July 29, 2011 

Since the CanAm Rugby Tournament was incepted, Brockport Doggies Rugby has been there and made its impact.  This year, there was renewed commitment  as the Doggies converged on the Adirondack Mountains for the push for Cush.  The theme of this year's competition was in honor of our fallen brother Don "Cush" Cushine.  The Doggies brought in 3 squads to compete in the Premier, Social and Over 35 Divisions.  Originally, the BRASS team was signed up for the Club Division but captain Joe Perez made the call to bump up to the Premier.  It's a bold move but as Joe said, "we have the men to get it done".   The second team competing in the Social Division was comprised of Brockport College players, which is the second year this has happened.  Hats off to the young lads for making the trek to our sacred Doggie breeding ground in the mountains.  The Over 35 side showed a big transition for many BRASS players to the next generation of crusty old Dogs.  Overall, there was a very good representation of Doggies from different eras.  The Lincoln Park Rugby team also brought a group to form the Commissioner of Fun Touring Side to compete in the Over 45 Division in honor of Cush.  A handful of older Doggies teamed up with them.  Special jerseys were created for the occasion featuring both the Doggie patch andLincoln Park logos.  All jerseys bore the # 2 in honor of Cush.  The LP gang was a great bunch of players and gents who brought a lot of laughs and great play to Saranac!       

The weekend's events began Thursday evening with a gathering of Doggies at the Tail-O-the-Pup for some food and drink.  The action started on Friday with both the Commissioner of Fun and Over 35 sides competitng.  COF lost a tough match against the Ottawa Senators 7 - 0 when, in the last two minutes Ottawa had a long breakaway and scored a try.  The Doggies O35 team spanked the Potomac team 20 - 0 to open their competiton.  It was evident these Dogs were ready for battle.  Later in the day the O35 team crushed the Penn State team 31 - 3, which is always a great way to end the days competiton.  The COF team chalked up a victory over the Mountaineer team beating them handily by a score of 27 -5.  One of the highlights of the weekend was seeing Cush's son playing on the field wearing a # 2 jersey.  The young lad played well and it was plain to see the apple does not fall far from the tree. 

The Friday night party at Northwoods Inn was of epic proprtion with more than 100 in attendance.  The beer and spirits were flowing, the conversation and cheering was fantastic and Cush's extended family was in attendance.  Per usual, Shorty had the microphone and the festivities continued for hours.  There were several awards given out and four new additions to the Hall of Fame: Mike Bice, Kris "Eemah" VanZeilen, Doug Reichel and Tim Raynard.  Eddie Chazon was awarded the John Barclay Award for 2011, which promted an inspirational speech from him.  He reminded us that these awards are fine, but really the weekend is all about getting the championship hardware!!!  A special moment in the evening was when Rosey awarded John Mercier the Don "Cush" Cushine Lifetime Achievement Award, a first in our long line of traditions.  Great job to all award recipients!  

On Saturday in the early 8 am game, the college Doggies lost a tough one against Old Scarlett 30 - 25.  At one point the team led 17 -0 but there were some ill-concieved substituions, which may have contributed to the loss.  Later in the day, the team avenged their loss with a 29 - 0 spanking of Plattsburgh.  They ended the day with a very bitter loss to a North Jersey team 15 - 12.  This eliminated them from the tournament and play on Sunday.  Although the record was not what they wanted it was great to see upwards of 25 college players attending the tournament and they fought hard.  Keep up the good work boys and prepare for a victorious fall season! 

The action for the BRASS team in the Premier Division started with a 9am match against Wisconsin.  The BRASS team beat them up with a 17 - 5 victory to start their run for a championship.  At noon, the BRASS faced off against a determined Mystic River team who had won it all the previous year.  The BRASS team lost a very close match by a 7 - 5 score.   At 5 pm, the BRASS team bounced back with another pouncing of our friends from Penn State beating them 22 - 14.  How sweet it is to beat Penn State two times in one tournament and because of the point differential the BRASS team was in the championship final on Sunday against - none other than Mystic River.  Would we want it any other way? 

The road to glory began at 9am for the O35 team with a semi-final match against a feisty Schenectady team.  The Doggies pulled it out in the end with a thrilling 7 - 5 victory.  This qualified them for the championship match against Amoskeag at noon.  The COF team playing in the O45 Consolation final was riddled with injuries and lack of depth.  They suffered a loss to the Washington team WARTS 12 - 0.  Hats off to the men of Lincoln Park who made the trip to Saranac in honor of Cush - The Commissioner of Fun! 

The new championship field in Bloomingdale was bustling with spectators.  The Doggies were especially present with two teams playing for a championship.  The O35 team at 12 followed by the BRASS premier team at 2.  The sidelines were spackled with Doggies ready for battle.  The chanting was loud as shouts of DOGGIES, DOGGIES filled the air.  Bice had a pounding run in the open field to set the pace for the game.  Shortly afterwards, the Doggies struck first with crushing forward play that blasted the ball in the gut of the competition up the middle for a try by Freak!  The conversion was good and the Doggies were up 7 - 0.  Amoskeag answered with a try and conversion and both teams hit on penalty kicks.  It was 10 - 10 at half.  The second half was tightly played with hard hitting and great defense.  At about the 4 minute mark, the Doggies struck again with another try by Freak, to go up 15 - 10.  This ended up as the final score and the Doggies had their first championship of the day!  The sidelines went ballistic!!!  One down and one to go. 

Now on to the feature match of the day pitting the Brockport Doggies for a rematch against Mystic River.  It was as hard hitting and scrappy as the first match they played.  The scoring was limited as both teams played fierce defense.  The hot sun and heat set the tone for a battle of endurance.  The sidelines were much more controlled as the tournament directors enforced the sideline setback.  The Doggies eventually hit a penalty kick and went ahead 3 - 0.  Mystic was able to score a try but missed the conversion to make the score 5 - 3.  Again, the Doggies hit on a penalty to go up 6 - 5.  The match continued with bone crushing tackling and great defense.  The Doggies would not let Mystic score again.  A late penalty kick by the Doggies sealed the deal and the Doggies triumphed over Mystic River 9 -5.  Could it be another Championship...TWO CHAMPIONSHIPS AT SARANAC ...EXCEPTIONAL!  AN OLD BOYS CHAMPIONSHIP AND A PREMIER CHAMPIONSHIP...UNPRECEDENTED!!!  The tunnel to clap the Doggies off was 50 yards long as we all sang our song Doggie, Doggie, - Doggie, Doggie, Doggie, Doggie, Doggie - Doggie, Doggie DO!!!  

There was no doubt in the entire crowd, THE DOGGIES WERE BACK, BOLDER AND BETTER THAN EVER........ CUSH WAS SMILING FROM ABOVE!!!