Hurricanes Week 6 Recap

The football Hurricanes concluded their 2024 AFL regular season with a heartbreaking 31-28 overtime loss to the league-leading Dalhousie Tigers in Halifax, N.S. on Sunday.

Holland started strong with a field goal to claim a 3-0 lead, which they held exiting the first quarter. A great defensive effort was made as multiple field goal attempts were blocked and consistent interceptions kept the score where it was. The Hurricanes added to their score with a touchdown by fifth-year receiver Aaron McCardle (Kinburn, Ontario), making it 10-0 as the second quarter wound down. Dalhousie would slowly crawl back, scoring a touchdown and a successful PAT to make it 10-7 at halftime.

The Tigers added another touchdown and successful PAT in the early stages of the third quarter, taking a 14-10 lead and eventually extending it to 25-10. Holland wasn’t ready to quit when the fourth quarter came around, as second-year receiver Wolf Sym (Tillsonburg, Ontario), rookie running back Pierce Saunders (St. Patricks, P.E.I.), and fourth-year quarterback Hunter Prus (Bedeque, P.E.I.) each contributed to an incredible comeback that helped tie the game 25-25. Overtime was required and, despite a field goal from second-year kicker Simon Hales (Victoria, B.C.) to give the Hurricanes a 28-25 lead, a rushing touchdown by Dalhousie just minutes later gave the Tigers a 31-28 win.

Dalhousie ended the season going undefeated at 6-0 while Holland dropped to 3-3, which places them in a tie with the UNB Reds for second place; in terms of home-field advantage for the AFL semifinals, UNB wins the tiebreaker. Both teams will face each other in a sudden-death match in Fredericton, N.B. on Saturday, Oct. 26, with the winner advancing to play Dalhousie in the AFL Championship Game one weekend later. The game is scheduled for a 1pm start.

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