Banner Season: Exciting field comes sweeping in for men’s championship

Graphic on a blue background with an action shot of a Laurier men?s curler and a Guelph men?s curler with the OUA Men?s Curling Championship logo and event details next to the photo.
February 5, 2025

Burlington, Ont. –  With a busy championship weekend on the horizon, university curlers from across the province will come together to see who will claim top spot at the 2025 Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Men’s Curling Championship at the Galt Country Club in Cambridge, Ont. The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks come in as the four-time defending champions, but 15 other schools look to halt their streak and walk away with the OUA gold medal.

Championship Details:

When: Friday, February 7 to Sunday, February 9
Where: Galt Country Club
Participating Schools (16): Algoma Thunderbirds, Brock Badgers, Carleton Ravens, Guelph Gryphons (host), Laurentian Voyageurs, McMaster Marauders, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks, Queen’s Gaels, Toronto Varsity Blues, TMU Bold, Trent Excalibur, Waterloo Warriors, Western Mustangs, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Windsor Lancers, York Lions
Format: Men’s Open Championship
Past Champions: Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

STUDENT-ATHLETES TO WATCH

Olivier Bonin-Ducharme, Laurentian Voyageurs | In his second year at the skip position, the New Liskeard, Ont. native is looking to guide the Voyageurs back to the playoffs after a seventh-place finish in 2024.

Nathan Gatt, Western Mustangs | Gatt has stepped in as a key contributor for the Western Mustangs in his short two years with the program. The London, Ont. local is a passionate leader of the group.

Jett Gazeley, Queen’s Gaels | The Kingston, Ont. local will be playing his first year as skip for the Gaels. Having competed in two OUA championships and one U SPORTS finale, the third-year computer science student hopes to make an impact at the 2025 banner season event.

Craig Glassford, York Lions | After a 19-year break, Glassford returns to varsity curling, looking to add a university championship to his 2006 OCAA gold medal with Seneca College. The Orangeville, Ont. product was active in competitive curling in the intervening years, winning a provincial Silver Tankard and coaching a U-18 team to the Ontario provincials.

Ryan Hastings, Ontario Tech Ridgebacks | The third-year integrated mathematics and computer science student is coming into the OUA Championship after a fantastic performance at the Brock Invitational, which helped him secure a recent Ridgeback athlete of the week nod at Ontario Tech.

Dane Hostrawser, Windsor Lancers | The hometown product has stepped into the skip role this year after playing vice last year. Hostrawser is a first time skip and has transitioned well into the position. The second-year business student has immediately emerged as a team leader for the Lancers and has made many clutch shots this year in league play and tournaments.

Marius Klein, Algoma Thunderbirds | Making his rookie debut at the championship, Klein has been an excellent asset to the team and has been very involved in the Algoma community.

Evan MacDougall & Dylan Stockton, Guelph Gryphons | The pair of Stockton and MacDougall are in their first year with the Gryphons, but are familiar teammates. The duo has represented Team Ontario at U20 nationals in 2024, and next, they will look to help Guelph better their bronze hardware from last year’s championship.

Marshall MacPherson, Toronto Varsity Blues | MacPherson brings the ability to step in for any play in any position and do it extremely well. He adds tremendous knowledge and skill to his team as one of the most consistent players on the ice. The Alexandria, Ont. native previously competed as a member of the Western Mustangs before joining the Varsity Blues in 2023-24.

Kibo Mulima, Laurier Golden Hawks | Heading into his fourth OUA championship, Mulima looks to continue the Golden Hawks’ four-year championship run, having played in every OUA game of Laurier’s 21-0 OUA streak spanning the last three seasons. The fourth-year french studies student from Inverary, Ont. is the second youngest athlete in this year’s Ontario men’s provincial championship.

Chris Oka, Waterloo Warriors | Oka was on the Warriors curling team in his first year that was cancelled because of COVID-19 and his priorities for the four years that followed were school and co-op. Now in his first OUA season, the Oakville, Ont. product brings a lot of energy to the team and his attitude and positivity are infectious.

Victor Pietrangelo, Brock Badgers | Fresh off his bronze medal performance in the FISU World University Games in Italy in January, Pietrangelo has a current world ranking of 17th in mixed doubles. He is the current Canadian U25 mixed doubles champion and competed at this year's Olympic trials. As a fifth-year master's student, Pietrangelo is bringing national and international experience to the Badgers and has been an instrumental part of helping to prepare his team both mentally and technically for this year's OUA Championship. His shot making at championships has been above 80%, making him one of the top vices in the OUA.

Matthew Rowley, Waterloo Warriors | Rowley has grown into a leader for Waterloo. The third-year physics and astronomy student is committed to excellence on and off the ice and is not afraid to put in the work, which has shown in his improvement over the years. He makes a ton of shots both throwing and sweeping and is the calming presence for the Warriors on the ice when games get tough.

Grant Schnurr, Queen’s Gaels | Schnurr has been named an OUA all-star at both the lead and second position. Playing vice this time around, the civil engineering student is looking to help the Gaels return to the gold medal match at this year’s OUA Championship.

Patrick Sipura, Brock Badgers | Sipura has embraced the lead position on the Badgers team and has become one of the top athletes at his position both in his throwing ability and power sweeping. The fourth-year business student has an OUA bronze and a silver medal and is now looking to go for gold.

Wyatt Small, Laurier Golden Hawks | The fourth-year environmental studies student has captured three straight OUA titles with the Golden Hawks. His three titles also have him tied with the three championships his dad won while playing for Queen’s.  

Max Tandon, Trent Excalibur | Tandon, a fourth-year veteran, steps into the role of skip this year for the Excalibur. The geography student from Toronto, Ont. has been a very dedicated part of the program over the last four years and brings his experience, talent, and leadership to the squad. With his final year of OUA curling for Trent, he is hungry to make a big splash at this year's championship with his shot making abilities.

Mateo Tompkins, York Lions | Tompkins has extensive international curling experience with Team Mexico, achieving a second place finish at the 2019 America’s Challenge at 16 years old (the youngest player in the competition). He also played in the 2020 World Qualification Event, the 2022 World Mixed Curling Championship, and the 2023 Pan Continental Curling Championship.

Benjamin Winchester, McMaster Marauders | Heading into his fourth championship with McMaster, Winchester is one of the longest tenured players on their team. The biology physiology research student from St. Mary’s Ont. was named the Marauders men’s curling MVP last year and plays lead.

BURNING QUESTIONS

  1. Can the four-time defending champion Golden Hawks complete their drive for five and come away with another OUA banner for their decorated program?
  2. Can the Waterloo Warriors turn success at the Guelph and Brock invitationals into a playoff position at the OUA Championship?
  3. Will a young Algoma squad make their mark at this year's championship?
  4. Following last year's fourth-place finish, can the Toronto Varsity Blues make that final push for the podium?  
  5. Despite having a tough pool to play in, can the Brock Badgers lean into their experience and fight for a provincial title?
  6. With some of the top contenders from last year having graduated, will this be the Lancers’ year to make an impact?
  7. With a returning lineup from 2024, can Laurentian build off their quarterfinal appearance last year and get themselves into contention for a medal?
  8. Can a veteran Gaels squad come together to claim another medal and cap off their season with success?

WHAT THEY ARE SAYING

"The Algoma University men's curling team has been working hard to be able to put forth a good effort at the OUA Championship. They are a young team with very little experience in competitive junior curling (U18, U20, or U21), but they have come a long way since the start of the curling season, and they hope to upset 1 or 2 teams at the OUA Championship in February. Prior to the Brock University tournament, they had an overall record of 9 wins and 9 losses including league play and the Trent University Tournament." - Tom Coulterman, Head Coach, Algoma Thunderbirds

"We have one of the strongest backends in the country and will always be a threat to whoever the competition is." - Jordan Thin, Head Coach, Brock Badgers

"With the same roster as last year, we've had the rare opportunity to really gel as a team. Last year we had a lot of player turnover heading into the season, losing both our skip and vice from 2022-23. The stability in personnel and shuffling of positions has allowed us to really find our game this season, and I look forward to showing other teams how far we've come." Benjamin Winchester, Student-Athlete, McMaster Marauders

“We’ve got a really special group of guys going into this tournament; team chemistry is at an all-time high, and it really shows when we’re out there on the ice together. If you spend any time around the team, you'll probably hear one of us say, “Do your job.” We've all bought into that mindset - we know exactly what we need to do to win. We believe we’re a dangerous team with the tools to go all the way, and we can’t wait to get out there and prove it.” - Liam Mathers, Student-Athlete, Queen’s Gaels

“I'm super excited to be able to represent University of Toronto again for a fourth time as a member of the Varsity Blues curling team. Competing at this level alongside such talented teammates is an incredible opportunity, and I’m proud to be a part of this team as we aim to bring home a championship for Toronto.” - Daniel Hocevar, Student-Athlete, Toronto Varsity Blues

"This year we have seen a number of the OUA teams in exhibition play. The field is talented as always and we can't wait to see all of the athletes put it all on the line as they battle for the title of OUA Curing Champions. We have a tight knit group of guys at Trent this year, who are top class on and off the ice. We (as coaching staff) are excited to see what they can do at OUA's and are hopeful to be in the playoff picture come quarterfinals." - Brad Robinson, Head Coach, Trent Excalibur

“I’m excited to play at Galt Country Club for this season’s OUAs! Looking forward to some tough competition and close games.” - Chris Oka, Student-Athlete, Waterloo Warriors

"We’ve got a mix of young guys and veterans, so we definitely want to string a nice run together to send those guys out with a great memory." - Nathan Gatt, Student-Athlete, Western Mustangs

“Excited to be back at OUAs”. -Wyatt Small, Student-Athlete, Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks

“This is a confident squad. They have a natural team chemistry and continually push each other to succeed. We look forward to what they will accomplish at this year’s championships.” – Men’s Curling Team, Windsor Lancers

"As a team, we're looking to improve upon our showing from last year. With four successful events under our belt this year, we have demonstrated that we are capable of competing with each and every team on the circuit. We've worked hard, practiced hard, and played hard, and now we're prepared to show what we can do. We want to bring a banner back to York after nearly 40 years."- Ryan Mayville, Student-Athlete, York Lions