ACAC Curling Championships Results

by ACAC Sports Writer Curtis J. Phillips

Two-out-of-three ain't bad but two-out-of-two is better.

Improper English but more than proper performances as the MacEwan University Griffins curling program qualified both its women's and mixed curling teams while the Red Deer College Kings/Queens curling program qualified its men's, women's and mixed teams into the 2017-2018 Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference (ACAC) Curling Championships this past weekend.

Hosted at the historic Rose City Curling Club in Camrose, Alberta, of the eight ACAC schools participating in regular ACAC season play, only two – NAIT Ooks and Red Deer College Kings/Queens – had all three teams qualifying for the postseason with their men's, women's and mixed teams.

Red Deer and MacEwan would qualify for two gold medal games.

Red Deer Kings would go against the Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder in the men's final losing 8-5.

Women's Curling Champions Red Deer College Queens

"It was a really close game," said Thunder coach Dylan Theroux "By the fourth end we were down three and then my boys were able to get a three-ender in the fifth end to tie it up. After that, they were ready to curl and they put a lot of pressure on the Red Deer team and came out on top."

Theroux said the ice proved difficult for his women's team, which lost 5-3 to the NAIT Ooks in the bronze medal match.

"We have curled there a couple of times before and we practiced for the ice to be a little bit more curly and keen. We had a tough time adapting to the ice, being that it was straight as it was. We had false hope for what the ice would do and my women's team struggled being unable to read that."

In the women's final it was all Red Deer as the Queens claimed a 6-2 decision against the Griffins.

The Griffins would claim gold in the mixed portion of the event, edging the Portage Voyageurs contingent from Lac la Biche 7-5.

"It went back-and-forth, we were tied coming home, " said Griffins coach Tom Kitigawa of the event hosted by the University of Alberta Augustana Vikings.

Men's Curling Champions Concordia University of Edmonton Thunder

Of the fact that the mixed component of ACAC curling does not advance to the Canadian Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) curling championships whereas the men's and women's teams do, Kitigawa said: "Everybody wants to win the (ACAC) provincial championships. They are trying just as hard."

The 2018 CCAA Curling Championships will be held March 264-28, 2018 in Leduc, Alberta this year in conjunction with various other national titles.

The 2018 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Curling Championships from March 24-28; 2018 Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championship from March 26-31 and 2018 Canadian Mixed Doubles Championship from March 29-April 1.

"Playing on arena ice with lots of fans in attendance, yelling and screaming, our boys will have to stay focused on the ice," said Theroux. "Plus a lot of teams have never curled on arena ice. This will probably be the best curling ice they have ever played on."

As of now three ACAC men's teams – Concordia, Red Deer, and Augustana - will move to the CCAA finals along with four women's teams – Concordia, MacEwan, NAIT, and Red Deer.

The CCAA event will be played in the Leduc Recreation Centre's twin arenas — Ken's Furniture Arena and Robinson Arena.