Draw Two

Draw Two of the 2023 Canada West Curling Championships saw the University of Calgary Dinos debut in the competition, skipped by Alberta mainstays Jessica Wytrychowski and Kenan Wipf.

Both the men’s and women’s Calgary Dinos squads opened against the Brandon Bobcats. The Brandon men continued to come together with a few costly mistakes making the main difference between the teams. The Dinos capitalized on a few opportunities by executing great team shots. With this being their first game ice conditions were challenging, as a team they did a great job of adapting to the ice conditions. The men’s game went to the Dinos by a score of 12-6.

On the women’s side, Brandon is skipped by first year student Emma Woike. The team continues to gel riding through some last-minute changes with the loss of Shae-Lynn Forster to injury just before the tournament. The Dinos had a bye on day one, and were aggressive out of the gate to take a commanding lead. Calgary were able to put their rocks in good position thanks to the strong sweeping duo of Kate Ector (Lead) & Elliot Martens (Second). The women’s game went to the Dinos by a score of 9-2.

The Alberta Golden Bears/Pandas continued their weekends by taking on the men’s and women’s teams from the University of Victoria. It was the Golden Bears coming out strong and continued their solid play in executing their game well getting their fair share of the breaks leading to a 9-0 win. Dennis Williams played well in lead for the Vikes. The Vikes continue to gain experience, building team chemistry playing against the top competition in the country.

In the women’s game, the Vikes continued their strong opening round play against the Pandas. Veteran Skip Kayla Wilson did a great job of keeping the team level headed always applying pressure. Mahra Harris making her tournament debut. For the Pandas, the team struggled and lost trust in what they were seeing on the ice. As a team they were unable to capitalize on some opportunities with the result being a 7-2 win for the Vikes.

Draw Three

With the Alberta Golden Bears/Pandas taking on the Calgary Dinos in the men’s and women’s competitions in Draw Three, it was a full on Battle of Alberta at the Victoria Curling Club.

There was no lack of excitement in both games. The Golden Bears had hammer in the extra end with Johnson Tao making a short run back for the win making no mistake. The winner was Golden Bears by a score of 8-7, now sitting at 3-0. Calgary fought valiantly, pushing the Golden Bears to the limit and now sit at 1-1. The women’s game saw the Pandas come out victorious by a score of 8-3. Alberta bounced back looking strong before pulling away for good in the fourth end. Calgary struggled with their draw weight all match and will be looking to regroup for their evening game tonight.

After having a bye last draw, the Regina Cougars were back on the ice to face their neighbors to the east: the Brandon Bobcats. Being at the halfway point of the competition, the games really heated up knowing the title was on the line. The men from Regina grabbed a tightly costed 7-6 win pushing their record to 2-0. After a hard fought battle, Brandon finds themselves at 0-3.

On the women’s side it was a back-and-forth battle. The women from Brandon put up their first W on the board by a score of 10-7. The Regina women once again come up short and fall to 0-2.

Draw Four

The Brandon Bobcats came into Draw Four knowing it was their last chance to show what they had at the 2023 Canada West Curling Championships. The men’s and women’s teams were closing their weekend against the hometown Victoria Vikes.

With their final round robin standing on the line, the Brandon Bobcats took the ice and split with the Vikes. The Brandon Bobcats men’s squad closed their competition with an 8-1 win. The Bobcats started slow and kept the pressure on consistently pulling away as the game wore on. The Vikes Men finish their tournament with a ton of experience having just recently come together as a team. The Brandon Bobcats women’s squad, skipped by former Vancouver Islander Emma Woike, finished their round robin with an 11-4 loss. The Vikes Women have continued their strong opening play finding their stride and hitting on some big ends to blow the game wide open.

The Calgary Dinos took on the Regina Cougars for each of their third games of the weekend. The men’s game was tight down to the wire with Regina sitting a possible 3 in the final end and Calgary making a crucial take out to turn the tables ending in a win for the Dinos by a score of 7-4. The women’s game was filled with energy and excitement, with the Cougars landing a huge 6 ender late closing the book on the game with an 11-6 win. Calgary had their chances with the game close right up until the end.

The last draw began at 9am this morning at the Victoria Curling Club. This final draw will determine the winners of the men’s and women’s 2023 Canada West Curling Championships.

Men’s – Regina Cougars vs. Alberta Golden Bears; Calgary Dinos vs. Victoria Vikes

Women’s – Regina Cougars vs. Alberta Pandas; Calgary Dinos vs. Victoria Vikes

This event is supported in part by grants from VIASport, the Province of British Columbia and Hosting BC.

CW Curling Women’s Results                                                                      CW Curling Men’s Results

Alberta 2-1                                                                                                          Alberta 3-0

Brandon 1-3                                                                                                        Brandon 1-3

Calgary 1-2                                                                                                          Calgary 2-1

Regina 1-2                                                                                                           Regina 2-1

Victoria 3-0                                                                                                         Victoria 0-3