The University of Alberta Pandas dominated the Canada West women's curling championship, sweeping the round-robin and defeating the Regina Cougars 6-2 in the final to secure their fourth title in seven years. In the men's division, the Calgary Dinos ended a 62-year drought by beating the Alberta Golden Bears 7-4 for the championship. Both events took place at Edmonton's Saville Centre.
The Canada West Curling Championships wrapped up on Sunday at the Saville Centre in Edmonton, Alberta, showcasing strong performances from the host university and regional rivals.
In the women's tournament, the Alberta Pandas, skipped by Gracelyn Richards, entered the playoffs as the top seed after a perfect 7-0 round-robin record. Their victories included shutouts of 9-0 over the University of British Columbia and 12-0 against the University of Lethbridge, a narrow 6-5 win over the University of Victoria, 8-5 against the University of Regina, 6-4 over UBC Okanagan, 9-4 versus Brandon University, and 4-3 against the University of Calgary. This sweep marked their strongest showing yet, leading to a semifinal win and the final matchup.
The gold medal game was a low-scoring affair, with Alberta taking a 2-0 lead in the first end and adding points in the fifth and seventh ends to win 6-2 over Regina's Chloe Johnston, third Tessa Silversides, second Hannah Rugg, and lead Lauren Speidel. Regina had advanced by beating UBC Okanagan 7-4 in the semifinals, where Johnston controlled the early ends for a 7-0 halftime lead. Calgary's Ava Koe secured third place with a 7-3 victory over UBC Okanagan.
On the men's side, the Calgary Dinos, led by skip Kenan Wipf with teammates Ethan Drysdale, Ky Macaulay, and Spencer Else, claimed their first conference title since 1964. They defeated Alberta's Zach Davies 7-4 in the final after the Golden Bears had eliminated Regina 5-3 in the semifinals. Regina's Carter Williamson, with Rhett Whittmire, Andrew Moulding, and Evan Arnold, had a competitive match but fell short, tying 3-3 before Alberta pulled ahead.
The top teams—Alberta Pandas and Golden Bears, Calgary Dinos, and Regina Cougars—will represent Canada West at the U Sports national championships starting February 17 in Regina.
