The UBC Thunderbirds are Hardy Cup champions, and a quartet of Abbotsford football products helped make it happen.
Defensive back Tanner Friesen, wide receiver Ben Cummings, defensive lineman Levi Hua and quarterback Greg Bowcott were all part ofa Thunderbirds team that shocked the Canada West conference with a 34-26 upset win over the University of Calgary Dinos in Calgary onSaturday.
The win earned UBC the Hardy Cup, the top prize in Canada West football and a berth in the CIS final four. The last time the Thunderbirdscaptured the Hardy Cup was back in 1997.
UBC was a massive underdog heading into Saturda game, ranked sixth in the Canada West and squaring off against the number oneranked Dinos in Calgary.
Friesen and Cummings are both first-years, and graduated from Robert Bateman Secondary. Hua is a second-year and graduated fromW.J. Mouat Secondary, while Bowcott is a fifth-year player from Rick Hansen Secondary.
UBC next travels to Nova Scotia to take on the St. Francis Xavier X-Men in the UTeck Bowl CIS semi-final on Saturday. A win on Saturdayand the Thunderbirds play for the CIS title on Nov. 28. UBC last won the Vanier Cup in 1997.