HAMILTON (CIS) - The top-ranked Laval Rouge et Or will play in their fourth Vanier Cup final in six years on Saturday thanks to a record number of first-team all-Canadian players.

The 2008 Desjardins Vanier Cup will see the No. 3 Western Ontario Mustangs (10-1) battle No. 1 Laval (11-0) on November 22 at 2 p.m. at Ivor Wynne Stadium. The CIS football final will be televised on The Score Television Network and RDS, with SSN Canada providing the webcast. The Score kicks things off at 1 p.m. with a one-hour pre-game show.

For all the info on the 2008 Desjardins Vanier Cup visit:
www.vaniercup.ca or www.universitysport.ca

The CIS football all-Canadian teams, presented by Tourism Hamilton, were announced Thursday night at the Hamilton Convention Centre with No. 1 Laval stealing the show.

The Rouge et Or set all-time marks with five players on the first offensive squad and a total of eight first-team all-Canadians on offence, defence and special teams. The six-time reigning Quebec champions also saw three of their offensive linemen selected to the first CIS team, another record.

The Queen's Gaels, the only other team in the nation to run the table in the regular season, also had an impressive tally with six first-team CIS all-stars including three on defence, two on offence and one on special teams.

Leading the way for Laval was Hec Crighton Trophy-winning quarterback Benoit Groulx of Montreal, named an all-Canadian for the first time in his four-year career. The 5-foot-9, 216-pound pivot set a CIS single-season record this fall completing 75.2 percent of his passes while throwing a CIS-low two interceptions in conference play.

Joining Groulx on the first offensive squad were teammates Julian Feoli-Gudino, a second-year wide receiver from Costa Rica, guards Vincent Turgeon of Montreal and Luc Brodeur-Jourdain of St-Hyacinthe, Que., and centre Louis-David Gagné of Quebec City.

Feoli-Gudino had 65 catches in the regular season, the second highest total in CIS history. Brodeur-Jourdain was selected for the second straight year after the Laval O-line allowed only six sacks of Groulx all season, a CIS-low among starting quarterbacks.

Rounding out the first team on offence were Bishop's running back Jamall Lee of Port Coquitlam, B.C., Queen's running back Mike Giffin of Kingston, Ont., Queen's wide receiver Scott Valberg of Kingston, McGill inside receiver Erik Galas of Ottawa, Mount Allison inside receiver Gary Ross of Windsor, Ont., Alberta tackle Simeon Rottier of Westlock, Alta., and StFX tackle Steve Myddelton of Barrie, Ont.

Lee and Giffin were both named to the first team for the second straight year after finishing one-two in the CIS rushing race with 1,202 and 1,061 yards on the ground, respectively. Lee won the rushing crown for the second consecutive season, while Giffin, the OUA nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy, led the nation in rushing touchdowns (12) and all-purpose majors (14) for the second year in a row.

Galas, a second-team all-Canadian in 2007, put an exclamation point on his five-year career with the Redmen tallying 64 receptions, the third highest single-season total of all-time, and setting a CIS career record with 194 catches. The previous mark of 190 was held since 2005 by former Western Hec Crighton Award winner Andy Fantuz.

Leading the way on the defensive side of the ball were Queen's linebacker Thaine Carter of Nanaimo, B.C., the recipient of the Presidents' Trophy as CIS defensive player of the year, and Laval tackle Étienne Légaré of St-Raymond, Que., the winner of the J.P. Metras Trophy as the best down lineman in the country.

Carter, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound fourth-year senior, had a team-high 42.5 tackles as Queen's led the OUA for fewest points against (116) and rushing yards allowed (87 yards per game) in conference play.

Légaré, a 6-foot-4, 265-pound fourth-year veteran tallied 6.5 quarterback sacks in seven outings for a Laval defence that led the nation in fewest points, total yards (255) and rushing yards (69) allowed per game and also set a team record with only 60 points against.

Rounding out the list of first-team all-Canadians on defence were Queen's tackle Dedrick Sterling of Kingston, UBC end Scott McCuaig of Surrey, B.C., Queen's end Osie Ukwuoma of Mississauga, Ont., Calgary linebacker Andrea Bonaventura of Hamilton, Montreal linebacker Joash Gesse of Montreal, Mount Allison free safety Callan Exeter of Ajax, Ont., Laval halfback Maxime Bérubé of Valleyfield, Que., Guelph halfback James Savoie of Niagara Falls, Ont., Montreal cornerback Hamid Mahmoudi of Iran, and Saint Mary's cornerback Jeff Zelinski of Mission, B.C.

Zelinski, who had 5.5 interceptions in his fourth season with the AUFC champion Huskies, had been named to the second CIS squad the past two campaigns.

Exeter led the nation in total (77.5) and solo (63) tackles, Mahmoudi was tops in the country with six interceptions, while McCuaig and Ukwuoma tied for the CIS lead with 9.5 sacks apiece.

McCuaig, Ukwuoma and Gesse were named most valuable players on defence in the Canada West, Ontario and Quebec conferences, respectively.

The best special team players in Canada this fall were Guelph punter Rob Maver of Brampton, Ont., Laval placekicker Christopher Milo of Montreal and Queen's returner James Allin of Belleville, Ont.

Milo set a CIS record in his second season with the Rouge et Or kicking 25 field goals and a QUFL mark with 117 points. The previous national mark of 23 field goals had been established in 2001 by Manitoba's Jamie Boreham.

Highlighting the second all-Canadian teams were Calgary running back Matt Walter of Calgary, the Canada West nominee for the Hec Crighton Trophy, Queen's quarterback Danny Brannagan of Burlington, Ont., who led the nation with 24 touchdown passes, and Ross, selected to the second squad as a returner.



2008 CIS FOOTBALL ALL-CANADIANS

FIRST TEAM

Offence

Pos. - Athlete - University - Year - Hometown - Academic Program
QB - Benoit Groulx - Laval - 4 - Montreal, Que. - Education
RB - Michael Giffin - Queen's - 4 - Kingston, Ont. - Arts & Science
RB - Jamall Lee - Bishop's - 4 - Port Coquitlam, B.C. - Humanities
WR - Julian Feoli Gudino - Laval - 2 - San José, Costa Rica - Industrial Relations
WR - Scott Valberg - Queen's - 5 - Kingston, Ont. - Arts & Science
IR - Erik Galas - McGill - 5 - Ottawa, Ont. - Physical Education
IR - Gary Ross - Mount Allison - 3 - Windsor, Ont. - Science
C - Louis-David Gagné - Laval - 4 - Quebec City, Que. - Science
T - Simeon Rottier - Alberta - 4 - Westlock, Alta. - Agriculture, Life & Environnemental Sciences
T - Steve Myddelton - StFX - 4 - Barrie, Ont. - Business Administration
G - Vincent Turgeon - Laval - 5 - Montreal, Que. - Science
G - Luc Brodeur-Jourdain - Laval - 5 - St-Hyacinthe, Que. - Business Administration

Defence

DT - Étienne Légaré - Laval - 4 - St-Raymond, Que. - Education
DT - Dedrick Sterling - Queen's - 4 - Kingston, Ont. - Arts & Science
DE - Scott McCuaig - UBC - 4 - Surrey, B.C. - Arts
DE - Osie Ukwuoma - Queen's - 3 - Mississauga, Ont. - Business
LB - Thaine Carter - Queen's - 4 - Nanaimo, B.C. - Arts & Science
LB - Andrea Bonaventura - Calgary - 3 - Hamilton, Ont. - Social Sciences
LB - Joash Gesse - Montreal - 3 - Montreal, Que. - Education
FS - Callan Exeter - Mount Allison - 2 - Ajax, Ont. - BCM
HB - Maxime Bérubé - Laval - 3 - Valleyfield, Que. - Business Administration
HB - James Savoie - Guelph - 2 - Niagara Falls, Ont. - Landscape Architecture
CB - Hamid Mahmoudi - Montreal - 3 - Teheran, Iran - Arts & Sciences
CB - Jeff Zelinski - Saint Mary's - 4 - Mission, B.C. - Science

Special Teams

P - Rob Maver - Guelph - 3 - Brampton, Ont. - Political Science
K - Christopher Milo - Laval - 2 - Montreal, Que. - Industrial Relations
RET - James Allin - Queen's - 4 - Belleville, Ont. - Arts & Science


SECOND TEAM

Offence

Pos. - Athlete - University - Year - Hometown - Faculty
QB - Danny Brannagan - Queen's - 4 - Burlington, Ont. - Business
RB - Matt Walter - Calgary - 2 - Calgary, Alta. - Science
RB - James Green - StFX - 4 - Halifax, N.S. - Business Administration
WR - Jedd Gardner - Guelph - 2 - Niagara Falls, Ont. - Commerce Business
WR - Nathan Coehoorn - Calgary - 2 - Redcliff, Alta. - Social Sciences
IR - Mark Stinson - Toronto - 5 - Calgary, Alta. - Employment Relations
IR - Alain Dorval - Sherbrooke - 5 - Quebec City, Que. - History
C - Kurtis Stolth - Manitoba - 4 - Port Alberni, B.C. - Social Work
T - Scott Evans - Wilfrid Laurier - 5 - Cambridge, Ont. - Computer Science
T - Bryan Jordan - Saint Mary's - 5 - London, Ont. - Arts
G - Hubert Buydens - Saskatchewan - 4 - Saskatoon, Sask. - Arts & Science
G - Vincenzo De Civita - Queen's - 3 - Gormley, Ont. - Health Sciences

Defence

DT - Dan Schutte - Saint Mary's 2 - Red Deer, Alta. - Arts
DT - Dan Oramasionwu - Manitoba - 4 - Winnipeg, Man. - Asper School of Business
DE - Mathieu Brossard - Montreal - 4 - Montreal, Que. - Business Administration
DE - M-A Beaudoin-Cloutier Laval - 3 - St-Basile, Que. - Business Administration
LB - John Surla - Western - 2 - Niagara Falls, Ont. - Social Sciences
LB - Henoc Muamba - StFX - 2 - Kinshasa, Congo - BIS
LB - James Yurichuk - Bishop's - 4 - Brampton, Ont. - Education
FS - Matthew Carapella - Western - 5 - London, Ont. - Social Sciences
HB - Corey McNair - Western - 5 - London, Ont. - Social Sciences
HB - Joel Lipinski - Saint Mary's - 4 - Regina, Sask. - Science
CB - Jon Krahenbil - Saskatchewan - 4 - Fort Qu'Appelle, Sask. - Business
CB - Anthony Deslauriers - Simon Fraser - 3 - Surrey, B.C. - Bachelor of Arts

Special Teams

P - Hugh O'Neill - Alberta - 2 - Edmonton, Alta. - Science
K - Rob Maver - Guelph - 3 - Brampton, Ont. - Political Science
RET - Gary Ross - Mount Allison - 3 - Windsor, Ont. -