SUDBURY, Ont. - The McMaster Marauders women's curling team spent the past week in Sudbury, Ont. for four days of competition at the 2023 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championship. The Marauders were joined by seven of the top varsity curling programs from across the country and finished the national competition in fifth place.
The maroon and grey competed against each of the participating teams - Victoria Vikes, Alberta Pandas, Laurentian Voyageurs, TMU Bold, Dalhousie Tigers, UPEI Panthers and Memorial Sea-Hawks - in round robin play.
McMaster, the OUA Champion, opened the Championship on Wednesday evening against the AUS Champion Dalhousie Tigers. The Tigers had the hammer in the opening end but it was the Marauders who went up 3-0 early. Dalhousie battled back and went ahead 6-4 at the end of the sixth. Despite the Marauders adding one in the eighth, it was the Tigers that finished strong and took the game by a 9-5 final.
The Marauders returned to competition the following morning for a contest with the Canada West Champions, the Alberta Pandas, in the Day 2 opener. The maroon and grey came out of the gates strong, holding a 4-0 advantage after three ends. McMaster added another point in the fifth and two in the seventh but Alberta finished strong, putting up five in the final three ends to take the contest by a tight 8-7 scoreline. Later that day, the OUA Champions faced the PEI Panthers and earned a decisive 7-2 win to hold a 1-2 record after two days of competition.
With two games on the schedule for Friday, the Marauders prepared to face two opponents from opposite ends of the country. McMaster fell to the Memorial Sea-Hawks in a tight back-and-forth contest 7-6 before upending the Victoria Vikes 9-3 in nine ends.
On the final day of round robin play, the Marauders faced two familiar provincial opponents. First up, the maroon and grey faced the host Laurentian Voyageurs, the 2023 OUA silver medalists. The Sudbury squad got on the board in the second end but the Marauders responded in the fourth to tie things up. The Voyageurs then scored in three straight ends and although McMaster closed out with two in the final two ends, the maroon and grey came up just short, falling 4-3. In the Day 4 finale, the Hamilton roster came up big against the TMU Bold, the OUA bronze medalists, and secured an 8-5 victory in nine ends to finish the round robin with a 3-4 record, just narrowly missing out on a semifinal berth.
The maroon and grey ended the U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championship in fifth place, a stellar performance by the Marauder squad.
McMaster earned two All-Canadian nods at the Awards Reception following competition on Sunday night. Graduating senior Grace Lloyd was named a Second Team All-Canadian while rookie teammate Evelyn Robert was recognized as a First Team All-Canadian.
With an impressive finish to the season on the national stage, McMaster has a strong future ahead and will now turn its attention to the 2023-24 OUA season.
