After capturing an OCAA Championship Gold Medal in February, the Niagara College Women's Curling Team will resume its pursuit of a CCAA National Championship from March 20-23rd. The Team will travel to Edmonton, Alberta to compete as one of eight teams vying for a CCAA medal. The Northern Alberta Institute of Technology (NAIT) Ooks are serving as tournament hosts.
The competing teams including the host NAIT Ooks, MacEwan University Griffins, Lakeland College Rustlers, Red Deer College Kings, Confederation College Thunderhawks, Fanshawe College Falcons, Douglas College Royals, and the Niagara College Knights.
Niagara College Women's Curling Team Head Coach Scott Brown feels the event is a great opportunity for his student-athletes, and is optimistic about his team's chances, adding "they will have a wonderful experience in playing at the National level, and if the team plays the way we know they can, I feel they can win a medal."
The eight-team event features a round robin format that will see the Knights face a familiar foe in their opening game. The team will face the OCAA Silver Medalist Confederation Thunderhawks. The Knights defeated the Thunderhawks 9-5 in the OCAA Championship Gold Medal game on February 17th.
Niagara College Manager of Athletics & Recreation Matthew Davies commented that the event is a "great opportunity for the Women's Curling Team to compete against some of the best competition in the country. We are very proud of the team's accomplishments so far, and this represents a great finish to our 2012-13 intercollegiate season."
The four-day event will see each team play a minimum of seven games, with the top four teams advancing to the medal round at the end of round robin play. The student-athlete participants will also attend opening and closing ceremonies as well as the CCAA Championship banquet.
Coach Brown is encouraging his players to "enjoy the surroundings and atmosphere, as our players will have an opportunity to meet new people and make new friends, while also experiencing pride in knowing that they are representing Niagara College."
Results, photos and updates of the 2013 CCAA Curling Championships can be found by visiting the Championship website at http://www.ccaa.ca/curling2013/.
