Magpies, Demons, Jills Head North of the Border

The opening chapter of the story that was New York Magpies’ 2015 season was written on a muddy, rough patch of field in downtown Montreal nearly 365 days ago.

On that day, the ‘Pies brought their brooms with them, and they swept aside four tough Canadian club sides to become the first American team to win the AFL Quebec Women’s tournament.  It was the first indication of a season that would turn out to the best in club history.

This Saturday, New York will leave their nests and fly North of the Border to try and replicate that feat in this year’s rendition of the tourney.  Standing in their way this year are the Ottawa Swans, the hometown Montreal Angels, and a combined entity containing the Toronto High Park Demons, Boston Lady Demons, and Columbus Jillaroos.

It is a special day for the growing AFL Quebec program, as they host their first matches at the Cégep Marie-Victorin, just over the Olivier Charbonneau Bridge from the Ile de Montreal.

The day concludes with men’s footy, as the defending Division 2 champion Quebec Saints play host to the Boston Demons for the newly christened Devine Cup.

This year’s Pies return a number of the players that got them second in the women’s D1 competition last year, including star forward Kim Hemenway.  Coach Christina Licata, now entering her second season at the helm, will have a defense anchored by veterans Drea Casillas and Taylor Davidson, and an offense that was second in scoring at Nationals.

New York’s first opponent on the day will be the “JillaDemons” combo, including familiar faces from Columbus and Boston.  Both squads are still going through a rebuilding phase, but the cores of both teams have been strengthened with experience over the last two seasons.  The Jills won their opening game last week against the Toronto Central Blues, so the confidence of winning will be there.

“I think the other players are going to be pleasantly surprised by us,” said Jillaroos defender Stephanie McKitrick, who begins her 7th season with Columbus on Saturday.  “We're not the same rag-tag bunch. We're bringing our defensive core and strong midfield with us.”

Ottawa’s Swans were one of the first women’s teams in the OAFL, and they have remained a competitive part of that competition.  Last year, they saw three of their members, Kelly Cambridge, Vivian Nguyen, and Holly Vachon, represent Canada in last year’s 49th Parallel Cup.

The home standing Angels also had three representatives in Fort Lauderdale last summer, including veteran defender Margo Legault, hardworking midfielder Elaine Gilmore, and athletic Valerie Moreau.  Moreau has had a great start to her career after taking out Best on Ground at the Parallel Cup for the Northern Lights last year, followed by the Paul Roos medal for best and fairest in the Women’s Division 2 competition at Nationals.

While the competitiveness of the tournament will be high, there is equal emphasis on growing the tournament into one of the premier events on the footballing calendar on both sides of the border.  AFL Quebec’s development into a body representative of the entire province has been steady and decisive since their founding at the beginning of the decade, and this weekend’s festivities are proof positive.

“I want our women’s tournament to become a northeastern American championship,” explained AFL Quebec director of operations Ronan Shaughnessy.   “Hopefully in the next year or two we’ll have all the teams based in the northeast (both Canada and US) come to Montreal and over time it will become an anticipated and prestigious event.  A tournament like this will be a highly competitive but accessible both in terms of location and levels of footy, and can only help women’s footy grow and develop across the region.”

“The Montreal tournament is one of my favorite tournaments because the highlight is on rookie players and women,” added Casillas, who enters her 12th USAFL campaign.  “It's unique in this way. Montreal understands, just as the east coast teams do, that the only way to get women to try footy is to create a welcoming environment where everyone gets to play. The only way to keep women coming back is to make it fun where everyone is a part of the team.”

At the conclusion of the women’s tournament, the men will take to the ground as the Quebec Saints take on the Boston Demons for the third straight season.  The matchup has become a traditional part of the tournament day, and will be a good test for these Division 2 foes.  The Devine Cup, named after former Saint and current Demon player Patrick “PJ” Devine, has been commissioned for the rivalry.

“PJ played with the Saints from basically day one for about 2 or 3 years, then moved to Boston and is still going strong well into he’s 40’s,” said Shaughnessy.  “He epitomizes everything that is good about footy in North America. If this game after three years isn’t already a tradition and worth playing for it is now!”

The Saints, who are ranked 9th in the USAFL Top 20 Poll, had good representation in the Parallel Cup last year, including Shaughnessy, Bogdan Rotary, and Morgan Whyte.  This is will be a sound warmup for the Canadian Nationals, as the Saints will help form part of Team Atlantic alongside players from Nova Scotia and Newfoundland.

For the Dees, who enter at #16 and are led by high flyers Rusty Smith and Rory Smith, it will be about getting a hot start and picking off a win on the road.  The Saints won both previous matches as part of the series, and Boston will need to figure out a way to shut down the offense while converting scores of their own if they want to take it home.

Game Schedule:

Women’s tournament:
10:00am – Montreal Angels v Ottawa Swans
10:45am – New York Magpies v Boston/Columbus/Toronto
11:30am – Montreal Angeles vs New York Magpies
12:15pm – Ottawa Swans v Boston/Columbus/Toronto
1:00pm – Montreal Angels v Boston/Columbus/Toronto
1:45pm – Ottawa Swans v New York Magpies
2:30pm – GRAND FINAL: 1st v 2nd

Men’s Match:
3:30pm – Quebec Saints v Boston Demons