ZHENG & PIETRANGELO CLAIM FISU BERTH 

NIAGARA FALLS DUO CLAIMS TEAM CANADA SPOTS FOR WORLD UNIVERSITY GAMES 

Canada’s team for the World University Games in January just grew by two members. 

Jessica Zheng and Victor Pietrangelo won the right to wear the Maple Leaf in the mixed doubles competition of the multi-sport event in Torino, Italy by defeating Jamie Smith and Wyatt Small in the final by a score of 6-5. 

They went through the event, held at Edmonton’s Saville Community Sports Centre, undefeated.  

“We’re just thrilled,” said Pietrangelo. “We’ve been looking forward to this event since it was announced. For a while we didn’t even know if we could play together, but obviously, once we figured that out, it became a pretty big goal.” 

Zheng studies software engineering at the University of Waterloo while Pietrangelo is an accounting student at Brock University. The event rules allowed for all university and college students under the age of 25 to enter. Mixed Doubles pairs did not have to attend the same school, while the four-player teams were decided at a national championship in a school vs. school tournament. Smith and Small both attend Wilfred Laurier University. 

“It feels amazing,” said Zheng. “It was seven games, which makes for a long week, but we’re really excited to be representing Canada and to play some international teams.” 

Zheng/Pietrangelo opened the game with hammer by virtue of the pre-game Last Shot Draw. Both teams entered the final with undefeated records, so the extra shoot-out was needed.  With no option for a multiple point score, Zheng threw her last one away to take a single in the first. 

Smith/Small answered with two in the second end after a takeout attempt from Zheng just missed – grazing the target stone but not removing it. Smith was able to draw the button for a second point. Zheng was once again handcuffed in the third, and forced to take a single point, throwing the hammer away. 

Tides turned in the fourth end, when, facing three rocks in the four-foot, Smith made a clutch draw to score a single, to take a 3-2 lead at the break. 

“They started really strong,” said Pietrangelo. “They were reading the ice better and makeing the shots. We got a bit lucky that we could score a couple times, even without throwing the last rock.” 

In the fifth, a tough cross house double from Pietrangelo set up a chance for two on partner Zheng’s last shot. She made no mistake, and the Niagara Fall, Ont.-based pair took a 4-3 lead into the sixth end. 

With the hammer, Smith/Small opted to use the power play, moving the pre-set stones to the edge of the eight-foot circle. Once again the pressure ended up on Smith, following two good draws from Pietrangelo and Zheng. Needing a piece of the button to even keep her opponent to a steal of one, Smith came up light and Zheng/Pietrangelo stole two, building their lead to three points. 

“We had a way better second half,” said Pietrangelo. “The steal of two on the power play was huge.” 

Smith narrowly missed a sliver-thin double attempt in the seventh, but still managed a single, which meant Zhang/Pietrangelo would have a two-point advantage, and last rock playing the eighth. They also chose to use their power play. 

Facing two with her final shot, Zheng opted for the “make it go away” takeout and executed perfectly. Smith/Small still stole one, but Zheng/Pietrangelo hung on for the 6-5 victory. 

The winners join Team Serena Gray-Withers of the University of Alberta and Team Joshua Bryden of the University of Regina, representing Canada in the women’s and men’s events, respectively, at the FISU World University Games in Italy. Both teams earned the right to represent the nation by winning the 2024 U SPORTS University Curling Championships in Fredericton, N.B. 

This is the second big win of the season for Zheng and Pietrangelo. In early September, they won the mixed doubles event of the U-25 NextGen Classic, which also took place at the Saville Centre in Edmonton. 

“It’s a big of deja-vu for us,” said Pietrangelo. “It doesn’t seem like too long ago that we were right here celebrating. I guess you could say that we like this building.”