFLA West Division, while McGill was 8-3 in the East Division. While Brock has won 16 out of 24 national championships since 1985, the Redmen finished as runners-up in 2008. An underdog McGill squad stunned the Badgers in 2008 by defeating them 13-9 in last year's semifinals, so Brock is seeking to avenge last year's upset. Brock is ranked No. 1 by LaxPower in Canada while McGill is rated No. 2, so the winner of this game would be considered the favourite to capture the two-day tourney.

The second semifinal will showcase the Trent Excalibur (9-3), a team that went undefeated last year (10-0) but lost in the semifinal to eventual champion Guelph.

Trent will take on the McMaster Marauders (8-3), a team that earned a trip to the final four with a stunning, come-from-behind 10-8 win over Guelph. The last time McMaster earned a spot as a CUFLA semifinalist was in 1989. Trent's semifinal appearance in 2008 occurred in the young program's second season.

Trent is seeded third in Canada by LaxPower, while the upstart McMaster Marauders are ranked seventh.

2009 CUFLA BANK OF AMERICA BAGATTAWAY CUP CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNEY DRAW

November 7 - CUFLA Semifinals

12:00 p.m. - Brock (#1 West) versus McGill (#2 East)
3:00 p.m. - Trent (#1 East) versus McMaster (#2 West)

November 8 - Finals

1:00 p.m. - Bank of America Bagattaway Cup National Championship