Gee-Gees win the 52nd Panda Game at TD Place
Pedro the Panda will remain enrolled at the University of Ottawa for another year.
Campbell Fair kicked a 45-yard field goal with one minute left to give the Gee-Gees a 19-17 win over the Carleton Ravens in the Panda Game at TD Place.
A sold-out crowd of 15,000 people braved the rainy conditions for the 52nd Panda Game.
This year's Panda Game reignited the rivalry between Ottawa's two universities after a one-year hiatus due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"It's amazing, despite the rain, despite the fact it has an impact on the score. Nothing like it," said one fan at TD Place.
"Electricity is the only word that can describe it. I can promise you that, electricity," said another fan.
While some fans enjoyed their first or second Panda Game, for others it was a chance to renew a decades long tradition.
"We all call each other and say, "it's Panda Day', we're going to go," said one fan. "1975 Vanier Cup Champions college champions, we all played ball together at uOttawa."
Saturday's victory was the third straight win in the Panda Game for the Gee-Gees. UOttawa also won the crosstown rivalry in 2018 and 2019. Last year's game was cancelled when the OUA shutdown the football season due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
TD Place had full COVID-19 measures in place for Saturday's game, including proof of full vaccination to enter the facility and masks inside the stadium.
"We've taken the emphasis off the party and talked about safe party," said Mark Goudie, president of the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group. "The universities have done a great job of making this a safer event but keeping it fun for the students."
Ottawa police and bylaw deployed extra resources into Sandy Hill, Old Ottawa South and the Glebe before and after the game, and at Lansdowne Park.
Coun. Mathieu Fleury says thousands of fans attended the pregame tailgate party at the Sandy Hill Arena.
"Compared to most universities in Ontario we're doing a very good job. Carleton and uOttawa I feel like don't have as many block parties, we didn't see any," said Fleury.
Officials say there were no major incidents at TD Place during the game.
Before the games, the Gee-Gees and Ravens paid tribute to Gee-Gees lineman Francis Perron, who died shortly after uOttawa's first game of the season two weeks ago.
Perron's family attended the game at TD Place.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
MPP Sarah Jama asked to leave Ontario legislature for wearing keffiyeh
MPP Sarah Jama was asked to leave the Legislative Assembly of Ontario by House Speaker Ted Arnott on Thursday for wearing a keffiyeh, a garment which has been banned at Queen’s Park.
Mountain guide dies after falling into a crevasse in Banff National Park
A man who fell into a crevasse while leading a backcountry ski group deep in the Canadian Rockies has died.
2 teens charged in Halifax homicide: police
Two teenagers have been charged with second-degree murder in connection to an alleged homicide near the Halifax Shopping Centre earlier this week.
'Deep ignorance': Calls for Manitoba trustee to resign sparked after comments about Indigenous people and reconciliation
A rural Manitoba school trustee is facing calls to resign over comments he made about Indigenous people and residential schools earlier this week.
ByteDance prefers TikTok shutdown in U.S. if legal options fail, Reuters sources say
TikTok owner ByteDance would prefer to shut down its loss-making app rather than sell it if the Chinese company exhausts all legal options to fight legislation to ban the platform from app stores in the U.S., four sources said.
12-year-old hippo in Japan raised as a male discovered to be a female
When Gen-chan arrived at a zoo in Japan in 2017, no one questioned whether the then-five-year-old hippopotamus was a boy. Seven years later, zoo staff made a surprising discovery: Gen-chan, now 12, was female.
Here's why Harvey Weinstein's New York rape conviction was tossed and what happens next
Here's what you need to know about why movie mogul Harvey Weinstein's rape conviction was thrown out and what happens next.
Improve balance and build core strength with this exercise
When it comes to cardiovascular fitness, you may tend to focus on activities that move you forward, such as walking, running and cycling.
Legendary hockey broadcaster Bob Cole dies at 90: CBC
Bob Cole, a welcome voice for Canadian hockey fans for a half-century, has died at the age of 90. Cole died Wednesday night in St. John's, N.L., surrounded by his family, his daughter, Megan Cole, told the CBC.