CANADIAN MEN WIN FIRST AS GAMES CONTINUE AT 2025 FISU GAMES
While some curling medals have already been awarded at the Torino 2025 FISU World University Games, some curlers haven’t hit the ice yet, with two more events left for competition.
The four-player team from the University of Regina got their tournament started today, surviving a late scare from Switzerland in Draw 1 of the men’s event. They held on for a 7-5 win.
“It’s super exciting to get the ‘W’ in our first game at Worlds,” said Regina Cougars skip Josh Bryden. “The team played great, so hopefully that sets the stage, and the wins keep coming.”
The Canadians took a four-point lead at halftime, scoring four in the fourth end after a missed attempt from the Swiss skip Jan Iseli opened the door for a free draw.
“It’s always nice to score four,” said Bryden. “We got a miss from them and were able to capitalize.”
The Swiss chipped away, however, bringing the score within one for the last end. The Canadians (Bryden, with Adam Bukurak, Carter Williamson, and Ayden Wittmire) were faced with three yellow stones in the four-foot as the skip got in the hack for his first shot of the eighth.
“We had a couple misses that allowed them to stay in it,” said Bryden. “We just have to work on staying focused and keep playing well until the end.”
A short run-back got rid of one stone, leaving Canada shot-rock with one Swiss shot to come. Iseli was off the mark once again, meaning Bryden didn’t have to throw his last, and the Canadians hung on for the victory.
Canada is supported by head coach Jamie Schneider and bench coach Ryan Grabarczyk – who originally qualified for the event at the Canadian Championships last spring, but didn’t meet age for the FISU Games.
The Canadians, now 1-0, will face China in Draw 2, as the ten-team round robin continues. The women’s entry, from the University of Alberta, will start their tournament on Thursday with two games vs. Poland and South Korea.
The women’s entry, the Alberta Pandas (skip Serena Gray-Withers, vice-skip Catherine Clifford, second Brianna Cullen, lead Zoe Cinnamon), will be the last Canadian curlers to start their event. On Tuesday, the mixed doubles pair of Jessica Zheng and Victor Pietrangelo took home the bronze medal, wrapping up the first of the three curling disciplines.
Playoff games will be streamed on FISU.tv. For results and schedules, visit: https://wugtorino2025.microplustimingservices.com/#/general-reports
