parpho@rogers.com

KINGSTON, Ont. (October 29, 2011) – The No. 8 Queen's Gaels advanced to the OUA semifinal with a 14-10 victory over the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks on Saturday at Richardson Stadium.

CIS leading rusher Ryan Granberg of Sherwood Park, Alta., scored the game winning touchdown on a one-yard rush early in the fourth quarter to give the Gaels a 14-7 lead at the time.

Up until the Granberg touchdown the Gaels had trailed the entire game and all points were posted by the team's two kickers.

Both defences stymied each other's offence with the Gaels managing only 379 yards offence while the Golden Hawks put up just 371.

Queen's played a full three games (198:39) without surrounding a touchdown. They have yet to allow a rushing touchdown in 2011.

Ben D'Andrea of Calgary led the Gaels with 8.5 tackles while Samuel Aird of Ancaster, Ont., had 5.5 tackles to in the loss for Laurier. Laurier also was credited with eight team tackles.

Queen's Dan Village of Abbotsford, B.C., hit field goals of 29-yards, and 35-yards while Laurier's Ronald Pfeffer of Kitchener, Ont., countered with field goals of 11, 17 and 24 yards to conclude the scoring at 10:44 of the fourth quarter.

Laurier had several opportunities to blow the game open but failed to convert with two touchdowns being called back on penalties. The first came with the game in the second quarter with the game tied at 0. The second came late in the third.

Josh Sultana of Etobicoke, Ont., also stopped the Golden Hawks from scoring, intercepting first quarter pass from Shane Kelly of Basking Ridge, N.J., in the end zone.

Both kickers exchanged rouges in the second quarter to put the score 1-1. They also exchanged field goals before the half to hold the score at 4-4.

Granberg would finish with just 76-yards on 23 carries and one touchdown, Tyrell Wilson of Hamilton would counter with 73 yards on just 12 carries.

Ryan Mitchell of Toronto who started in place of the injured Billy McPhee, was 23 of 38 throwing for 272-yards and no touchdowns or interceptions. McPhee from Burlington, Ont., was scratched the morning of the game with an upper-body injury.

Laurier's Shane Kelly of Basking Ridge, N.J., was 30 of 47 passing throwing 307-yards and three interceptions.

In the other OUA quarterfinal matchup, Windsor toppled Ottawa 50-33 to advance to the OUA semifinals.

Next week in the OUA semifinals, Queen's will matchup against No. 3 McMaster in Hamilton while the Windsor Lancers will meet the No. 4 Western Mustangs in London, Ont.

NOTES: This is the first season Laurier has not advanced to the OUA semifinal since 2002… Laurier's Mark Surya of Burlington, Ont., played his final CIS game at Richardson Stadium – Suyra was also a member of the 2009 Vanier Cup Queen's Gaels… Queen's now holds an 8-7 all-time series advantage… Attendance was 2,594.