Banner Season: Eight teams remain undefeated after thrilling first day of curling competition
WELLAND, Ont. (C/O Brock Badgers) - The 2026 OUA Curling Championships opened on Friday, Feb. 6, as the Welland Curling Club hosted 16 men’s and women’s teams for the first day of pool play.
On the women's side, Pool A saw the Trent Excalibur finish atop the group, winning both matches in seven ends as they defeated the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks and Toronto Varsity Blues by identical 7-2 scores.
Pool B featured the Queen’s Gaels ending Day 1 undefeated. They opened with a tightly contested 6-5 win over the defending OUA champion McMaster Marauders, scoring three points in the eighth end to secure the victory. The Gaels then followed up with a 1-0 decision over the York Lions.
The host Brock Badgers led Pool C after collecting two wins. A five-point seventh end propelled them over the Windsor Lancers by a score of 10-7, while a 6-3 win over the Western Mustangs improved their record to 2-0.
The Guelph Gryphons took two seven-end victories to lead Pool D, defeating the 2025 runner-up Laurier Golden Hawks 7-3 and then conquering the Algoma Thunderbirds 6-3.
On the men’s side of the competition, the defending OUA champion Carleton Ravens and the York Lions each finished their day unblemished to lead Pool A. Carleton earned a 9-5 victory over the Waterloo Warriors and a commanding 12-3 win against the TMU Bold, while York bested the Ontario Tech Ridgebacks 9-7 and the McMaster Marauders 9-8 in close matchups.
Pool B saw three teams finish 1-1. The McMaster Marauders and TMU Bold each won their first matchups and dropped their second, while the Waterloo Warriors fell 9-5 to the Carleton Ravens but rebounded with a 10-4 victory over the Windsor Lancers.
The 2025 OUA silver medalists, Laurier Golden Hawks, took the Pool C lead after two commanding performances. Laurier scored in the first four ends of their first match, defeating the Brock Badgers 7-0, before besting the Queen’s Gaels 8-4 in their second contest of the day.
Matching their women’s team’s undefeated start, the Guelph Gryphons men’s curling team also finished on top of its pool. Starting with the hammer, Guelph narrowly defeated the Trent Excalibur 7-6, which was followed by a 5-2 victory over the Toronto Varsity Blues in the fourth draw.
Day 2 is set to feature four additional draws of pool play competition, with the fifth draw of the event beginning at 9 a.m. and the eighth draw scheduled for 8 p.m. The day’s results will determine the quarterfinalists for both the women’s and men’s competitions.