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U SPORTS/CCAA Champions!
Golden Hawks on ice: Laurier sweeps national curling titles for first time since 2008
The Laurier men’s and women’s curling rinks lived up to their Golden Hawks name, sweeping the national titles on Friday afternoon as the 2025 U SPORTS / Curling Canada Championships came to a close at the Lethbridge Curling Club.
It’s just the fourth time the U SPORTS curling titles have been won by the same school since the event began in 2008, and the first since 2018 when the Alberta Golden Bears and Pandas accomplished the feat for the second time in four years. The Golden Hawks are the only other program to take both championships in the same season, at the inaugural tournament 17 years ago.
“It’s amazing for the school,” said Golden Hawks men’s head coach Matthew Wilkinson. “We always strive for excellence at Laurier and we’ve had some great success over the many years of the program. To come up with a double gold – it’s been a while, since that’s happened. Words can’t describe it right now for the program.”
Both teams won their fifth respective national championships in school history. For the women, the 5-4 win over McMaster capped an undefeated 9-0 run and marks their first gold medal since winning four times in five years from 2008-12. The men’s 7-4 triumph over Carleton earned them their third title in four championships since 2020.
“It feels just so amazing. All the girls worked so hard all year,” said women’s skip Emma Artichuk, whose rink now stands one behind Alberta’s six all-time titles. “They played amazing all week, and I’m just I’m so happy we were able to put it away and come out with the win.”
“I’m just so happy, we have just a phenomenal team,” echoed her men’s counterpart Kibo Mulima, as the Golden Hawks extended their lead as the most decorated men’s side of any U SPORTS program. “Phenomenal group of guys, coach, and I’m just I’m so proud of everybody.”
In the women’s championship match, the Golden Hawks and Marauders traded doubles in the second and third, before Laurier added a single in the fourth and another stolen point in the fifth. McMaster replied with another pair in the sixth to tie things up at four, setting the stage for a dramatic finish. With one end to play, it all came down to the final moments, when Artichuk landed the golden point with hammer.
“McMaster was such a good team,” Artichuk said, after getting redemption for their OUA Championship defeat. “My last shot, I literally thought it was an impossible (one) – that clearly was made possible. Wow, I just have no words.”
For the McMaster women, the silver medal was their first-ever podium finish – coming in their fifth appearance at the event, with the last being in 2013.
In the men’s gold medal game, the Golden Hawks and Ravens were tied at three at the break, before Laurier scored a pair in the fifth and stole another in the sixth to take a 6-3 lead. The teams exchanged singles in the final two frames, giving Laurier the 7-4 victory.
Meanwhile, the Dalhousie Tigers women and Memorial Sea-Hawks men claimed the bronze medals with identical 6-5 wins. The Tigers were down 4-1 to Thompson Rivers at the break but rebounded with five consecutive points – three of them stolen – to come out with the win. It was a similar back-and-forth affair for the men, as the Sea-Hawks led 6-2 after six, but Memorial managed to hold off a late three-point UNB comeback to land on the podium.
Earlier in the day, the Laurier men punched their ticket to the final by jumping out to a 5-0 lead after three, and adding a triple in the sixth, to defeat UNB 8-2 in just six ends. Carleton advanced after scoring a pair in the third and sixth for a 6-3 win over Memorial.
The Laurier women qualified for the final after scoring four in the final frame to take a 9-4 decision over Dalhousie, while McMaster had doubles in the second and fifth to edge Thompson River 5-4.
SEMIFINALS
Men
(1) Memorial 3, (4) Carleton 6
(2) Laurier 8, (3) UNB 2
Women
(1) Laurier 9, (4) Dalhousie 4
(2) Thompson Rivers 4, (3) McMaster 5
FINALS
Men
Gold: (2) Laurier 7, (4) Carleton 4
Bronze: (1) Memorial 6, (3) UNB 5
Women
Gold: (1) Laurier 5, (3) McMaster 4
Bronze: (4) Dalhousie 6, (2) Thompson Rivers 5
INDIVIDUAL AWARDS
WOMEN
First Team All-Canadians: Laurier Golden Hawks
Skip: Emma Artichuk
Third: Sarah Bailey
Second: Scotia Maltman
Lead: Logan Shaw
Second Team All-Canadians: McMaster Marauders
Fourth: Rachel Steele
Third: Evelyn Robert
Second (Skip): Maggie Fitzgerald
Lead: Clara Dissanayake
Alternate: Sydney Taylor
Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Mary Mattatall, Dalhousie
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Ally MacNutt, Dalhousie
MEN
First Team All-Canadians: Laurier Golden Hawks
Skip: Kibo Mulima
Third: Wyatt Small
Second: Wyatt Wright
Lead: Nathan Kim
Alternate: Adam Moor
Second Team All-Canadians: Carleton Ravens
Skip: Owen Nicholls
Third: Jordan McNamara
Second: Jack Ragan
Lead: Jacob Clarke
Alternate: Philip Burgess
Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Glenn Goss, Memorial
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Adam Bukurak, Regina
2025 CCAA Curling Championships winner takes it all
The final day of the 2025 CCAA Curling Canada Championships at the Lethbridge Curling Club in Lethbridge, Alta took place today. It kicked off with semi-finals followed by the medal round.
Semi Finals
On the men’s side, the Mohawk Mountaineers faced the Sault Cougars. Mohawk took control early with two in the first end and a dominant five-point second end. Sault managed a single in the third but struggled to generate offense as Mohawk maintained their lead. The teams traded points, but with the Mountaineers firmly in control, they capped off the game with a final single in the seventh 9-3 finish.
The SAIT Trojans played against the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings in a tightly contested matchup. SAIT struck first with a single in the opening end, but Red Deer responded immediately with one of their own in the second. The game remained close until the eighth end when SAIT secured a crucial single to edge out a narrow 4-3 victory in a hard-fought battle.
On the women’s side, Red Deer Polytechnic Queens took on the SAIT Trojans in a strong performance. Red Deer opened the game with a two-point first end, but SAIT kept it close with a single in the second. The Queens added another point in the third before SAIT responded with two in the fourth to tie the game. However, Red Deer took control from there ending with a strong finish, the Queens secured a 9-4 victory.
PACWEST took early control against the Concordia Thunder with a massive five-point first end. Concordia chipped away, adding two points between the second and third, but PACWEST extended their lead with two more in the fourth. Despite Concordia’s efforts, including a key two-point fifth end and a single in the seventh, PACWEST’s strong start secured a 7-5 victory.
Finals
The Red Deer Polytechnic Kings faced the Sault Cougars for bronze, delivering a dominant performance. Red Deer opened with single points in the first two ends, but Sault responded with a crucial two-point third to tie the game. However, that was the last time the Cougars scored, as Red Deer took full control. A massive five-point fifth end broke the game wide open, and the Kings sealed the 8-2 win, claiming the bronze medal
In the women’s bronze medal match, the Concordia Thunder faced the SAIT Trojans in a defensive battle. Concordia opened the scoring with a single in the second, but SAIT took the lead with a three-point fifth end. Concordia responded with two in the sixth to tie it up, and after SAIT added two in the seventh, the Thunder took control with back-to-back two-point ends in the eighth and ninth, securing a 7-5 victory and the bronze medal.
PACWEST and the Red Deer Polytechnic Queens battled for gold in a tightly contested final. Red Deer started strong with two in the first, but PACWEST responded with single points in the next three ends to take the lead. A crucial two-point fifth end extended PACWEST’s advantage, and while Red Deer answered with two in the sixth, PACWEST added a key single in the seventh and held strong defensively to secure a 6-4 victory and the gold medal.
The Mohawk Mountaineers faced the SAIT Trojans on in the gold medal match, delivering a strong performance to claim the championship. After a slow start, Mohawk struck first with two in the second, but SAIT responded with a pair in the third to tie it up. The teams traded leads, with SAIT pulling ahead in the sixth, but Mohawk took control late, scoring two in the seventh and sealing the win with a three-point eighth end to secure an 8-4 victory and the gold medal.