(by Allen Cameron)
The University of Manitoba Bisons and the University of Waterloo Warriors are the queens and kings of Canadian university curling.
The two schools won their respective gold-medal matches on the final day of the 2013 CIS/CCA Canadian University Curling Championships on Sunday at the Kamloops Curling Club.
The University of Manitoba Bisons, the 2013 CIS/CCA women’s curling champions. From left, skip Breanne Meakin, third Ashley Howard, second Selena Kaatz, lead Krysten Karwacki and coach Tom Clasper. (Photo, G. Wycherley Photography)
In the women’s final, the Breanne Meakin U of M foursome capped an unbeaten run through the five-day event with a 9-7 triumph over the University of Alberta Pandas, skipped by Kelsey Rocque.
The Bisons opened up a 3-0 lead after two ends. But Rocque, the CIS first team All-Canadian skip (Meakin was named to the second team), and her foursome struck back quickly, taking the lead by scoring four in the third end.
The topsy-turvy affair came down to the 10th end; the Bisons had tied it with two in the ninth end, and then stole the winning deuce in the 10th for their first Canadian university curling title.
Meakin’s gold-medal team was rounded out by third Ashley Howard, second Selena Kaatz and lead Krysten Karwacki, and coached by Tom Clasper.
The CIS-CCA men’s champion Waterloo Warriors, from left, skip Jake Walker, third Edward Cyr, second Jordan Moreau, lead James Freeman, alternate Nathan Ransom and coach Scott Allen. (Photo, G. Wycherley Photography)
In the men’s final, Jake Walker showed why he earned first-team All-Canadian skip honours. The Waterloo skip curled an amazing 93 per cent in a 7-5 victory over defending Canadian University champion Brendan Bottcher and his Alberta Golden Bears foursome.
The Golden Bears had opened the scoring with one in the second end, but the Warriors came back to take control of the game with a pair in the third end and a three in the seventh.
Walker, the 2010 Canadian junior champion (Bottcher won Canadian and world junior titles in 2012), was backed up by third Edward Cyr, second Jordan Moreau and lead James Freeman, along with alternate Nathan Ransom and coach Scott Allen.
On Saturday, the host Thompson Rivers captured the bronze medal on the men’s side while Saint Mary’s won the bronze in the women’s event.
Former CIS/CCA men’s champions
2011-12 – Alberta
2010-11 – Memorial
2009-10 – Queen’s
2008-09 – Regina
2007-08 – Wilfrid Laurier
Former CIS/CCA women’s champions
2011-12 – Wilfrid Laurier
2010-11 – Wilfrid Laurier
2009-10 – Regina
2008-09 – Wilfrid Laurier
2007-08 – Wilfrid Laurier