Lochard TD helps Laval win second straight Vanier Cup 25-14 over Dinos

QUEBEC – Pascal Lochard ran in Laval’s only touchdown in the fourth quarter and the Rouge et Or held off the Calgary Dinos 25-14 to win their second consecutive Vanier Cup championship on Saturday afternoon.

Boris Bede had five field goals and a single for Laval, which won the Canadian Inter-university Sport title for the third time in four years and a record eighth time overall.

Jake Harty and Chris Dopko scored touchdowns for Calgary, which lost for the first time this season. The Dinos were looking to avenge a 29-2 loss at Laval in the 2010 Vanier Cup game. Calgary has not won a Vanier Cup since 1995.

The Rouge et Or dominated territorially, but ran into a bend-but-don’t-break Calgary defence that kept the visitors in the game until the final quarter.

A pair of third-quarter TDs briefly gave Calgary the lead at 14-12, but Laval surged in the final quarter with help from a raucous, overflow crowd of 18,543 at the 12,00-seat Telus Stadium on a chilly, windy afternoon.

The Dinos got through the first half down only 6-0 thanks to strong pass coverage and some bad Laval penalties and place kicking. The Rouge et Or put up 245 yards on offence to 66 for Calgary.

A 42-yard TD run by Maxime Boutin and an 80-yard punt return by Guillaume Rioux were called back on holding calls.

The Rouge et Or moved to the Calgary 23 on the opening drive, but Bede missed right on a 30-yard field goal attempt and settled for a single. A 37-yard attempt with the wind to open the second quarter hit an upright and fell for no points.

Bede finally made one from 40 yards midway through the second quarter, but coach Glen Constantin took the points off the board due to a roughing the kicker call. Three plays later, Bede was good again from 19 yards.

The Dinos conceded a safety with 2:18 left in the half.

Lochard, who was named game MVP, carried on seven consecutive plays to the Calgary three to open the second half and Bede was good from 10 yards.

The Dinos bounced back, as Buckley hit Rashaun Simonise with a 42-yard pass to help set up Harty’s six-yard TD run around the right side at 7:59 to cut Laval’s lead to two points.

Laval blocked a punt to set up a 16-yard Bede boot, but the Dinos marched back on a 39-yard screen pass to Mercer Timmis to set up Buckley’s six-yard TD toss to Dopko. Laval answered with Bede’s fourth field goal of the day.

Alex Skinner kept the ball on the ground all the way as Laval marched 89 yards on seven plays for Lochard’s eight-yard TD run at 9:12. Another drive ended with Bede’s fifth of the game from 12 yards in the final minute.