2025 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championships: Carleton men upset defending champs, Dalhousie women walk off AUS title rematch in extras

The Carleton Ravens men and Dalhousie Tigers women both triumphed in extra ends Monday evening, on the opening day of the 2025 U SPORTS / Curling Canada Championships at the Lethbridge Curling Club.

Facing the defending U SPORTS champion Regina Cougars, the OUA gold-medalist Ravens came out on top in an exciting battle of conference title-holders. Down 4-1 at the fourth-end break, the Ravens scored a pair in the fifth and then stole back-to-back ends in the eighth and ninth, to complete the 5-4 comeback.

“Early on, we made lots of shots,” said Cougars skip Joshua Bryden, who represented Team Canada at the FISU Winter World University Games last month in Torino, Italy – finishing in fourth place. “The team played great even throughout the last few ends. It’s just when you miss your last four shots as a skip, it’s tough to win a curling game. But we learned a lot out there tonight and hopefully we can take that forward.”

Also in men’s action, the OUA finalist Laurier Golden Hawks – who have won two of the last three national titles – scored five in the seventh to break a 5-5 deadlock with the AUS runner-up UNB REDS for a 10-5 win.

Meanwhile, the AUS champion Memorial Sea-Hawks tallied three in the first and fifth, to seal a 7-4 win over the host Lethbridge Pronghorns. Finally, the CW silver medalist Calgary Dinos scored two in fourth and stole another pair in the fifth before adding four in the seventh, for an 8-3 win over the OUA bronze medalist Brock Badgers.

On the women’s side, a thrilling back-and-forth AUS championship rematch featured the Dalhousie Tigers and StFX, where the X-Women rallied with a pair in the eighth to tie the game at four, before Tigers skip Ally MacNutt delivered the deciding point in the extra end.

“We played the extra end really great, and I think we just tried to keep it simple and that was working for us,” said MacNutt. “So we stuck with that (approach) and we were able to pull it out.”

In other women’s action, a pair of additional conference matchups highlighted the opening day of competition.

After trailing 2-1 at the break, the OUA champion McMaster Marauders scored seven unanswered points, stealing one in sixth and another four in the seventh to beat the OUA bronze medalist Guelph Gryphons 8-2.

“We had a rocky first couple ends. I think we were just a little tense, a little nervous for our first game on the ice,” said McMaster skip Maggie Fitzgerald, who throws second. “But once we settled in and got a feeling for what the ice was doing, we picked it back up.”

Elsewhere, the Regina Cougars women scored three in the first and three more in the fifth en route to an 8-2 victory over host Lethbridge, who are making their debut appearance at the Championship, which began in 2008. And Laurier also cruised to an opening night win, stealing three in the third and one in the seventh to beat the Thompson Rivers WolfPack 7-2.

The U SPORTS / Curling Canada Championships continue on Tuesday morning, beginning with the first of four draws at 10:30 am ET / 8:30 am MT.  

Schedule and Results

TEAM STANDINGS

Men

Memorial 1-0

Calgary 1-0

Carleton 1-0

Laurier 1-0

UNB 0-1

Regina 0-1

Brock 0-1

Lethbridge 0-1

Women

Dalhousie 1-0

Laurier 1-0

Regina 1-0

McMaster 1-0

StFX 0-1

Guelph 0-1

Thompson River 0-1

Lethbridge 0-1

The 2025 CCAA Curling Canada Championships kicked off today at the Lethbridge Curling Club in Lethbridge, Alta. Day one began with the women’s round, followed by the opening ceremonies, which featured all 16 CCAA schools from 10 institutions and five conferences. After the celebrations, the men took to the ice to wrap up the competition for day one.

Women’s Championship

The women’s playoffs feature eight teams, including three from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC): the SAIT Trojans, Red Deer Polytechnic Queens, and Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder; three from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA): the Fanshawe Falcons, Humber Hawks, and Mohawk Mountaineers; one team from the Atlantic Collegiate Conference (ACC), the Assiniboine College Cougars; and finally, a team from the Pacific Western Athletic Association (PACWEST).

In the opening round of the championships, the Assiniboine College Cougars took on the SAIT Trojans on Sheet A. The game started with a slow pace, but the Cougars were first to put up a point in the second end, the Trojans answered with a two-point score in the third. Assiniboine briefly had momentum after a steal of two points in the fifth end, bringing the score to 4-3 in favor of SAIT. However, the Trojans capitalized on a series of steals, gaining control as the game progressed. By the seventh and eighth ends, the Cougars couldn’t break through, allowing SAIT to close out the game with a solid 9-2 victory.

The Humber Hawks battled it out with the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens in a decisive match on Sheet C. The Queens dominated early, taking a commanding lead with a strong three-point score in the first end, followed by consistent performances throughout the game. Despite the Hawks’ efforts, including a two-point score in the fifth end, Red Deer Polytechnic continued to extend their lead with steals and solid shot-making. The game ended after the eighth end, with the Queens securing a well-deserved victory.

On Sheet E, the game started with both teams trading points, as Concordia scored a single point in the first end, followed by PACWEST taking a narrow one-point lead in the second. The Thunder stayed in the hunt with a two-point score in the fourth end, but PACWEST responded with consistent shots, including a critical three-point score in the third end. Despite Concordia’s best efforts, including a point in the fifth and a one-point score in the seventh, PACWEST held firm to secure the win, with a final score of 6-4.

In an exciting match on Sheet F, the Falcons started strong, scoring 3 points in the first end and maintaining their momentum with consistent shot-making throughout the game. Mohawk fought back, scoring two points in the fifth end, but Fanshawe responded swiftly with another two points in the sixth. Despite Mohawk’s best efforts, including a one-point score in the seventh end, the Falcons closed out the game with another strong performance, securing the win in the eighth end. Fanshawe’s steady play and key points made the difference, as they earned a well-deserved 10-4 victory.

Men’s Championship

The men’s playoffs also features eight teams, including three from the Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC): the SAIT Trojans, Red Deer Polytechnic Kings, and NAIT Ooks; three from the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA): the Humber Hawks, Mohawk Mountaineers and the Sault College Cougars; one team from the Manitoba Colleges Athletic Conference (MCAC), the Assiniboine College Cougars; and finally, a team from the Réseau du sport étudiant du Québec (RSEQ) Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue.

Starting on Sheet A, Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue started with a solid one-point lead for Gaillards in the first end, and they continued to build on that momentum. Assiniboine kept the match close, scoring a key four points in the fourth end. However, Gaillards responded strongly, including a four-point rally in the sixth end, which gave them a commanding lead. Despite Assiniboine’s best efforts, Gaillards held on to win the match, finishing strong to secure the 7-4 victory.                

Next on Sheet C, the SAIT Trojans took control early, scoring one point in the first end and then building on that lead with consistent scoring throughout the match. The Cougars struggled to find their rhythm, managing only a single point in the fifth end. The Trojans responded with a strong four-point showing in the fourth end, which ultimately sealed their victory. With solid shot-making and defensive play, SAIT secured a well-earned 6-1 win.

On Sheet E, the Mohawk Mountaineers took on the Humber Hawks. The game started with a close back-and-forth, as both teams exchanged points. The Mountaineers took an early two-point lead in the second end, but Humber responded with three points in the fourth. However, Mohawk regained control in the second half, scoring key points in the fifth and seventh ends. Despite Humber’s efforts to close the gap, Mohawk held strong and finished the match with a 7-5 win.

The match on Sheet F, the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings faced the NAIT Ooks. Red Deer started strong, scoring three points in the first end and maintaining a solid lead throughout the game. NAIT struggled to respond, despite managing a one-point score in both the second and third ends. The Kings continued to add to their lead, with key points in the fourth and sixth ends. NAIT fought back in the later ends, but Red Deer held firm, closing out the match with a 6-3 win.

Standings after Day 1

Men

Red Deer Polytechnic Kings 1-0

Mohawk Mountaineers 1-0

Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue 1-0

SAIT Trojans 1-0

Assiniboine Cougars 0-1

Humber Hawks 0-1

NAIT Ooks 0-1

Sault Cougars 0-1

Women

Fanshawe Falcons 1-0

Red Deer Polytechnic Queens 1-0

SAIT Trojans 1-0

PACWEST 1-0

Concordia Thunder 0-1

Assiniboine Cougars 0-1

Humber Hawks 0-1

Mohawk Mountaineers 0-1

This story will be available in French as soon as possible at https://www.curling.ca/category-all-posts-fr/?lang=fr.