WELLAND, Ont. (March 16, 2012) - The Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks will have a chance to repeat as CIS Champions after they defeated the Manitoba Bisons 7-4 on Friday night to clinch first place in round-robin play at the Welland Curling Club.
With the first place team in the round-robin earning a bye directly to the finals, the Hawks will look to win their fourth national championship in five years on Sunday after at 2 p.m.
Laurier improved to a perfect 6-0 at the CIS Championship on Friday thanks to a pair of wins over the Western Mustangs and the Manitoba Bisons.
In the morning draw against the Mustangs, the Hawks survived a back-and-forth contest which saw
Laura Crocker's (Scarborough, Ont.) rink hold just a 3-2 lead at the fifth end break. However, the purple and gold took control of the game with a steal of two in the sixth end. After a single by Western in seven cut the lead to 5-3, Laurier solidified the victory thanks to a four spot in the eighth end which drew handshakes from the Mustangs.
The evening draw against the Bisons pitted the top two teams in the championship against one another with first place in the round-robin on the line. Laurier grabbed an early 2-0 lead and after the two teams traded singles in the second and third ends, Laurier stole single points in four and five to take a 5-1 lead at the break. The Bisons cut into the lead in the second half of the match, taking three points in the next three ends to trail 6-4 after eight ends, but a single by Laurier in nine gave the Hawks the victory and a trip to the CIS final.
After six games from each team in the championship, the Hawks continue to be the strongest statistically among the competitors as
Cheryl Kreviazuk of Ottawa,
Sarah Wilkes of Scarborough, Ont., and Crocker all lead the tournament in shot percentage at their respective positions.
Laurier will wrap up round-robin play Saturday morning at 9 a.m. when they take on the host Brock Badgers in a rematch of last years CIS gold medal match. The Badgers must defeat the Golden Hawks if they hope to reach the semifinals as they currently sit in fourth place with a 3-3 record while Alberta and Manitoba, who play each other in their final game, are tied for second at 4-2.
