ABBOTSFORD – Taking on the undefeated UBCOB Ravens in the BC Premier League Final, the UBC Thunderbirds went toe-to-toe and came up just short as the Ravens lifted the Rounsefell Cup for the second straight year, thanks to a 33-24 championship victory Saturday afternoon in Abbotsford.
Conditions were perfect at Abbotsford Exhibition Park, with sunny skies and a fast pitch. The T-Birds looked good early with a dominant scrum, but UBCOB managed to snuff out several early drives and absorb the pressure well.
Around the 12th minute, the Ravens struck first, set up by Aaron McLelland. The 'Birds then broke through in the 28th minute. Demetri Patterson danced through a few defenders to put the blue and gold back in scoring position, and two phases later, James Biss and Talon McMullin linked up on a lovely switch play to send McMullin through untouched just left of the posts. He then nailed the convert as well, and it was 7-7.
The Ravens responded quickly – four minutes later, in fact – taking the lead right back, and then added to it with a penalty kick. The Thunderbirds didn't crumble though, and in the dying moments of the first half, after repeated pick-and-go efforts on the Raven's line, Emmett Allan emerged from the heap as the try-scorer. McMullin added the extras, and UBC went into the break trailing 17-14.
In the second half, the Ravens were first to score again after six minutes of pressure in the UBC end, extending their lead to 24-17. Once again, however, the T-Birds bounced back immediately, when Max McGavern beat two defenders and dished to Biss, who had just one man to beat. He drew him in and passed to Patterson, who scorched down the left edge to score his team's third try.
With 21 minutes to play, the Thunderbirds earned a penalty that could have tied the score, but missed the shot. The Ravens made no mistake with their kicks, converting two penalties and stretching the lead to nine points with seven minutes to go. McMullin did then strike back with a penalty of his own, narrowing the gap to 30-24.
The 'Birds went into attack mode on the ensuing kickoff, but the Ravens were able to get the ball back. A few phases later, they earned another penalty and converted it to make it a two-score lead again. The T-Birds continued to fight until the last whistle, but were unable to close the gap.
"I'm extremely proud of what this team has accomplished," said Thunderbirds head coach Didier Banse. "We played 25 matches across three leagues, plus fixtures against CWU and Cal Berkeley—every one a high-level, competitive contest. Those matches have sharpened us, and the learnings we've taken will make us better in the next campaign, which we're already planning for."
Saturday's match was the final action for UBC's four graduating players: Payton Teneycke, Koen Buckingham, Jacob Bourne, and Jared Andrews Almack. For the others, there's a short break before the preparations start for the 2025-26 season.
