FREDERICTON, NB - Laurier's national title defence got off on the right foot Tuesday night in Fredericton, as the Golden Hawks defeated the Regina Cougars 7-4 in their opening draw of the 2024 U SPORTS/Curling Canada University Championships.

The purple and gold never trailed in their match-up against the Canada West silver medalists after jumping out to a 2-0 lead after the first two ends. 

Despite Regina coming back twice to tie the game in the third and sixth ends, the Golden Hawks secured the win by putting four points on the board over the final four.

The Golden Hawks rink was led by Ben Pearce's game-high 91% shooting while the team as a whole settled at 80% overall.

Laurier will now begin three consecutive two-a-days with its second and third draws on Wednesday. 

The day begins with a rematch of this year's OUA final against the Brock Badgers (11:30 am EST), while the evening session pits them against the AUS silver medalist Saint Mary's Huskies (7:30 pm EST). Both opponents lost their opening draws.

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