Eastern Canada Coaches Poll

The Eastern Canadian voters were asked to pick their top five teams from the fall season. (In subsequent polls we will be asking for the top eight teams.) Twelve voters participated in the poll. Points were allocated in the following manner: Five points for a first place vote, four points for a second place vote, three points for a third place vote, etc. The votes have been tabulated and listed below in order of total votes. The number in parentheses indicates how many first place votes a team received.

Eastern Canada Coaches Poll Results

1. McGill University Quidditch – (2.5) 50.5

2. University of Ottawa Gee-Gees (6.5) – 48.5

3. North Star Quidditch Team – (3) 41

4. Queen’s University Quidditch – 21.5

5. UWaterloo Ridgebacks – 11

Also receiving votes: Université de Montréal (UdeM) – 10, Carleton University Quidditch – 2

Voters Explain Their Decisions

“The top 3 is pretty set when looking at results of this season; it changes basically every tournament for No. 1. UdeM is the team you don’t want to get matched up with in playoffs because it can definitely upset any other team in the league. Waterloo edges out Queen’s and Valhalla based on Fleming results. Carleton will be interesting once the team is healthy.”

“Ottawa seems to have been the most consistent. McGill and North Star are pretty obvious from results. Waterloo has come up with a weird playing style that has confused most of the other top contenders. Queen’s hits hard enough that the move to the winter quidditch season won't knock the team out.”

“McGill has pretty much made the biggest mark in tournaments this year and always seems to be the team to look out for. The team is strong, consistent and has a good strategy that not many teams can compete with. North Star has given McGill the best run and is also a very strong and consistent team. Considering that North Star is in its first year as an official team, seeing the team take over the No. 1 spot is a possibility in the future. The Gee-Gees have a strong history, and despite losing some players they are still one of the strongest teams in the region. Carleton has performed well; it has always been a team to look out for and that still remains this year. Although Waterloo did beat Carleton once this season, it was the first time the two teams played this year and it was a very close game, which is why Carleton takes the No. 4 spot. Waterloo is very new, in its second year and for the most part has slipped under the radar until recently. The team’s proven it can beat some of the top teams (e.g. Queen’s, Carleton) and definitely has room to grow further. UdeM almost made this list but unfortunately it hasn’t played a ton and five is a short list.”

“Based on the progression of the season, Ottawa will stay on top. The team has depth, speed and excellent game sense. McGill follows Ottawa for similar reasons, but Ottawa has greater speed and better beaters. Queen’s is No. 3 because of its athletic and physical ability. The team doesn't have the synergy to edge out McGill or Ottawa, but it is big, strong and aggressive. That is why Queen’s is ahead of North Star. North Star has very experienced players but in a game that runs more than 20 minutes the team’s short stamina will hurt it. The team’s seeking can pull out early wins for it, but with Robillard's track record he may get carded out in a physical match up. The fifth spot could bounce between Carleton, Guelph, UdeM and Waterloo. It goes to UdeM because it is the wildcard. The team is fast and physical and its strategy has only been getting better. Carleton doesn't have a great defense and its beater game can be picked apart. Guelph has been riddled by injuries all season (rarely being able to field even 12 males). With a healthy squad the team could pull some upsets. Waterloo is hard to define. The team has a strong beater game but its chasers are not up to competition. That being said they still manage to put up points, but Waterloo could still fail to UdeM. “

“This comes strictly from stats. Regardless of the playing styles of most of the above teams, any reasons for wins/losses (injury, bad day, etc.), or how well they actually play, these rankings are based on the scores. Fifth is a toss up between Queen’s and Carleton because Queen’s hasn't played McGill, Gee-Gees, Carleton or UdeM (get on that, Queen’s!)”

“Gee-Gees and McGill have shown that they have lots of depth this year and, with talent being so closely matched in this region, depth is one of the biggest reasons these two teams have done as well as they have so far. Queen’s is also up there with maybe a little bit less experience. Nonetheless, it wouldn't be surprising to see Queen’s beat any team. North Star boasts an all-star lineup but tends to rely heavily on those stars and as someone mentioned previously, the team is more prone to fatigue than younger teams.”

“UdeM, in spite of its small roster, has been consistently within snitch range for the majority (if not all) of its games against these other teams. Plus, its playing strategy seems to revolve around Rithy and this also seems to work really well for UdeM.”

“Carleton almost earned a spot on this list, but the team hasn’t played enough yet to confirm anything. If the team can be as good as it was last year it could definitely win the Regional Championship. Keep in mind that Carleton beat the Gee-Gees in the first game this season.”

“Waterloo also almost made the list but five teams is a short list.”

Observations

The Eastern Canadian voters seemed to have a tough time evaluating their teams. Although the consensus seems to be that McGill, Ottawa and North Star are the top three teams, no one seems to have a clue how to rank those three teams. Only three voters put McGill at the top (one voter tied Ottawa and McGill so only 2.5 first place votes); nonetheless, no voter ranked the Montréal-based powerhouse lower than second, powering them to the top spot in the poll. Over half of our voters placed Ottawa first, but 4 third place votes and 1 fourth place vote knocked the Gee-Gees below McGill. North Star presented a large mystery to our voters earning as many first place votes (3) as fourth place votes. Queen’s comfortably fit into the fourth spot, appearing on 9 out of 12 ballots, while Waterloo edged UdeM for fifth. Université de Montréal actually appeared on more ballots (8) then Waterloo (6); Waterloo, however, received 1 third place vote and 3 fourth place votes, whereas 6 of UdeM’s votes were for fifth. Voters requested that in the future we consider eight teams to receive more interesting results and we will make those changes in our next poll.