A pair of tries by Carter Fillion and a last-minute defensive stand gave the Bishop's Gaiters a 25-20 win over the Montreal Carabins at Coulter Field, Friday. The Homecoming weekend crowd of nearly 900 fans saw Fillion score his second try of the game with 13 minutes to play, breaking a 20-20 tie, and then saw the Gaiters withstand a late, multiple-phase possession by the Carabins to preserve the victory in a wild contest that featured five lead changes. The Gaiters (3-0-0) are now alone in first place in the "2-3-6" division with 14 points. Montreal falls to 2-1-1, but still leads the "1-4-5" division with 11 points.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

• Bishop's recovered the opening kickoff but turned it over quickly. Four minutes later, Montreal opened the scoring with a penalty goal.
• Fillion scored his first try of the game in the 14th minute, after the Gaiters took advantage of a line out deep in Montreal territory.
• The Carabins scored their first try 11 minutes later, when Vlad Vinograd scored, after the Carabins took advantage of an overload to gain territory.
• At the end of the first half, the Gaiters were awarded a penalty, but the Gaiters chose to try to score the try instead of kicking for the sure three points. The gamble paid off, as Tyler Murphy (Bromont, Que. ) scored a try to put Bishop's up 12-8 at halftime.
• The Carabins responded right away in the second half, as Paul Guerrini scored just 10 seconds into the half.
• The Gaiters regained the lead in the 54th minute as Finnian Cronin (Ottawa, Ont./Immaculata H.S.) touched a loose ball down in the goal area.
• Josh Bray (Lennoxville, Que./Bishop's College School) added to the Gaiters lead in the 59th minute, as his penalty made it 20-15.
• Juan Esteban tied the game for Montreal two minutes later.
• Fillion's game-winning try came in the 67th minute after he pushed the ball over after a Bishop's penalty and line out.
• The Gaiters held the ball for most of the last 10 minutes, but an interception by Montreal with 90 seconds left set up the Carabins' desperate push to tie the game.
• Montreal got to within 5 yards of goal on their last possession, but the Gaiters eventually forced the ball out of bounds, sealing the win.

COACH GOODE'S COMMENTS: 


SCORING SUMMARY:
Bishop's:
Tries: Carter Filion (St. Catharines, Ont./Ridley College) 2 (16', 67'), Tyler Murphy (Bromont, Que. ) (40'), Finnian Cronin (Ottawa, Ont./Immaculata H.S.) (54')
Conversion: Josh Bray (Lennoxville, Que./Bishop's College School) (40')
Penalty Goal: Josh Bray (Lennoxville, Que./Bishop's College School) (59')

Montreal:
Tries: Vlad Vinograd (25'), Rudy Guerrini (41'), Juan Esteban (61')
Conversion: Pierre Dupont (42')
Penalty Goal: Ben Hartley (3')

NOTES: The win was the first for the Gaiters over Montreal since Oct. 2, 2015 (a 20-12 win at Coulter Field), ending a streak of three straight losses in the series … The Gaiters have now defeated both of the 2016 RSEQ finalists.

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UP NEXT: The Gaiters head around Mont-Bellevue to visit the Sherbrooke Vert & Or (0-2-0, 2 its.) on Saturday, Sept. 30. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m.