(FREDERICTON, N.B.) The 2023 Subway AUS Curling Championships, presented by Bell, get underway tomorrow in Fredericton, N.B. The UNB Reds play host to both the women's and men's championships which are being held at the Capital Winter Club.
This marks the second time the University of New Brunswick and the Capital Winter Club have hosted the AUS championships. In 2018 the Mount Allison Mounties captured the women's title while the Dalhousie Tigers took home the men's banner.
Both sides will play a full round robin schedule, with the first draws set for 1:30 p.m. Thursday.
Following round-robin play, the top four teams will advance to the playoffs. The top teams will face the fourth-place teams in one semi-final, while the second and third-place teams face off in the other. The semi-final games will take place Saturday, Feb. 4 at 3 p.m.
Winners of each semi-final game will advance to the AUS championship finals Sunday, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m., while the losing teams play for third place, and a berth at the national U SPORTS championships.
The national championships are set to take place March 15 to 19 in Sudbury, Ont. The Atlantic conference will send three women's teams and three men's teams to compete.
Competing at this year's AUS championships on the women's side are the defending champion Dalhousie Tigers, the Memorial Sea-Hawks, the Mount Allison Mounties, the Saint Mary's Huskies, the UPEI Panthers and the host UNB Reds.
Facing off on the men's side are the defending champion Dalhousie Tigers, the Memorial Sea-Hawks, the Saint Mary's Huskies and the host UNB Reds.
The Tigers men's team—led by skip Adam McEachren—enter the championship as a strong contender, with McEachren and team member David McCurdy coming off their recent bronze medal win at the FISU World University Games which were held in Lake Placid, NY last month.
But they will face steep competition—among them, the Memorial Sea-Hawks and their skip Nathan Young, who will represent Newfoundland and Labrador at the 2023 Tim Hortons Brier this coming March.
On the women's side, host UNB's team is being led by skip Jenna Campbell who enters the AUS weekend flying high off a recent win at Curling New Brunswick's Junior Women's Championship (U21). She will represent New Brunswick at the national junior championships being held in Rouyn-Noranda, Que. March 25 to April 2.
Memorial Sea-Hawks skip Mackenzie Mitchell is also coming off of a big win at the junior provincial championship, and is likewise set to represent Newfoundland this spring in Rouyn-Noranda.
This weekend's AUS championship finals will be broadcast live on AUStv Sunday, Feb. 5 at 9 a.m.