REGINA, Sask. - The Laurier Golden Hawks men's curling team gave itself a slim chance to advance to Saturday's semifinals with a pair of clutch wins Friday, but it ultimately wasn't enough to extend its title defence at the 2026 U SPORTS/Curling Canada Championship.

Laurier was eliminated from contention and will not repeat as national champions after finishing fifth in the standings at the Callie Curling Club.

Skipped by Kibo Mulima, with vice Landan Rooney, second Wyatt Small and lead Wyatt Wright, Laurier opened the final day of round robin play with an 8-4 win over the Dalhousie Tigers in a must-win morning draw.

After conceding a single in the first end, the Golden Hawks responded with one in the second before taking control with three in the third.

Laurier added two more in the fifth to build a 6-2 cushion and managed the scoreboard the rest of the way, trading points en route to the four-point victory. 

The afternoon draw featured a marquee rematch against the previously unbeaten Carleton Ravens - the same team Laurier defeated to capture this year's OUA championship.

The Golden Hawks rose to the occasion with a 6-3 victory, handing Carleton its first loss of the tournament.

Laurier opened the scoring with a single in the first end and, after conceding two in the second, responded with singles in the third and fourth to regain control.

The decisive stretch came late, as Laurier scored one in the sixth and added two in the seventh to extend the lead to 6-3 and finish with the three-point win.

Needing the hosts from Regina (1-6) to also pull off the upset against Alberta, the Cougars weren't able to come through with a victory, thus ending Laurier's tournament. 

This year marked the fourth season in a row that the men's curling team qualified for the national tournament, winning two gold and a bronze in that span.