CURL: Alberta clinches men's title on Day 2
Connor Hood, Bears and Pandas Athletics
EDMONTON – The Alberta Golden Bears clinched their first Canada West Curling championship since 1975, as they defeated Regina and Lethbridge to improve to 3-0 with one game remaining.
The Alberta Pandas also finished the second day with an undefeated record, and now need just one win on Sunday morning over Regina to clinch the first conference banner in program history.
With their respective 3-0 records, both University of Alberta programs also qualified for the 2019 Curling Canada / U SPORTS Canadian University Curling Championship in Fredericton, NB. The Lethbridge men and Regina women also booked their spots to Fredericton, earning national championship spots.
“The whole team has been playing incredibly well. It’s very cool to play competitive matches in our home club, as we don’t get to do that often,” said Bears skip Karsten Sturmay. “We have had a lot of friends and family come watch us, and I’m excited we are able to win the conference title in front of them.”
Both the Pandas and Regina women still have the chance to win the CW women’s title tomorrow. Alberta will capture it with a win in Draw 6, while Regina needs a win to force a tie-breaker game later in the afternoon.
The Bears earned decisive wins of 12-2 and 8-3, recording ends of four in each match. Alberta’s four-spot in their 12-2 win over Regina was a steal, and was followed by another steal of three in the fourth.
“It really came down to capitalizing on our opportunities. We were patient in both games leading up to the big score, and when we got our chances, we made the most of them,” continued Sturmay. “It was really good for us to string a few shots together, and put some pressure on the other team.”
The final draw is scheduled for 9:00 a.m. tomorrow at Saville Community Sports Centre, with the potential tie-breaker scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
GAME SCORES FOR DRAW 3
MEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Alberta Golden Bears * | 0 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 0 | X | X | X | 12 |
Regina Cougars | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | X | X | X | 2 |
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WOMEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Alberta Pandas | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | X | 6 |
Regina Cougars * | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | X | X | 1 |
GAME SCORES FOR DRAW 4
MEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Lethbridge Pronghorns * | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | X | X | 3 |
Alberta Golden Bears | 0 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | X | 8 |
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WOMEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Lethbridge Pronghorns | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | X | 5 |
Alberta Pandas * | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 3 | 1 | 0 | X | 7 |
GAME SCORES FOR DRAW 5
MEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Lethbridge Pronghorns | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 2 | 6 |
Regina Cougars | 0 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 |
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WOMEN | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | TOT |
Lethbridge Pronghorns | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | X | 5 |
Regina Cougars | 0 | 0 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | X | 9 |
* Last Rock First End
MEN’S TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES |
Alberta | 3 | 0 |
Lethbridge | 2 | 2 |
Regina | 0 | 3 |
WOMEN’S TOURNAMENT STANDINGS
TEAM | WINS | LOSSES |
Alberta | 3 | 0 |
Regina | 2 | 1 |
Lethbridge | 0 | 4 |