CURL: Regina Cougars sweep CW Championships

CALGARY – The special season for the Regina curlers continued this weekend as they swept the 2025 Canada West Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships Sunday afternoon from the Calgary Curling Club.

The CW title is the second for the Regina women in four years, after winning their first ever conference banner in 2022. Meanwhile, the Cougar men get a bit of redemption after finishing as league runners-up a season ago for their first title since the 1969-70 season.

In the men’s championship, the Cougars squared off against undefeated Calgary. The Dinos were first on the scoreboard with a single in the third end, but Regina immediately responded with a two in the fourth and another in the fifth for a 3-1 edge. Calgary scored one in the sixth, but another two-spot in the seventh for the UofR all but sealed this one up.

“This is just great,” Regina men’s coach Tom Hamon said. “The women’s team won a title just a couple years ago, but we’ve never won a double before. We’re thrilled. The competition has come a long way and it’s great to see so many schools here. I made the comment earlier in the tournament how great it was to see all eight sheets going. The sounds, the colour, the laughter – it was a great event and we’re proud to come out on top.”

It marked the only loss for the Dinos all tournament and avenged a 4-1 win by Calgary over Regina in pool play.

On the women’s side, the Cougars scored in five of the first six ends to again bring home the Balmoral Ladies CC Trophy for the second time in four years with a 6-0 win, ending the dream run by an upstart Thompson Rivers squad the drew the attention of every team and fan in attendance with their strong showing in the first CW appearance in a decade.

All four teams now advance to the U SPORTS Curling Championships Feb. 24-28 in Lethbridge, Alta.

Both Regina teams advanced to Sunday’s championship games after wins in the morning semifinal round. The Cougars men ended the dream run by newcomer Thompson Rivers, scoring four in the fourth for a 6-4 final. On the women’s side, Victoria scored one in both the fifth and sixth to make things close late, but Regina closed things out in the seventh, 6-3.

It's been an impressive run of recent success for the Cougars, as the men’s program won the 2024 U SPORTS Championship. The same program just returned home a little over one week ago from Torino, Italy where they represented Team Canada at the 2024 FISU World University Games, finishing fourth overall at the global games.

After Sunday’s finals, Calgary’s Laine Peters and Alberta’s Dana Ferguson were named the Canada West Men’s and Women’s Coaches of the Year.

Men’s Champion: Regina Cougars

Men’s First Team All-Stars:

Skip: Joshua Bryden, Regina

Third: Adam Bukarak, Regina

Second: Carter Williamson, Regina

Lead: Ayden Whittmire, Regina

Men’s Second Team All-Stars:

Skip: Kenan Wipf, Calgary

Third: Ky Macauley, Calgary

Second: Michael Keenan, Calgary

Lead: Max Cinnamon, Calgary

Men’s Coach of the Year: Laine Peters, Calgary

Women’s Champion: Regina Cougars

Women’s First Team All-Stars:

Skip: Chloe Johnson, Regina

Third: Chantel Hoag, Regina

Second: Tesa Silversides, Regina

Lead: Hannah Rugg, Regina

Women’s Second Team All-Stars:

Skip: Holly Hafali, Thompson Rivers

Third: Jorja Kopytko, Thompson Rivers

Second: Hannah O’Neil, Thompson Rivers

Lead: Natalie Hafeli, Thompson Rivers

Women’s Coach of the Year: Dana Ferguson, Alberta