(WINDSOR, N.S.) Day three of the 2022 Subway AUS Curling Championships, presented by Bell Aliant and hosted by the Windsor Curling Club, was playoff time with three institutions having both women’s and men’s divisions vying for their place in AUS history.
Semifinals
Women
MTA (1-2) vs. UNB (1-2)
In this clash of New Brunswick schools, the first end saw UNB capitalize on a couple of MTA misses to charge out to a 3-0 lead. In the second end the momentum continued for the REDS as they stole two more points to go up 5-0. The third end saw the Mounties bounce back on a key double by skip Olivia Wynter on her first stone followed by another take-out to grab three and cut the lead to 5-3.
UNB skip Jenna Campbell made an important hit and stick for one to stake a 6-3 lead at the break.
Facing two in the fifth, Mounties’ skip made a pretty draw to take one and narrow the score 6-4. The REDS once again countered in the sixth as they took two with a hammer to bring their lead back to four 8-4.
A nice draw by the Mounties in the seventh scored two to cut the lead to 8-6. The REDS kept the final end pretty clean and with skip stones ran the Mounties out of rocks for the 8-6 victory and a spot in the final.
Men
SMU (1-2) vs. MUN (2-1)
The opening end saw each team vying for a position in the house. Memorial skip Ryan McNeil Lamswood made a nice draw against two to score a single and open the match 1-0. In the second, SMU skip Graeme Weagle with a hammer made a clutch shot to score two and take a 2-1 lead.
The third end was much the same battle of skip stones as the Seahawks capitalized as a Huskies draw came up short to draw for three to put the Seahawks in front 4-2. Weagle bounced back hitting his draw in the fourth end against three to narrow the lead to 4-3 at the break.
The fifth end saw the Seahawks take one on a nifty angle raise of a Huskies rock onto their own to score one and a 5-3 lead. The Huskies again in the sixth were facing one and made a clutch draw to score the single to make the score 5-4.
The Sea-Hawks’ Mcneil Lamswood was on point with his last rock of the seventh taking two on another raise take out to go up 7-4. The eighth end saw the Huskies try to produce enough rocks to score a bunch, but the Sea-Hawks ran them out of stones to secure the 7-4 victory and berth in the final.
2022 Subway AUS Curling Championship final
Women
Dalhousie (3-0) vs. UNB (2-2)
The first end was clean as both teams got settled into this title contest. The hit and stick trade continued until the final rocks where Dalhousie was a bit off and failed in the blank attempt to give the REDS a steal of one for a 1-0 early lead. The Tigers rallied back in the second to score one with Hammer to knot the match at 1-1. The Reds answered in the 3rd with a takeout from skip Jenna Campbell for one to lead 2-1.
After a blank in the fourth, the Tigers roared back with another single in the fifth to tie the score again 2-2. Looking for the force in the sixth end the Tigers’ Sarah Gierling made a nice take out to force the Reds Campbell to a lone point and a 3-2 lead over Dalhousie. The Tigers blanked the seventh end to retain hammer coming home down one point. With that hammer, Dalhousie, facing three UNB rocks, drew the button with their last shot to tie the match 3-3 and force an extra end. Gierling’s Tigers without hammer kept rocks in play and were rewarded with a steal of one to claim the 2022 Subway AUS Women’s Curling Championship by a score of 4-3.
Men
Dalhousie (3-0) vs. MUN (3-1)
Looking to create an offensive match, both squads kept lots of rocks in play looking for a big end in the first. Dalhousie skip Owen Purcell made a touch hit and stick through traffic to open up the match with a 1-0 lead. It was much the same in the second when Sea-Hawks skip Ryan McNeil Lamswood made a perfect draw to find the button against four to tie the game at one apiece.
Facing two with his last rock in the third, the Tigers’ Purcell made a tough double takeout to score a bunch; when the dust settled Dalhousie scored four to take the lead 5-1. The fourth again saw the theme of lots of rocks again play out with a crucial raise double take out by the Seahawks allowing them to take one and cut the margin to 5-2 at the break.
The fifth end was a back-and-forth affair with teams trading shots trying to find the edge; the Tigers scored one to increase their lead 6-2. The Sea-Hawks grabbed a single in the sixth amongst a bunch of opponent stones to bring the Tigers lead closer at 6-3.
The seventh end was a change of pace as the house was kept clean with the Tigers grabbing another single to go up 7-4 coming home. The Sea-Hawks tried to keep rocks in play but eventually, Purcell’s Tigers ran them out of rocks in the eighth end to win 7-4 and claim the 2022 Subway AUS Men’s Curling Championship.
The AUS would like to congratulate our 2022 champions and thank Curling Canada and the Windsor Curling Club for a great event.