GUELPH, Ont. - The Marauders finished off their season at the Guelph Curling Club this past weekend, going 1-3 in tough round robin matches. Sixteen men's teams competed for the OUA title, with steep competition coming from all over the province. The Marauders will hope to continue developing their team for next season, as they integrated first year skip Nate Sherk into their team this year.
Men's Results
Round Robin Games:
The Marauder men opened their weekend at 12:30pm on Friday against the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks. The Marauders had a strong start, finding the sole point in the first end. Led by first year skip Sherk, the Marauders hoped to keep the Ridgebacks at bay. After the fourth end, McMaster was up 2-1. The fifth end was a tough round for the Marauders, as Ontario Tech outwitted them to earn seven points, and the score was too far to return for McMaster. The Marauders lost their first game 9-5.
After a hard loss, McMaster faced off against the Brock Badgers at 8pm Friday night. Again, they were able to find the first point after the first end, earning a 1-0 lead. Brock was quick to respond, but McMaster adjusted, tying the teams at 3-3 after three ends. Brock started to increase their score, unfortunately leaving the Marauders behind. The Marauders lost to the Badgers 8-4.
The Marauders started early on Saturday, playing against the Toronto Varsity Blues at 9am. McMaster struggled against the Varsity Blues, going into the fourth end down 3-1. Midway through the game, McMaster had to sub second Scott McLellan for alternate Johnathon Au due to a shoulder injury. Toronto was able to get their rocks in the house, running up their lead to 8-2 and taking the game.
After some tough strategic competition, the Marauders hoped to pick up a win in their final game of the season against the Trent Excalibur. Trent came into the game strong, finding four points in the first two ends. The Marauders maintained their composure with the help of experienced third year Benjamin Winchester. The Marauders found points in the third to sixth end, taking over the score 6-4, quieting Excalibur's offense. Tyler Smith was a key player all weekend at his first OUA championship, being McMaster's third curler. The Marauders pulled some great strategy in their last end of the weekend, earning four points, and winning their last game 10-5.
