December 19, 2013
Winter Universiade: Canadian men capture curling bronze
TRENTINO, Italy – It took an extra end but the Canadian men’s curling team battled its way to a bronze medal at the Winter Universiade with a 6-5 win over Norway’s Markus Hoeiberg at the Baselga di Pine Ice Stadium, Thursday afternoon.
Brendan Bottcher, who hails from Sherwood Park, Alta., and his University of Alberta squad of Mick Lizmore (third), Brad Thiessen (second) and Karrick Martin (lead), all from Edmonton, as well as alternate Parker Konschuh of Sundre, Alta., won a see-saw game that saw both teams scoring with hammer.
In the ninth, Bottcher stole a point to go up 5-4 and gain some control. He held Hoeiberg to a single to force the extra end and then secured Canada’s first podium finish in men’s curling at the Universiade since a gold-medal triumph at the inaugural FISU tournament in 2003. The Canucks had placed fifth two years ago in Erzurum, Turkey.
“It’s definitely a big accomplishment to come here and win a medal! We had a rough start to the day, losing this morning, but I’m proud of the guys for coming back and winning a bronze medal,” said Bottcher, who triumphed on the day of its 22nd birthday. “The game itself was a back-and-forth the entire way, staying at singles. In the ninth, we got aggressive, got the steal to tie it and in the 11th, there was a draw to the four foot for the win and we made it.”
“This team has worked incredible hard for a couple of years now, and really, it was simply a matter of reminding them about the hard work and making sure they did everything they could to leave Trentino with the best possible taste in the month,” said men’s coach Rob Krepps. “Turning things around the way they did, from the earlier loss, made me very proud. I’m honoured to be their coach.”
After qualifying for the medal round with a 7-2 record – good for second place - in the round robin, Bottcher and his crew met Great Britain’s Kyle Smith in the semifinal on Thursday morning, a team they had defeated 5-4 on the first day of the tournament on Dec. 12.
Canada fell behind 5-1 after giving up three steals in the first half of the game. Bottcher was able to close the gap and trailed 6-4 after eight, but Smith took a single in nine and the Canadians weren’t able to climb back, losing 7-4 and having to regroup for the bronze medal match.
Smith will meet Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson in the final on Friday.
A veteran of international competition, Bottcher adds this bronze medal to the gold he won at the junior world championships in 2012 in Ostersund, Sweden. He also led the U of A Golden Bears to gold in 2012 and silver in 2013 at the CIS-CCA championships.
On the women’s side, Canada saw its tournament end on Tuesday with a 4-5 preliminary round mark, good for sixth overall, which matched its result from 2011.
The Wilfrid Laurier University team, coached by Garry Coderre, was comprised of skip Laura Crocker of Scarborough, Ont., third Sarah Wilkes of Scarborough, second Jennifer Gates of Sudbury, Ont., lead Cheryl Kreviazuk of Ottawa, along with alternate Breanne Meakin of Winnipeg, from the University of Manitoba.
Laurier claimed the CIS-CCA banner in 2011 and 2012, while Meakin skipped Manitoba to CIS-CCA gold last march.
Source: Courtesy of Canadian Curling Association
Brendan Bottcher, who hails from Sherwood Park, Alta., and his University of Alberta squad of Mick Lizmore (third), Brad Thiessen (second) and Karrick Martin (lead), all from Edmonton, as well as alternate Parker Konschuh of Sundre, Alta., won a see-saw game that saw both teams scoring with hammer.
In the ninth, Bottcher stole a point to go up 5-4 and gain some control. He held Hoeiberg to a single to force the extra end and then secured Canada’s first podium finish in men’s curling at the Universiade since a gold-medal triumph at the inaugural FISU tournament in 2003. The Canucks had placed fifth two years ago in Erzurum, Turkey.
“It’s definitely a big accomplishment to come here and win a medal! We had a rough start to the day, losing this morning, but I’m proud of the guys for coming back and winning a bronze medal,” said Bottcher, who triumphed on the day of its 22nd birthday. “The game itself was a back-and-forth the entire way, staying at singles. In the ninth, we got aggressive, got the steal to tie it and in the 11th, there was a draw to the four foot for the win and we made it.”
“This team has worked incredible hard for a couple of years now, and really, it was simply a matter of reminding them about the hard work and making sure they did everything they could to leave Trentino with the best possible taste in the month,” said men’s coach Rob Krepps. “Turning things around the way they did, from the earlier loss, made me very proud. I’m honoured to be their coach.”
After qualifying for the medal round with a 7-2 record – good for second place - in the round robin, Bottcher and his crew met Great Britain’s Kyle Smith in the semifinal on Thursday morning, a team they had defeated 5-4 on the first day of the tournament on Dec. 12.
Canada fell behind 5-1 after giving up three steals in the first half of the game. Bottcher was able to close the gap and trailed 6-4 after eight, but Smith took a single in nine and the Canadians weren’t able to climb back, losing 7-4 and having to regroup for the bronze medal match.
Smith will meet Sweden’s Oskar Eriksson in the final on Friday.
A veteran of international competition, Bottcher adds this bronze medal to the gold he won at the junior world championships in 2012 in Ostersund, Sweden. He also led the U of A Golden Bears to gold in 2012 and silver in 2013 at the CIS-CCA championships.
On the women’s side, Canada saw its tournament end on Tuesday with a 4-5 preliminary round mark, good for sixth overall, which matched its result from 2011.
The Wilfrid Laurier University team, coached by Garry Coderre, was comprised of skip Laura Crocker of Scarborough, Ont., third Sarah Wilkes of Scarborough, second Jennifer Gates of Sudbury, Ont., lead Cheryl Kreviazuk of Ottawa, along with alternate Breanne Meakin of Winnipeg, from the University of Manitoba.
Laurier claimed the CIS-CCA banner in 2011 and 2012, while Meakin skipped Manitoba to CIS-CCA gold last march.
Source: Courtesy of Canadian Curling Association
