OSHAWA, Ont. - The 2023 OUA Women's Curling Championship took place at the Oshawa Golf & Curling Club this past weekend and, for the second time in three years, the McMaster women's curling team returned to Hamilton with the OUA banner and title.
McMaster was grouped in Pool A with the Algoma Thunderbirds, Laurier Golden Hawks and York Lions and matched-up with Pool D in the round robin.
On Day 1 of the competition, McMaster faced the Toronto Varsity Blues in the Championship opener. A match that favoured the maroon and grey from start to finish, the Marauders cruised to a 12-3 victory. After starting the weekend with a 1-0 record, the Queen's Gaels were Friday's next contenders. The Gaels had the hammer in the opening end and went up 2-0 early. Despite a push from the Marauders to tie it up, the Gaels handed McMaster its first (and ultimately, only) loss of the weekend.
With two games remaining on Saturday, the Marauders prepared to face two quality opponents. McMaster topped the Brock Badgers 6-3 in the first game of the day before upending the Laurentian Voyageurs 8-2 to close out group play with a 3-1 record. The maroon and grey secured a spot in the quarterfinal later that day and would meet the Western Mustangs. The Marauders had an impressive second day on the ice and were dominant in their nighttime match, earning a 7-3 win to clinch a berth in Sunday's semi-final.
On the penultimate day of competition, the Marauders stepped onto the ice at 10am for a rematch with the team responsible for the only mark on their record - the Queen's Gaels. Looking for some redemption, the Marauders were nearly flawless in their semifinal, giving up just one point in the opening end. From there, McMaster scored in the next five straight ends, en route to a convincing 8-1 victory, to secure a spot in the title match.
The maroon and grey would once again face a familiar rival with everything on the line - the Laurentian Voyageurs. In what was sure to be a competitive contest, the Marauders had the hammer in the opening end but a steal of one by the Laurentian Voyageurs put them on top. McMaster blanked a pair of ends before another Voyageurs steal in the fourth put them down 2-0 at the break. The Marauders bounced back with a deuce in the fifth end to tie things up. Laurentian and Mac traded singles in six and seven, setting up a 3-3 tie going into the eighth and final end. The Marauders stole their way to victory, picking up a single point to win their first OUA championship since 2020 and fourth title in program history.
With an impressive finish to the season for McMaster, the team will now look ahead to the 2023 U SPORTS Curling Championship where they will be joined by the Voyageurs and TMU Bold from Ontario. The Championship will take place in Sudbury from March 15-19.
