In its first appearance at the national level, Carleton’s freshly formed men’s curling team won two of seven games in round robin play March 14-18 — a result skip Chris Lewis called “disappointing.”
“The win-loss record wasn’t quite what the guys would have wanted, but they were in the games,” said team coach Art Miskew. “I think they’re disappointed, but I don’t think they should be. I think we proved that they belong there.”
In their first game at the Canadian Interuniversity Sport championships in Welland, Ont., Carleton squared off against the University of Alberta Golden Bears, a seasoned squad which won the world junior men’s championship in Sweden earlier this month. Carleton lost 9-4 to the Bears in nine ends.
“It was fun to play them and see what kind of level they were at,” said Carleton vice Ryan McCrady. “You can tell that they’ve all played together before, so they’re all really used to each other.”
The appropriately named Golden Bears went on to dominate the weekend, going 6-1 in round robin play and beating the Waterloo Warriors 7-1 in eight ends in the finals to capture the gold.
Carleton won its games against the Acadia Axemen and the University of Winnipeg Wesmen, and narrowly came up short in their match against the Brock Badgers, losing 6-5 in an extra end.
It was the first time playing at the national level for the young team, which was only created this fall. The players said adapting to the ice conditions was a real challenge.
“It was really patchy, and it changed a lot throughout most of our games,” McCrady said. “But you have to play with what you’re given.”
“I wouldn’t blame it for a loss,” Miskew said, adding it was part of the learning curve. “A more experienced team and players are going to pick up the ice a little better.”
There were other obstacles, Miskew noted, including the extra attention and technical details like on-ice officials and timers that come with playing at the national level.
“Normally, you just have a couple family and friends watching,” Miskew said. “You have to forget all that stuff.”
The longer 10-end games also took a toll on the team’s endurance, McCrady added, compared to the eight-end games the team played at the OUA championships.
And, of course, Carleton was up against a strong slate of opponents.
“This is probably the strongest field in the university championships yet,” Miskew said, noting that Canadian universities have begun to bolster their curling teams partly in response to opportunities like the winter universiade.
Miskew said he hopes to get more players trying out next year, and start the season earlier to allow more time to practice and compete.
“Instead of going into provincials with two games under your belt, you’ll have 20 games under your belt,” Miskew said.
Both Lewis and McCrady said they’ll be training throughout the summer, working on their strength and cardio. And they’re both aiming to return to nationals with a Carleton team next year.
“We definitely want to get back there and give it another try,” McCrady said.
