Fredericton, NB —The opening night of the U SPORTS Curling Championship in Fredericton, NB, set the stage for an exciting five-day competition. Eight women's teams hit the ice on Tuesday for the opening draws of round-robin play.
After their OUA bronze medal in early February, the Waterloo rink of skip Celia Evans (Burton/NB), third Shannon Warriner (Burlington/ON), second Julia Evans (Burton/NB), lead Violet French (Ottawa/ON) landed in Fredericton for the U SPORTS Curling Championship.
In what was surely a thrilling match, the Waterloo Warriors managed to come from behind and defeat the McMaster Marauders by a score of 12-9. Despite conceding a triple in the opening end, the Warriors didn't let that early setback get them down. They were able to level the score with a triple in the sixth end and then take the lead with a single in the seventh and a double in the eighth. Although McMaster managed to score a double in the ninth, it wasn't enough to close the gap completely. In the end, the Warriors were able to secure their victory with a double in the tenth.
On the second day of the U SPORTS Championship, some teams began to stand out from the rest. The Warriors and Alberta Pandas were the only ones to maintain a perfect record during the first two days of round-robin play. The Warriors won a close match against the Dalhousie Tigers and then secured a significant victory over the Victoria Vikes.
In the tightest match of the morning, Waterloo held on to defeat the Dalhousie Tigers, 9-8, thanks to a three-point end in the ninth. In the final game on the ice on Day 2, Waterloo used back-to-back double ends in the fourth and fifth to defeat Victoria, 8-3.
On the third day of the Championship, teams competed to secure their position in the playoffs as the round-robin portion progressed towards the halfway mark. The Warriors held the second place with a 4-1 record and were in a good position to secure a playoff spot with a win on the next day. The women's opening draw of the day featured a clash between Alberta and Waterloo, both undefeated. The Pandas demonstrated their dominance, particularly with a four-point third end, securing a 9-4 triumph over the Warriors. Later that day, Waterloo successfully held off Mount Allison with a crucial four-point end in the ninth, leading to handshakes and a 10-6 victory for the Warriors.
On the final day of round robin, the women's draw started the day with multiple teams still in the race for the playoffs. The REDS rode three consecutive stolen ends to take down Waterloo 6-2, keeping UNB's playoff hopes alive. In the last draw of the day on day four, five teams were still in contention for the final three playoff spots in the women's standings. Victoria played the role of spoiler on Friday night, scoring a double in the ninth and stealing a single in the tenth to defeat McMaster, 7-5, eliminating them from playoff contention with the UNB win. Waterloo dropped a 7-4 decision to Laurentian in the final draw of the day. Despite losing their final games, Dalhousie and Waterloo punched their tickets to the semifinals with the McMaster loss.
The Warriors secured their spot in the U SPORTS semifinals against the UNB Reds with a 4-3 round-robin finish. The semifinal game is scheduled for 9:00 AM ADT at the Capital Winter Club.
