2018 CCAA Curling Canada college curling championships: Day 4 Recap

LEDUC, AB – Day four of the 2018 CCAA Curling Canada Championships saw the final round robin games completed, and determined the playoff picture for the top four men’s and women’s teams competing from across Canada. The first seed in each division squared off against the fourth seed in the first playoff game, while the second playoff game featured the second and third seeds battling it out for the chance at a national title. Women’s Draw 7 – Recap Draw 7 featured the Fleming College Knights (1-6) looking to end their championships on a positive note with a win, taking on the Red Deer College Queens (3-4). The Knights came out flying, taking a 5-1 lead into the fifth-end break. The Knights continued to be relentless throughout the match and capped off a 13-5 win with a score of five points in the ninth end to put the exclamation point on the win. Knights second Nicole McClellan led with way, curling at 74 per cent for the game. The Fanshawe College Falcons (6-1) finished off the round robin competition as the overall top seed in the women’s draw after defeating the MacEwan University Griffins (4-3) 9-5. Falcons skip Kaitlyn Poirier was consistent throughout the match, curling at a game-high 78 per cent After dropping the first two games of the championships, the Camosun College Chargers (5-2) figured out how to curl with only three team members (due to an injury to third Jordan Koster), and rattled off five straight wins to earn a playoff berth. In Draw 7 the Chargers made quick work of the Holland College Hurricanes (1-6), who shook hands after the eighthend, conceding a 14-6 decision. In the closest game of the morning, the NAIT Ooks (4-3) faced a win-or-go-home scenario against the Niagara College Knights (4-3). The Knights found themselves down 5-2 midway through the game, but rallied back to tie things up at 7-7 forcing an extra 11th end. With the hammer, the Ooks scored a single to take the game 8-7 and qualify for the semifinals. Women’s Draw – Final Round Robin Standings Teams Record Fanshawe College Falcons 6-1 Camosun College Chargers 5-2 NAIT Ooks 4-3 MacEwan University Griffins 4-3 Niagara College Knights 4-3 Red Deer College Queens 3-4 Holland College Hurricanes 1-6 Fleming College Knights 1-6 Women’s Draw – Semifinals Recap In the first semifinal matchup, the first seed, Fansahwe College Falcons (6-1), took on the fourth seed MacEwan University Griffins (4-3), giving a rematch of their final round robin game earlier in the day. The Falcons were first to score, settling for a single in the first end, while the Griffins played a conservative style, blanking the second and third ends. The Griffins tied the game at 1-1 with a single in the fourth end, followed up by a steal of one in the fifth end to take a 2-1 lead into the break. The Falcons came roaring back in the sixth with a score of two to retake a 3-2 lead after a couple of missed shots by the Griffins, before once again conceding consecutive singles in the seventh and eighth ends to MacEwan. The Falcons would make a late push in the ninth end with a score of two to take a 5-4 lead. With the hammer in the 10th, the Griffins would hit and stick for one on their last rock to tie the game at 5-5 and force an 11th end. In the extra end, the Falcons buried shot stone behind a guard to score a single point, booking their ticket to the gold medal game with a 6-5 victory. Lead Sara Fraser led the Griffins at 83 per cent for the match, while Skip Kaitlyn Poirier curled 79 per cent for the Falcons. In the second semifinal game, the second-seeded Camosun College Chargers (5-2) came into the playoffs riding a five-game win streak against the third-seeded NAIT Ooks (4-3). The Chargers came out of the gate on a mission, taking an early 2-0 lead in first end. After a couple of blank ends, the teams traded singles with the Chargers in the driver’s seat with a 3-1 lead at the halfway point. The Ooks would continue to chip away by scoring one point in the sixth, and stealing another in the eighth to make it a 3-3 game. In the eighth, the Chargers couldn’t capitalize with multiple rocks in the house and would take a single point and 4-3 lead into the 10th end. In the final end, the Ooks missed two late takeout chances and could not stick their final rock on the hit, leaving the Chargers to steal two on their way to the gold medal finals with a 6-3 win. Ooks third Carina Sartar-Pielak led her team at 74 per cent, while Chargers skip Taylor Reese-Hansen curled 79 per cent for Camosun. The gold medal finals will feature the Fanshawe College Falcons (7-1) against the Camosun College Chargers (6-2), and the bronze medal game will feature the NAIT Ooks (4-4) taking on the MacEwan University Griffins (4-4). The medal games will begin at 12:00 Noon MST. Men’s Draw 7 – Recap Draw 7 resulted in the seventh straight win for the Douglas College Royals (7-0) as they remained perfect for round robin play, defeating the Sault College Cougars (3-4) by a score of 11-3. The Royals were relentless in their shot making, almost scoring at will and building up a large lead early to protect the win. Royals third Sterling Middleton was outstanding for the Royals, curling at 84 per cent. It took 11 ends in the final round robin draw, but a determined Red Deer College Kings crew finally found the win column, as they defeated the Niagara College Knights 9-8 in a back-and-forth battle. Lead Jordan Smith was stellar for the Kings as he curled at 91 per cent, Niagara lead David Cressman led the way for the Knights with a respectable 82 per cent. The Fanshawe College Falcons (5-2) locked up the second overall seed in the standings with an 8-2 win over the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings (3-4). The Falcons were dominant, curling 80 per cent as a team against a Vikings team that struggled at 63 per cent. Falcons skip Charlie Richard had a standout performance, curling at 89 per cent. In the final game of Draw 7, the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder (3-4) faced off against the NAIT Ooks (4-3) with the winner booking their trip to the playoffs. The Ooks limited the Thunder to singles in four ends, and waited patiently to take points with the dagger of three points in the ninth end to walk off with a 9-4 win. Third Jonah Tobinski lead the Ooks at 83 per cent, while lead Gregory Crawford curled an 88 per cent to top the Thunder. Men’s Draw – Final Round Robin Standings Teams Record Douglas College Royals 7-0 Fanshawe College Falcons 5-2 NAIT Ooks 4-3 University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings 3-4 Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder 3-4 Sault College Cougars 3-4 Niagara College Knights 2-5 Red Deer College Kings 1-6 Men’s Draw – Semifinals Recap The first semifinal featured the undefeated Douglas College Royals (8-0) versus the fourth seed, University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings (3-5). True to the form shown all week, the Royals executed flawlessly and provided the Vikings few opportunities to make a move throughout the game. The Royals scored one in the first end, followed by a steal of one in the second to make it a 2-0 game early on. From there, the Douglas College team tried to keep a clean sheet and limit any opportunities for the Vikings to swing momentum in their favour. The Royals went on to defeat the Vikings 4-1 behind a strong team effort of 80 per cent curled by the foursome, while Augustana struggled to find an answer and curled at only 67 per cent. The second semifinal matched up the second-seeded Fanshawe College Falcons (6-2) with the third seed, NAIT Ooks (4-4). The Falcons jumped out to a quick 6-1 lead by the time the break came around after the fifth end by scoring doubles in the first, fourth and fifth ends. The Ooks had a short-lived rally in the sixth, scoring two points of their own before the Falcons scored five points in the seventh end on their way to a 12-4 rout of the Ooks. Falcons second Tyler Twining was exceptional for Fanshawe by curling at 94 per cent, with the team putting in a noteworthy effort on the stat line with a collective 84 per cent. Score aside, the Ooks curled quite well statistically at 79 per cent for the match and led by an impressive 88 per cent from lead Sam Stephenson, but just could not find an answer for the Falcons. The gold medal finals will feature the Douglas College Royals (8-0) against the Fanshawe College Falcons (6-2), and the bronze medal game will feature the NAIT Ooks (4-4) taking on the University of Alberta-Augustana Vikings (3-5). The medal games will begin at 12:00 Noon MST. Live streaming of the playoff games will be available: https://www.acactv.ca/en/channel/ccaa