CANADIAN WOMEN OPEN FISU COMPETITION WITH TWO WINS; MEN ADD ANOTHER
Sometimes, it takes a few games for a team to settle into prime competition form at a major event. Serena Gray-Withers and her team from the University of Alberta, however, seemed pretty settled after just a few ends.
The U of A Pandas, representing Canada at the FISU World University Games in Torino, Italy, ended their first day of competition with two wins over Poland and South Korea, respectively.
“The first day was incredible,” said Gray-Withers following her second win of the day. “We’re really embracing the moment and making some great shots along the way!”
Right out of the gates, Gray-Withers (with vice-skip Catherine Clifford, second Brianna Cullen, lead Zoe Cinnamon), looked comfortable on the ice, scoring one, then allowing only a single point to Poland in the second end.
After that, Canada scored in five consecutive ends, including two steals of two, leading to a 9-1 win over the Poles.
The second game of the day was a tighter battle, but once again Canada stayed composed. While the score was tied 3-3 playing the sixth end, the South Korean skip Bobae Kang came up short on her draw attempt for two, only adding one to their total, and taking a single point lead into the seventh.
Canada went hard for a big score in the seventh, leaving almost all rocks in play, and while there were three red Canadian stones in the four-foot, shot rock belonged to Korea, sitting right on the button behind a wall of granite.
After a brief discussion with coach Rob Krepps, Gray-Withers and Co. executed a 12-foot runback into the pile on the four-foot, spilling the yellow and scoring three for Canada, giving them a 6-4 lead.
“The shot in the seventh was definitely a turning point,” said Gray-Withers. “You could feel the momentum shift. Playing the eighth up by two really eased the pressure and allowed us to keep things simple.”
“Runbacks have been a focus for us this year,” said Clifford. “We realized to play with the best women’s teams, we have to be making these shots at key moments. That hard work paid off with a great throw from Serena and a great sweep from Brianna and Zoe.”
After a well-played eighth, Kang required a miracle runback of her own to score two, but it was off the mark. Canada stole another point and took the 7-4 win.
The Canadian fans also deserve some credit. The cheering was constant through all of Canada’s games on Thursday
“Our fans and families have been phenomenal,” said Gray-Withers. “They’re cheering so loud and creating such an exciting atmosphere. It’s rewarding to make some challenging shots and rise to the occasion for them.”
Canada’s men were also in action Thursday. Josh Bryden and his team from the University of Regina, took down China in an afternoon tilt. While Canada had the lead the whole game, it was a shot for three in the seventh end that put it away.
“We weren’t as sharp today, but we’re still happy to get another win,” said Bukurak. “We were chasing a little bit in the seventh, but got a miss out of their skip. It gave us a chance for a board-weight hit, and were able to score three.
Bryden (with Adam Bukurak, Carter Williamson, and Ayden Wittmire) will face home squad Italy in the Friday morning draw, and then Sweden in the afternoon.
The women will also play twice , with Great Britain and USA on the schedule.
Both teams are streaming games on their Facebook pages. Playoff games will be streamed on FISU.tv. For results and schedules, visit: https://wugtorino2025.microplustimingservices.com/#/general-reports
