MCURL | Voyageurs Miss Out on U SPORTS Medal by Millimeters, Twice

With a 4-3 record in the round robin, the Laurentian Voyageurs men's curling team finished as the third seed and faced the second-seeded Dalhousie Tigers in semi-finals of the U SPORTS Curling Championship.

Dalhousie began the game with a 2-point lead at the end of the first end. The Voyageurs never panicked and were content with taking their time, ready to pounce on any opportunity. Unfortunately, for those in attendance, they would have to wait a while to see that opportunity as, after a few blank ends mixed with each team grabbing a point here and there, the game stood at 3-2 Dalhousie after six ends.

It was in the seventh that Laurentian opened the door. Without the hammer, the Voyageurs played arguably their best end of the tournament to steal two massive points, grabbing their first lead of the day. Up by one in the final end, Laurentian just needed to hold on to their lead to get to the gold medal game. However, Dalhousie were able to tie it up before grabbing a steal in the extra end after Jacob Horgan's attempted angle-pick was thin by millimeters, allowing the Tigers to defeat the Voyageurs 5-4 in a fantastic end to a game worthy of a national semi-final title.

Laurentian would take on the Queen's Gaels in the bronze medal match. Having to overcome the heartbreak from earlier in the day would be no easy feat but the Voyageurs were not looking to go home empty handed. Once again, it was a slow start to the game as, by the fifth end break, it was once again only 2-1 Voyageurs, who finished the first half with a 1-point steal to take the lead.

From then on, just like in the morning match, the game picked up as in the sixth, seventh and eighth end the two teams exchanged two-point ends with the hammer. Unfortunately, that put Laurentian behind the eight ball, down 5-4. They tied it up in the ninth but without the hammer in the tenth end, Horgan's draw to the button slid an inch too deep and Queen's did not need to throw their final rock. Laurentian finished the tournament in fourth place and put up some incredible performances and entertaining curling over the course of the weekend.

At the end of the event, a lone Voyageur was recognized for his fantastic play all week long.  Jacob Horgan was recognized as a second team All-Canadian at the skip position.

Andrew Lemieux