Two players from the Bow Valley Grizzlies men's rugby club helped the Calgary Mavericks wrap up third place in their first appearance in the Coast to Coast Cup hosted by Halifax.

Brennan Bourcher and Ewan Lawton made the cut to join the Mavericks, who was determined to send a team after an attempt to form an Alberta team failed.

"Our coach Dusty wanted to still get a team in, still believed in our capabilities, vouched for us, and pushed for us to attend this tournament," says Bourcher. "I'm really happy they did because it was an amazing group of guys to play with and I really enjoyed every moment of it."

The Mavericks lost to the Toronto Arrows Academy in their opening game before dominating Saskatchewan Prairie Fire, 57-7, to finish third in the four-team tournament.

"It was an amazing rally by the boys after taking a loss to the Toronto Arrows," he says.

Bourcher feasted on the fresh crab, maybe a bit too much he admits, but the best part was definitely being on the field.

MavericksThe Calgary Mavericks on Wanders Field after their huge win over Prairie Fire. (photo/Calgary Mavericks)

"A big highlight was genuinely playing with Ewan, another guy from our team, and also seeing the new talent. The U18 and 19 guys that were on the team came out and kind of dominate for us. That was a highlight for me personally."

Bourcher, 26, came to the Bow Valley Grizzlies right out of high school and over the years has nurtured his skills as an impact player. He's currently playing full back and wing. Over the years, he's played for the Mavericks in several different age groups.

Lawton is in his first year with the Grizzlies and previously played in Ontario and Quebec. He's currently enjoying a road trip and was unavailable for an interview.

Meanwhile in Cochrane, the Grizz were matched up against the Canucks and won a close one with a short bench of 19 players.

Bourcher says the Mavericks team included nine Canucks, making for some fun when they were tracking the score from afar.

"The entire time, we were getting ready for our game in Nova Scotia, and watching the score bounce back and forth. We were kind of joking with each other and bragging that our team was up and then the other team would switch over. It was a riot on the sidelines watching the score unravel from the East Coast."

Grizz head coach Tyler Hawes says it was an impressive performance by the Mavericks and the two players from the Grizz against three provincial teams.

"They represented Bow Valley really well and it was just great to see them out there enjoying themselves and playing that higher level of rugby."

This was the third annual national high-performance tournament featuring emerging Canadian rugby talent. It was the first year of an expanded four-team showcase. The Atlantic Privateers hosted.