CANADA’S WOMEN STILL UNBEATEN AT UNIVERSITY GAMES; MEN DROP THEIR FIRST
Canada’s winning ways continued Friday at the FISU World University Games, tacking three more victories to the combined total.
The Canadian women’s team from the University of Alberta, skipped by Serena Gray-Withers, won both of their matchups – trouncing Great Britain 11-1 in the morning game, and defeating the United States 8-4 in the evening.
“We’re feeling confident in our performance so far” said Catherine Clifford, the Canadian third. “We’re being challenged, but so far have managed to stay sharp.”
The U of A Pandas representing Canada (Gray-Withers, Clifford, Briana Cullen, and Zoe Cinnamon) lead the field with a perfect 4-0 record. They are supported by fifth player Gracelyn RIchards, coach Rob Krepps, and team leader Helen Radford.
You could also add the Canadian fans to that list as well. While the event is being held in Torino, Italy, there is no shortage of friends and family cheering in the stands.
Japan is also undefeated at the moment. The Canadians will face them on Sunday. Next on the schedule is a one-game day versus Italy.
“We’re only looking at the game in front of us,” said Clifford. “We’re focusing on bringing out best to what will be some very tough competition.
The Canadian men’s squad took another win this afternoon over Sweden, but also dropped their morning matchup with host Italy. They sit tied for second, behind Norway, in the championship standings.
“This morning’s game was a little tougher,” said Josh Bryden, skip from the University of Regina team. “The ice was really weight-sensitive and we struggled with that a bit.”
-Canada led Italy 3-2 after five ends, but a score of three and a steal of two by the Italians turned the game aroud. The final score was 7-3.
The University of Regina Cougars (Bryden, Adam Bukurak, Carter Williamson, and Ayden Wittmire) fared better in their second game.
“We played a better game tonight,” said Bryden of his team’s game against Sweden. “We controlled a lot of the game even though the score didn’t show it until the fourth end.”
The fourth end was indeed a turning point. Making good use of a corner guard, Canada hid three stones, before chipping out Sweden’s last freeze attempt for a score of four.
“Once we had the four-ender, we made it tough for them to get back in the game,” said Bryden.
The Canadian men will face South Korea and the United States on Saturday.
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
