Playoff teams confirmed at the 2024 CCAA Curling Canada Championships

Women's Championship

Several women’s teams were still in contention for the playoffs to start the final day of round-robin play. A key matchup featured the PACWEST, who were looking to lock up a spot in the top four, and the Augustana Vikings, who needed a win to keep their hopes alive. All square after two, Augustana capitalized on a steal for three to jump out to a sizeable lead. PACWEST earned one back, but the Vikings locked things up with another three in the sixth end and then a steal for two, for the 11-3 win. The result tied the teams in the standings at 3-3, making the final Draw an essential contest for both.

The Humber Hawks and Assiniboine Cougars competed in a thrilling match that came down to the final end. The Hawks scored singles in the first three frames, but ACC tied it up in the fourth with three of their own. The Cougars then took the lead with a pair of steals, only for Humber to answer back across the next two ends. Tied after eight, Assiniboine took the lead by two in the ninth. Humber then got the three they needed in the tenth to earn the 8-7 win.

The Fanshawe Falcons and Concordia Thunder also battled it out until the very end.  CUE lead after two, Fanshawe after four, then Concordia again after five. The teams then traded single points in four straight ends resulting in Concordia being up by one with one to play. The Falcons needed two for the win and that’s what they got, ending the match with a 7-6 victory.

The SAIT Trojans continued to roll through the preliminary rounds with a 13-4 win over the Mohawk Mountaineers.

In the Final Draw of the tournament, the defending CCAA Champions, Augustana, needed a win to guarantee their spot in the playoffs. Their opponents, Assiniboine, won the first end but the Vikings took over from there. Two points in the second and then back-to-back steals, including one for five points, established Augustana’s determination to advance. ACC would add a couple more, but so would Augustana, ending the match 10-4 for the Vikings.

SAIT were the lone unbeaten team in the women’s competition, but they were facing a familiar foe in Concordia in the final Draw. The Trojans led 4-1 after four and then 6-5 after seven. However, the Thunder stole three straight ends, defeating SAIT 8-6 and earning a second place finish in the preliminary round.

Humber secured their spot in the final four with a 10-5 victory over the PACWEST while Fanshawe wrapped up their season on a high note, with a 13-6 win over Mohawk.

Men's Championship

The men’s race for the playoffs was less wide open but the Red Deer Kings could still make a push with a victory against the NAIT Ooks. RDP got the start they needed, jumping out to an early 3-0 lead. They then answered two from NAIT in the third with another single of their own. After seven the teams were tied up at five, but in the eighth NAIT spoiled the party with four and subsequently clinched the match 10-5 to secure their spot in the playoffs.

The Humber Hawks and SAIT Trojans had already punched their ticket to the knockout stage but semi-final positioning was still on the table. The teams traded ends all the way through the eighth, but the four points that Humber posted in the second proved to be the determining factor as the Hawks persevered for the 8-4 win.

The Mohawk Mountaineers continued to flex their strengths outperforming the Assiniboine Cougars 8-1 and the Sault Cougars racked up points early to down the Concordia Thunder 9-2.

The Men’s afternoon Draw solidified the semi-final matchups – Mohawk vs. NAIT and Humber vs. SAIT. Mohawk had a chance to finish the round-robin portion of the Championship undefeated, but SAIT was fighting to secure a higher spot in the standings. This one went back and forth through nine ends with Mohawk down one entering the final frame. SAIT put an exclamation point on the match and the final draw with a steal and a 6-4 win.

NAIT needed a win to keep pace with SAIT in the standings and appeared to have things in hand with a 4-1 lead at the midway point. But Sault were looking to end their championship experience on a high note and took over the match. They scored 3 in the sixth, two in the seventh and another pair in the ninth to earn an 8-5 finish.

Assiniboine put forth a valiant effort against Humber trailing 4-3 after six ends. However, the Hawks scored five in the seventh and another two in the eighth to claim the match 11-3. Red Deer and Concordia wrapped up their tournament with a competitive outing that saw the Kings prevail 8-6.

Standings After Day Four

More Information:

Championship Website https://www.curling.ca/2024college/

Live Scoring  https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/#!/competitions/8757

Photos https://ccaasportsacsc.smugmug.com/2024-CCAA-Curling-Canada-Championships