U SPORTS & CCAA Name National Champions & AWArd winners

2020 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championships: Past champions add to trophy case

– U SPORTS media release

PORTAGE LA PRAIRIE, Man. (U SPORTS) – Past champions stood tall on Sunday to conclude the U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championships. 

The winners have will now wear the Maple Leaf on their backs. The Laurier Golden Hawks men’s rink and the Alberta Pandas women’s team will represent Canada at the 2021 Winter World University Games in Lucerne, Switzerland.

Schedule and Results

“Anytime you get to represent your country at a world competition is an unreal feeling that never gets old,” said Alberta skip Selena Sturmay.

The Pandas stole seven straight points to power them to a 10-2 victory over the UNB Reds in the women’s final. 

Sturmay made a clutch takeout through a port with her final stone in the second end and UNB’s draw with the hammer slid through the house to put the Pandas ahead 5-0.

It is Alberta’s fourth national title victory in the last six years, with the Pandas also winning in 2017-18 and back-to-back in 2014-15 and 2015-16.

The Pandas and Reds reached the gold medal game after winning their semifinals earlier in the day. Alberta stole a single point in seven and added a deuce in the ninth to prevail over the McMaster Marauders 8-4. UNB edged the Queen’s Gaels 5-3 after scoring one in the eighth and stealing a single point in nine. 

Queen’s earned a 7-5 victory over McMaster to win the bronze medal.

On the men’s side, the Laurier Golden Hawks capped off an undefeated week with an 8-5 win over the Dalhousie Tigers in the final. The Hawks finished the round robin with a perfect 7-0 record and added two more wins in the playoffs.

“There are so many good teams, so to be able to win it and have such a great week is something you only dream of,” said Golden Hawks skip Matthew Hall.

The Hawks scored three in the second and stole single points in the third and fourth ends against the Tigers. 

Laurier last captured the national championship in 2015-16, with the program also earning the gold medal in the inaugural U SPORTS / Curling Canada Championship in 2007-08.

The Hawks and Tigers punched their ticket to the title game earlier in the day. Laurier’s four-ender in the seventh helped them double the Guelph Gryphons 8-4. In the other semi, Dalhousie defeated the Alberta Golden Bears 7-5 with three in the 10^th end. 

The Bears bounced back to win the bronze medal game 11-6 over the Gryphons.

SEMIFINALS

Women
(1) Alberta 8, (4) McMaster 4
(2) UNB 5, (3) Queen’s 3

Men
(1) Laurier 8, (4) Guelph 4
(3) Dalhousie 7, (2) Alberta 5

FINALS

Women

Gold: (1) Alberta 10, (2) UNB 2
Bronze: (3) Queen’s 7, (4) McMaster 5

Men

Gold: (1) Laurier 8, (3) Dalhousie 5
Bronze: (2) Alberta 11, (4) Guelph 6

TEAM STANDINGS (Round Robin)

Women
Alberta Pandas (6-1)
UNB Reds (6-1)
Queen’s Gaels (5-2)
McMaster Marauders (4-3)
Dalhousie Tigers (2-5)
Laurier Golden Hawks (2-5)
Regina Cougars (2-5)
Brandon Bobcats (1-6)

Men
Laurier Golden Hawks (7-0)
Alberta Golden Bears (6-1)
Dalhousie Tigers (5-2)
Guelph Gryphons (3-4)
Regina Cougars (3-4)
Brandon Bobcats (2-5)
Memorial Sea-Hawks (1-6)
Brock Badgers (1-6)

INDIVIDUAL AWARDS 

WOMEN

First Team All-Canadians
Skip: Justine Comeau, UNB
Third: Abby Marks, Alberta
Second: Grace Lloyd, McMaster 
Lead: Kenna Bartlett, Queen’s 

Second Team All-Canadians
Skip: Selena Sturmay, Alberta
Third: Michaela Robert, Queen’s 
Second: Sarah Hoag, Regina
Lead: Sarah Gierling, Dalhousie

Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Garry Coderre, Alberta
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Mary Fay, Queen’s

MEN 

First Team All-Canadians
Skip: Matthew Hall, Wilfrid Laurier
Third: John Willsey, Wilfrid Laurier 
Second: Jeffrey Meagher, Dalhousie 
Lead: Graham Singer, Wilfrid Laurier 

Second Team All-Canadians
Skip: Matthew Manuel, Dalhousie 
Third: Chris Kennedy, Alberta
Second: Andrew Gittis, Alberta
Lead: Glenn Venance, Alberta

Fox 40 Coach of the Year: Anthony Purcell, Dalhousie
R.W. Pugh Fair Play Award: Nick Lemieux, Brock 

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2020 CCAA/Curling canada National Championship Matches & AWARDS WINNERS

-CCAA media release

The Douglas Royals women curlers and Concordia Thunder men’s team are repeat CCAA Curling Canada Champions. The Royals and Thunder took different paths to gold, but both can now hang a 2020 CCAA banner next to their 2019 ones.

The Humber men posed a serious challenge to Concordia’s defense, narrowly missing out on the Gold. The Hawks seemed to be in firm control of the match leading 5-1 through four ends, but Concordia got a pair in the fifth and sixth to even things up. Humber pulled ahead again but the Thunder stole three points in the ninth to lead 9-7 heading into the tenth. Not to be out done, Humber then scored the necessary two points to force extra ends. Now with the hammer, Concordia clinched the championship with the final shot of the match.

The Royals back-to-back championship was earned after a 10-1 victory over the Humber Hawk’s women’s team. Douglas jumped out to an early 7-1 lead on the Hawks at the halfway point of the final. A steal of three more in the sixth was enough for the Royals to retain the crown. 

The Humber Hawks are the 2020 CCAA Women’s and Men’s Curling silver medallists.

Bronze Medal Matches

The Red Deer Queens and Fanshawe Falcons men captured the Bronze Medals at the 2020 CCAA Curling Canada Championships. 

The Red Deer Queens and Concordia Thunder knew each other well, having met several times this season. Neither team led by more than a couple points and they were tied 5-5 after the eighth end. The Queens strategically blanked the ninth to take the hammer into the final end, where they secured two points and a 7-5 victory for the bronze. 

The Fanshawe men had been the top performers the first three days of competition, before losing their final two round robin matches and semi-final. In the bronze medal game, they seemed to return to form, maintaining their lead over NAIT all match. A single in the eighth and three more in the ninth sealed the 12-5 victory for the Falcons. 

Semi-final Matches

The competitors in the medal rounds were determined during the morning’s semi-final draw. The women’s side featured a tight contest between Douglas and Red Deer, with only one end resulting in more than a single point. The Royals managed to steal a few points which proved to be the difference in their 7-4 win over the Queens. The Humber Hawks were more dominant in their performance, downing the Concordia Thunder 11-2. 

The Men’s playoff featured a pair of closer contests. Concordia and NAIT traded points and the lead all match, with the Thunder getting the eventual 9-7 victory in extra ends. Humber managed to distance themselves from Fanshawe early on, and despite the Falcons attempts at a comeback, the Hawks held on for the 9-7 win. 

Awards

The top female and male performers were honoured following each of their respective final matches.  

2020 Women’s Curling Awards	2020 Men’s Curling Awards
National Champions Gold – Douglas Royals Silver – Humber Hawks Bronze – Red Deer Queens	National Champions Gold – Concordia Thunder Silver – Humber Hawks Bronze – Fanshawe Falcons
First Team All-Stars Skip – Kayla MacMillan, Douglas Third – Sarah Loken, Douglas Second – Patty Wallingham, Douglas Lead – Brittany Elson, Humber	First Team All-Stars Skip – Zach Shurtleff, Humber Third – Matthew Garner, Humber Second – Braden Pelech, CUE Lead – Emerson Steffler, Humber
Second Team All-Stars Skip – Amelia Dolsen, Fanshawe Third – Parker Doig, Humber Second – Lauren Massey, Fanshawe Lead – Nicole Sawiak, NAIT	Second Team All-Stars Skip – Evan Van Amsterdam, CUE Third – Dale Mizera, Lakeland Second – Owen Tester, Fanshawe Second & Nicholas Duivenvoord, NAIT Lead – John Ritchie, NAIT
Exemplary Leadership Award Sault Cougars	Exemplary Leadership Award Dale Mizera, Lakeland
Curling Canada Coaching Award Daniel Wenzek, Douglas	Curling Canada Coaching Award Clancy Grandy, Humber