MCURL | Voyageurs Qualify for Playoffs on Final Round Robin Stone

The Laurentian Voyageurs men's curling team came into the final day of round robin play on Saturday with games against the Dalhousie Tigers and Calgary Dinos with hopes of clinching a spot in the playoffs Sunday and a chance at a U SPORTS title.

Their first match saw them come up against the Dalhousie Tigers in what could only be described as a dogfight from the start. Laurentian came out of the gates flying, picking up a first end steal of 2 points to set the tone and take an early advantage in the momentum of the game. The Tigers, however, fought back as they picked up a point in the second end followed by a 1-point steal in the fourth end to tie it up.

The fifth end put the Voyageurs back on top taking back the lead with the hammer at 3-2. Unfortunately, for the hometown team it would be the last time Laurentian would score in the game as Dalhousie would take two in the seventh end followed by another in the ninth to come away with a 5-3 victory.

The second game at 4:30 was against the Calgary Dinos and, although Laurentian lost earlier in the day, a win over the Alberta team would secure a spot in the playoffs on Sunday. With that in mind, Laurentian should have come to play right off the hop but instead with the hammer the Dinos put up three in the first end putting the Voyageurs in a deep hole right away.

From then on, though, it was a different story as Laurentian chipped away, playing good solid curling and looking to capitalize on Calgary mistakes. A bounce back 2-point end in the second put the Voyageurs back on track and their defensive tactics worked like a charm, as the Dinos were only able to manufacture a single point throughout the rest of the game. It was in the tenth, tied at 4-4, that brought out the best in Laurentian as they picked up a vital steal of 2 points to win the game and move on for a shot at gold on Sunday, winning 6-4.

Laurentian finished the round robin at 4-3 finishing as the third seed and will face the Dalhousie Tigers at 9:30 am on Sunday in the semi-finals.

Andrew Lemieux