Cougars to represent Sault Ste. Marie in Alberta

PRESS RELEASE

SAULT COLLEGE ATHLETICS

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Sault College Cougars win double gold at OCAA Championships

PETERBOROUGH - Fleming College and the Peterborough Curling Club was the site of the 2015 OCAA Curling Championships and the Sault College Cougar men’s and mixed teams were looking to remain amongst the elite in Ontario in the week long competition.

The mixed squad was focused upon building on the success of an OCAA silver medal in 2013 and searching for their first OCAA title since 1996.

Skipped by Duncan Janveau (Sault/Electrical), the Cougars paced the field through the round robin portion of the tournament, finishing first with a 3-1 record and an automatic berth in the modified page final.

Under Janveau’s game management, the team of Aislyn Ireton (Perth/Public Relations), second Thomas McLean (Sault/Electrical) and vice Sandy Toole (Cambridge/Culinary) beat St. Clair, Mohawk and Humber College before dropping their last game to Fanshawe.

In the gold medal final, the Cougars faced off against the 2014 champion Humber Hawks in a contest that saw each team trade points throughout the game with the Hawks up one heading into the final end.

Fittingly, the championship came down to Janveau’s final stone as he was sitting one and drew to the button to secure the cahmpionship.

Janveau, Ireton and Toole were also named all-stars for the championships.

The Cougar men entered the OCAA Championships with the mission to repeat their championship from the year before won on home soil at Soo Curlers.

Led by Chris Glibota (Sault/General Arts), the men proved they were the cream of the field completing the round robin at a perfect record of 8-0 and a berth in the final as well.

With lead Josh Vanderburg (Sault/Digital Film), second Kyle Sherlock (Thessalon/Digital Film) and vice Matt Mann (Renfrew/Fitness & Health), the Cougars controlled each game and dictated the pace of play throughout the tournament.

In the final they faced off against the home squad Fleming Knights in a game that saw exchanges of singles from end to end.

Coming home with hammer, Glibota found the team tied at three with a last shot take-out to win their second consecutive championship and true to form the shot was executed perfectly to cap a perfect week as undefeated OCAA Champions.

The front-end of Vanderburg and Sherlock were both named tournament all-stars.

Up next for the Cougar men is the CCAA Nationals in Olds, Alberta in March where they hope to improve upon their bronze medal finish in 2014 (there is no mixed Nationals). 

“True north strong” is the overiding theme of Sault College Curling under coaches Carl Punkari and Rejeanne Macleod as they have won five OCAA Championships and eight OCAA medals in the past four years.

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