Men's Curling National Championship Recap
The Lakeland Rustlers men's curling team was in Fredericton, New Brunswick from March 13-19 for the 2019 CCAA/Curling Canada Championships.
The Rustlers played 7 round robin games, facing colleges from across the country. The Rustlers first game on March 15th was against the Fanshawe Falcons from London, Ont. The Falcons got out to a 2-0 lead after 3 ends and extended their lead to 3-1 after 5 ends. The Rustlers would score twice in the 7th end and twice more in the 10th end to take their first game 5-3. The Rustlers second game of the day saw them taking on fellow ACAC team the NAIT Ooks. This time, it was the Rustlers who would jump out to the early lead, leading 1-0 after 2 ends. The Ooks responded in the 3rd end, scoring 3 times to take a 3-1 lead. Both teams would score several times over the next 6 ends before the Rustlers conceded, giving the Ooks the 7-5 win.
The Rustlers returned to the ice the next morning to take on another ACAC team, the Concordia Thunder. The Thunder opened up a 2-0 lead after the 1st end, and the Rustlers could never recover. The Rustlers conceded after 8 ends, losing 7-2. In the second game of the day, the Rustlers faced the Confederation Thunderhawks from Thunder Bay, Ont. The teams would alternate scoring for the entirety of the game, until a 4 point 9th end by the Rustlers forced the Thunderhawks to concede, giving the Rustlers the 9-4 win.
On day three, the Rustlers had an early morning, facing the Sault Cougars from Sault Ste. Marie, Ont. in the early draw of the day. The Rustlers didn't let the early morning slow them down, as they jumped out to a quick 1-0 after the 1st end. The Cougars responded scoring a single point in each of the next 3 ends, to lead 3-1 after 4 ends. In the next 6 ends, the Rustlers would outscore the Cougars 5-2, taking the game 6-5. The winning would continue in the second game of the day for the Rustlers when they took on the Olds College Broncos. Lakeland jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after the 1st end and never looked back, going on to win 13-3.
In the final game of the round robin, the Rustlers faced the Humber Hawks from Etobicoke, Ont., in what would be a must-win game to advance to the playoff round. The Rustlers took the early 1-0 lead, but the Hawks responded with a 3-point end of their own. The teams would go back and forth for the entirety of the game, going to extra ends, before the Hawks would win 9-8 in the 11th end.
The Rustlers finished 5th after round robin play with a 4-3 record. The loss to the Hawks meant that the Rustlers incredible run in the ACAC and CCAA Curling Championships would come to an end. To cap off the championships, Rustlers first-year lead Jared Mason would be named a Men's Second Team All-Star.
The season would not all be for nothing. The team showed significant improvement throughout the season, with players having to adjust and adapt to new and changing roles. The team would peak at the right time, earning the bronze medal at the ACAC Men's Curling Championships, qualifying them for the CCAA/Curling Canada Championships. At the CCAA/Curling Canada Championships, the team would earn several impressive victories and suffer close losses, but create memories that would last a lifetime.