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U SPORTS/CCAA Day 4 Recap!
Memorial upsets Laurier to clinch first in men’s draw, salvage spot in playoff round
The Memorial Sea-Hawks hung on late and upset the Laurier Golden Hawks 6-3 on Thursday afternoon, clinching a spot in the semifinals and a chance to play for the national title at the 2025 U SPORTS / Curling Canada Championships at the Lethbridge Curling Club.
Trailing 4-3 in the eighth with hammer and looking to secure top spot themselves and eliminate the Sea-Hawks via tiebreakers in the process, the Golden Hawks (5-2, 2nd place) had an open opportunity for a draw to the button to force an extra end. But the top team at the Championship this week elected to play a run-double for the win and missed, to hand Memorial the unexpected victory.
“We came in off a good little run,” said Memorial skip Simon Perry, referencing the team’s four straight wins dating back to Wednesday, after starting the tournament 1-2. “We had a rough day Tuesday but we came back, we got momentum going and that’s a great win to have going into playoffs.”
Earlier in the day, Memorial stole three straight points before the break for a 5-2 victory over the Carleton Ravens (4-3, 4th place), who they will face again in Friday’s semifinal. The Ravens wrapped up pool play scoring four in the second and three in the sixth, en route to a 9-4 win over Calgary (4-3), who just missed advancing thanks to the tiebreak.
The Dinos (4-3), meanwhile, also helped Memorial’s efforts in claiming top spot, scoring four in the third and holding off a late rally by Laurier in the morning draw to take the game 6-5, ending the Golden Hawks’ unbeaten run.
UNB (4-3) grabbed the final spot in the playoffs finishing third, going up 4-0 on Lethbridge in the afternoon after two, and adding singles in the fourth and fifth for a 6-3 final. The REDS needed the result to qualify, after dropping three of their own in the morning to Brock (4-3, 6th place) in the opening frame and a pair in the third, losing 6-1. UNB will go up against Laurier in Friday’s semifinal.
Brock concluded their round robin with a 4-2 triumph over Regina, while the Cougars (2-5, 7th place) picked up their second win, defeating the winless Pronghorns (0-7, 8th) by a score of 9-6.
On the women’s side, the Golden Hawks (7-0) completed their undefeated run through the round robin. Up 4-1 after three in the afternoon draw, it wasn’t enough for Dalhousie (4-3, 4th place) to beat the best team in the championship. Laurier went on to score in five consecutive ends, stealing five straight points to complete the 7-4 comeback. Then in the evening, they scored three in second and another stolen triple in the fifth, to take down Lethbridge (1-6, 7th place) by a score of 7-1.
Laurier and Dalhousie are set to collide again on Friday in the semifinal, for the right to advance.
Elsewhere, Thompson Rivers (5-2) clinched second thanks to a perfect final day of pool play.
In a match where all eight combined points were stolen, the WolfPack led 4-1 after five, and scored a pair in the sixth, cementing a 6-2 win over StFX (1-6, 8th place). Later, they scored two in the sixth and held off a late rally by Regina (3-4, 6th place), besting the Cougars 5-4.
Thompson Rivers will play third-seeded McMaster (4-3) for a spot in the gold medal match.
“Our goal is still to play well…We know we can beat most of these teams,” said WolfPack skip Holly Hafeli. “We lost to two of the better teams out there, and so I think if we keep playing the same way, we had two close games against them and we’ll have a good chance of winning that way.”
McMaster claimed third place after going down to the wire in a must-win situation and needing an extra end against Dalhousie, before scoring two in the ninth to get past the Tigers 7-5. That came after the Marauders had four in the fifth and stole two in the sixth, to seal a 9-4 result over the Pronghorns in the opening draw.
Rounding out on the final day’s results, Guelph (3-4, 5th place) defeated Regina 6-4 and StFX 9-5
Of the schools remaining in contention, the men’s rinks have combined to win five of the last seven championships and have earned a total of 10 medals. Only Laurier has captured the women’s national title, but not since winning four times in five years from 2008-12. The women’s teams have also captured 11 medals overall, with McMaster looking for its first podium finish.
“That would mean everything,” said McMaster skip Maggie Fitzgerald, who throws second. “Just from personal experience, I’ve never even been at nationals. And being a first-year, I just feel really lucky to be on this team. I just love everyone and it would be just incredible. For everyone, we’d all love that.”
Semifinal action at the Lethbridge Curling Club begins Friday morning at 11:30 a.m. ET / 9:30 a.m. MT followed by the bronze and gold medal matches at 4:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. MT.
TEAM STANDINGS
Men
Memorial 5-2
Laurier 5-2
UNB 4-3
Carleton 4-3
Calgary 4-3
Brock 4-3
Regina 2-5
Lethbridge 0-7
(1) Memorial vs (4) Carleton
(2) Laurier vs. (3) UNB
Women
Laurier 7-0
Thompson Rivers 5-2
McMaster 4-3
Dalhousie 4-3
Guelph 3-4
Regina 3-4
Lethbridge 1-6
StFX 1-6
(1) Laurier vs. (4) Dalhousie
(2) Thompson Rivers vs. (3) McMaster
Round Robin Play Wraps up at the 2025 CCAA Curling Championships
Day four of 2025 CCAA Curling Canada Championships took place today at the Lethbridge Curling Club in Lethbridge, Alta. The rounds flipped where the men started the day off first and ended with a women’s round.
Men’s Championship
The morning draw kicked off with a thrilling match between the SAIT Trojans and the NAIT Ooks. NAIT took the early lead, scoring in the first two ends, but SAIT responded in the third. A two-point fifth end gave the Trojans momentum, but NAIT answered with a single in the seventh to maintain the lead. SAIT scored a crucial two points in the eighth to force an extra end and then stole the final point in the ninth to seal the 6-5 comeback victory.
The Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue faced off against the Mohawk Mountaineers, who started strong with two points in the first end and a steal in the second. The Gaillards made things close, but Mohawk maintained control and secured three crucial points in the seventh for the 7-3 win.
The Sault Cougars traded ends early with the Assiniboine Cougars but took control with a big three-point end in the fourth. A couple more multi point ends led Sault to a 10-2 victory. Tied after two ends, the Red Deer Polytechnic Kings scored three in the third against the Humber Hawks. By the seventh end, Red Deer’s early momentum carried them to a 7-4 victory over the Hawks.
In the afternoon, the Sault Cougars took on the Humber Hawks in a closely contested battle. Humber got off to a strong start, scoring two points in the first end, while Sault responded with a single in the second. The Hawks regained control with a single in the third, but Sault turned the tide in the fourth, scoring two points to even the game. After a scoreless fifth, the Cougars surged ahead with another two points in the sixth. Humber tied it up again with two in the seventh, but Sault sealed the win with a final two points in the eighth, taking the game 7-5.
The Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue looked to be in control against the NAIT Ooks, putting up three points in the second and holding a two point lead half way through their match. NAIT answered back with three of their own in the fifth and added insurance points in the sixth and seventh, to secure a solid 7-4 victory.
Multi point ends proved to be the difference in the Mohawk Mountaineers’ 9-3 win over the SAIT Trojans. Despite the final score, SAIT kept things close through five, but Mohawk shut the door with a commanding four-point sixth end in the sixth. The Red Deer Kings found themselves down 3-2 at the mid-way point of their afternoon match with the Assiniboine Cougars. The Kings then stole three straight ends to claim a 7-3 victory.
Women’s Championship
A thrilling match on the women’s side saw the PACWEST come from behind to beat the SAIT Trojans. SAIT led by three after three ends and maintained a two-point lead heading into the seventh. However, the PACWEST surged late, scoring two in the seventh and a single in the eighth to complete the comeback. With a strong finish, PACWEST edged out a 6-5 victory.
The Mohawk Mountaineers came out firing against their OCAA rivals, the Humber Hawks. Mohawk held a commanding lead in the second half of the contest, but Humber made things interesting by picking up single points in the sixth and seventh ends. It wasn’t quite enough though, as the Mountaineers sealed the 7-3 victory with a final point in the eighth.
The Assiniboine Cougars struggled to generate offense after the first end against the Red Deer Queens, leading to a decisive 9-1 victory for RDP. The Concordia Thunder scored multiple points in four ends while the Fanshawe Falcons managed a few singles, resulting in a 10-2 victory for CUE.
The Red Deer Polytechnic Queens were aiming to maintain their undefeated record as they took on the Concordia Thunder. Although close after three, RDP extended their lead with singles in the fourth and fifth before putting the game away with a three-point sixth end. With a strong defensive effort that shut down Concordia for the remainder of the match, Red Deer secured the 8-1 victory and enter the playoffs as the top team.
The PACWEST held a slight lead at the midway mark of their match with the Humber Hawks but pulled away with two points in the sixth and another two in the seventh. With a dominant defensive effort, PACWEST secured an 8-2 victory and the second-place spot in the standings.
Needing a win to ensure a semi final berth, the SAIT Trojans faced off against the Mohawk Mountaineers. The team traded the lead early with Mohawk holding a 4-2 edge after three. SAIT responded in a major way, scoring five points in the fourth to seize momentum. From there, the Trojans extend their lead, stealing singles in the fifth, sixth, and seventh ends on route to a convincing 10-4 win.
The Fanshawe Falcons bounced back from their morning defeat, winning the first five ends against the Assiniboine Cougars. Assiniboine finally broke through with two points in the sixth, but it was too little too late, as Fanshawe secured a decisive 8-2 victory.
Standings After Day Four
| Women | Record | Men | Record |
| Red Deer Polytechnic Queens | 7-0 | Mohawk Mountaineers | 7-0 |
| PACWEST | 6-1 | SAIT Trojans | 5-2 |
| Concordia Thunder | 5-2 | Red Deer Polytechnic Kings | 5-2 |
| SAIT Trojans | 4-3 | Sault Cougars | 5-2 |
| Fanshawe Falcons | 3-4 | Humber Hawks | 2-5 |
| Assiniboine Cougars | 2-5 | Gaillards du Cégep de l’Abitibi-Témiscamingue | 2-5 |
| Mohawk Mountaineers | 1-6 | NAIT Ooks | 2-5 |
| Humber Hawks | 0-7 | Assiniboine Cougars | 0-7 |