HAMILTON, Ont. - Ontario University Athletics’ (OUA) top curlers will compete in the most important bonspiel of the season, as the University of Waterloo plays host to the 2011 OUA curling championship at the Guelph Curling Club from Thursday, February 17 till Monday, February 21.
Brock, Guelph, Lakehead, Laurentian, Queen’s, Trent, Toronto, Waterloo, Western, Wilfrid Laurier, and Windsor will compete in hopes of sweeping up the championship banner.
The Western Mustangs men look to keep the trophy for the third consecutive year, while the Waterloo Warriors women hope to start a streak after capturing the 2010 title. It proves to be a difficult task, as there has not been a back-to-back champion in women's curling since the Mustangs repeated in 2003.
Evan Lilly of Sudbury, returns to skip the two-time defending champion men's team, which is made up of Chris Liscumb, Joey Lanthier, Brett DeKoning, Peter Myslik and Myles Phinney. The women's team is led by first year skip Nicole Westlund, who will be supported by Megan Balsdon, Sarah Mason, Erin Daniel, Caitlin Romain and Stephanie Thompson. Both teams have been preparing for OUA play with practice and competition at London's Highland Country Club.
In the first four days of the competition, teams will play an eight-game modified round robin. At the completion of round robin play, the top four teams, based on win-loss records, will advance to the playoffs on the morning of Monday, February 21. If necessary, tie-breakers will take place on Sunday, February 20 following round-robin play.
The Warriors women went 3-0 in last year’s championship round robin to advance to the final against WIlfrid Laurier. Waterloo’s skip Katherine Pringle (Orillia, Ont.) will again look to bring her team to the top of the podium. The men make a return to the OUA championship, vying for their first title since 2005 with Jake Walker (Minden, Ont.) at skip for the predominantly second-year team
With the loss of Pat Janssen, Toronto’s Matt Hardman (Markham, Ont.), a 2010 Second-Team lead, moves to skip for the Varsity Blues. The Blues look to improve on last year’s silver medal finish. The Toronto women’s team failed to make the 2010 OUA playoffs and this year look to rookie Danielle Bourque (Halifax, N.S.) to skip the young team.
In 2010, the Laurentian Voyageurs and Trent Excalibur men’s teams were 1-2 in the round robin and played a tiebreaker to determine who would advance as a semifinalist. Laurentian won 6-5 after defeating Trent by the same score in the round robin. The Voyageurs championship hopes were dashed by Western in the semifinal, losing 6-4. Laurentian will be led by skip Tyler Stewart (Timmins, Ont.) while Second-Team All-Star Tyler Jones (Peterborough, Ont.) returns for Trent at second.
The Excalibur women will be without 2010 Second-Team All-Star skip Stephanie Van Huyse. They will turn to veteran Rebecca Clements (Peterborough, Ont.) at vice for leadership.
Laurentian’s Jenny Gates, who earned Second-Team status will be replaced this year by third-year second Denise Brown (Barrie, Ont.).
The Brock Badgers women's team entered last year’s championship undefeated but did not advance out of round robin play. They look to get back to their winning ways led by OUA First-Team All-Star skip Courtney Hodgson (Guelph, Ont.). The Badgers also return First-Team second Joanne Curtis (Brampton, Ont.) and Second-Team vice Jessica Corrado (Etobicoke, Ont.). The Brock men will be guided through the championship with veteran leadership from fifth-year lead Cory Ewart (St. Thomas, Ont.).
Wilfrid Laurier named both their men’s and women’s lead to the OUA First-Team All-Star list last year. Joel Waters (Georgetown, Ont.) returns for the men but the women’s team will enter the 2011 championship without Hilary McDermott. Rookie Cheryl Kreviazuk (Ottawa, Ont.) takes over for the All-Star with her eye set on gold.
The Queen’s men’s team was victorious at the national championship, taking home gold in 2010. The team also got to represent Canada at the 2011 FISU Winter Universiade in Erzurum, Turkey. Returning from that team is second Scott Chadwick (Marysville, Ont.). The Gaels women were unable to qualify for the 2010 OUA championship, and this year look to Tracy Auld, previously part of the Lakehead team, as skip with the departure of Jacqueline Brunton.
The Windsor Lancers men saw their last OUA curling title in 2002, while the women haven’t won since 1979.
Guelph will look to skip Craig Van Ymeren (Alymer, Ont.). The Gryphons did not compete in the 2010 OUA championship; instead, Van Ymeren took part in the Canadian junior men’s championship winning gold. The women’s team has nearly the same caliber of competitors as skip Clancy Grandy (Burlington, Ont.) represented Ontario earlier this month at the Canadian junior championship.
Lakehead has never won an OUA championship; their teams will be headed by Orillia, Ont. natives and skips Aaron Bennett and Cassandra Uyl.
The 2011 OUA curling championship schedule and results can be found on the Waterloo Warriors web page at http://www.varsity.uwaterloo.ca/sports/2010/12/8/MCURL_1208101455.aspx?path=mcurl
2011 OUA CURLING CHAMPIONSHIP SCHEDULE
Men’s Curling Schedule
February 17, 2011
8:00 am Brock vs. Toronto
Western vs. Laurentian
Waterloo vs. Trent
Queen's vs. Guelph
12:00 pm Windsor vs. Lakehead
Western vs. Guelph
Waterloo vs. Laurentian
Laurier vs. Toronto
4:00 pm Lakehead vs. Brock
Toronto vs. Trent
Windsor vs. Laurier
Laurentian vs. Queen's
8:00 pm Brock vs. Trent
Waterloo vs. Guelph
Queen's vs. Laurier
Western vs. Lakehead
February 18, 2011
8:00 am Waterloo vs. Brock
Laurier vs. Western
Laurentian vs. Lakehead
Toronto vs. Windsor
12:00 pm Queen's vs. Toronto
Guelph vs. Windsor
Waterloo vs. Western
Trent vs. Laurentian
4:00 pm Laurier vs. Laurentian
Queen's vs. Brock
Windsor vs. Trent
Lakehead vs. Guelph
February 19, 2011
4:00 pm Western vs. Toronto
Laurier vs. Trent
Brock vs. Windsor
Waterloo vs. Lakehead
8:00 pm Waterloo vs. Laurier
Laurentian vs. Windsor
Queen's vs. Trent
Guelph vs. Brock
February 20, 2011
8:00 am Lakehead vs. Laurier
Western vs. Queen's
Guelph vs. Toronto
Waterloo vs. Windsor
12:00 pm Trent vs. Guelph
Toronto vs. Laurentian
Western vs. Brock
Queen's vs. Lakehead
February 21, 2011
9:00 am OUA Semi-Final
OUA Semi-Final
2:00 pm OUA Bronze Medal
OUA Final
Women’s Curling Schedule
February 17, 2011
8:00 am Western vs. Laurentian
Waterloo vs. Trent
Brock vs. Toronto
Queen's vs. Guelph
12:00 pm Western vs. Guelph
Waterloo vs. Laurentian
Laurier vs. Toronto
Windsor vs. Lakehead
4:00 pm Toronto vs. Trent
Lakehead vs. Brock
Windsor vs. Laurier
Laurentian vs. Queen's
8:00 pm Brock vs. Trent
Waterloo vs. Guelph
Queen's vs. Laurier
Western vs. Lakehead
February 18, 2011
8:00 am Waterloo vs. Brock
Laurier vs. Western
12:00 pm Trent vs. Laurentian
Waterloo vs. Western
Guelph vs. Windsor
Queen's vs. Toronto
4:00 pm Queen's vs. Brock
Laurier vs. Laurentian
Lakehead vs. Guelph
Windsor vs. Trent
February 19, 2011
4:00 pm Western vs. Toronto
Brock vs. Windsor
Waterloo vs. Lakehead
Laurier vs. Trent
8:00 pm Waterloo vs. Laurier
Laurentian vs. Windsor
Queen's vs. Trent
Guelph vs. Brock
February 20, 2011
8:00 am Lakehead vs. Laurier
Western vs. Queen's
Guelph vs. Toronto
Waterloo vs. Windsor
12:00 pm Trent vs. Guelph
Toronto vs. Laurentian
Western vs. Brock
Queen's vs. Lakehead OUA
February 21, 2011
9:00 am OUA Semi-Final
OUA Semi-Final
2:00 pm OUA Bronze Medal
OUA Final
