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Mustangs look to defend OUA curling titles
HAMILTON, Ont. - The top curlers in Ontario University Athletics
(OUA) will compete in the most important bonspiel of the season, as
the University of Waterloo plays host to the 2010 OUA curling
championship at the KW Granite Club on Saturday and Sunday.
The Western Mustangs are the defending men's and women's champions,
and if history is any indication, they will be hard pressed to
defend their titles. There has not been a back-to-back champion in
women's curling since the Mustangs repeated in 2003. You have to go
further back to find a consecutive OUA men's champion, as the 1994
Queen's Gaels are the last to win two straight banners.
The Mustangs men's team are perfect heading into the OUA
championship with an 8-0 record. They will be joined by the
Laurentian Voyageurs (5-3), Toronto Varsity Blues (5-3) and Trent
Excalibur (4-4).
Western is skipped by Evan Lilly (Sudbury, Ont.)
and may face a difficult challenge in Game 1 of the championship.
The Excalibur was ahead 6-4 against the Mustangs in the final end
of their crossover game last weekend, when Lilly executed a steal
of four to win 8-6. The stakes will be even higher this time
around.
The Voyageurs are playing in their first-ever OUA championship, and
may be the Cinderella story of the event. The Voyageurs narrowly
missed qualifying for the championships a year ago in their
inaugural season in OUA competition.
Pat Janssen (Scarborough, Ont.) skips a Varsity
Blues team whose losses came against the three teams they will be
facing in Waterloo, Ont. this weekend. Janssen and his teammates
will be looking for better results this time around.
The Brock Badgers women's team is undefeated (8-0) and will look to
continue their winning ways. The Badgers are led by second-year
skip Courtney Hodgson (Guelph, Ont.) and will face
the Mustangs (6-2), Waterloo Warriors (5-3) and Wilfrid Laurier
Golden Hawks (5-3) this weekend.
Mustangs skip Hollie Nicol (Markham, Ont.) will
renew acquaintances with her former Golden Hawks teammates in Game
2. Under Nicol's guidance, Laurier has won consecutive Canadian
Interuniversity Sport (CIS) championships, a silver medal at the
2009 Winter Universiade in Harbin, China as well as a gold medal at
the Karuizawa International Curling championships last month.
Laurier is now skipped by Danielle Inglis
(Kleinburg, Ont.).
Skip Katherine Pringle (Orillia, Ont.) and the
host Warriors defeated both the Mustangs and Golden Hawks at the
OUA West sectional and will look for a similar outcome this
weekend.
The OUA championships are a single round-robin format, after which
the top-ranked team earns a bye into the final. The second and
third place teams square off in a semifinal. If necessary, a
tiebreaker will be played to determine the third place team.
2010 OUA CURLING CHAMPIONSHIPS SCHEDULE
The KW Granite Club, 99 Seagram Drive, Waterloo, Ont.
Saturday, February 13
Game 1 - 8:30 a.m.
Men: Western vs. Trent; Laurentian vs. Toronto
Women: Brock vs. Laurier; Western vs. Waterloo
Game 2 - 12:50 p.m.
Men: Western vs. Toronto; Laurentian vs. Trent
Women: Brock vs. Waterloo; Western vs. Laurier
Game 3 - 4:50 p.m.
Men: Western vs. Laurentian; Toronto vs. Trent
Women: Brock vs. Western; Waterloo vs. Laurier
Sunday, February 14
Tie-breaker - 7:50 a.m.*
*If necessary
Semifinals - 8:50 a.m. or 11:20 a.m.*
*Later time if tie-breaker is required
Finals - 1:20 p.m. or 3:20 p.m.*
*Later time if tie-breaker is required
