WELLAND, Ont. - This time, the banner is coming home with the Golden Hawks.

The Laurier men's curling team captured its 14th OUA championship - and fifth in the past six seasons - with an 8-5 victory over the Carleton Ravens in Sunday afternoon's final at the Welland Curling Club, capping an undefeated run through the provincial tournament.

The win also marked the 25th OUA title overall for the Laurier curling program.

The final was a fitting showdown between the championship's only two unbeaten teams and served as a rematch of both last year's OUA and U SPORTS gold-medal games. After coming up short provincially a season ago, Laurier returned with a clear objective.

"Obviously we played Carleton at the (2025) OUA final and lost and got some redemption at U SPORTS last year," head coach Matt Wilkinson said. "But there was definitely a want from the boys just to have a chance against them this year again and bring that banner back home because that was the piece that was missing from last year."

For skip Kibo Mulima, the match-up was less about revenge and more about execution.

"(Carleton's) been working really hard and getting better. They're a great team, but so are we," Mulima said. "I was just so happy that we played up to our potential and ended up getting the win in the final."

The game followed a familiar script. Laurier built control early, saw Carleton claw back, then responded with a composed finish. Wilkinson credited Mulima with a key shot in the fifth end that kept momentum on Laurier's side before the Hawks closed with three strong ends to secure the 8-5 result.

"We were able to be resilient and grab it back," Wilkinson said. "Keebo saved the fifth end for us and then we played three really good ends to finish the game."

That resilience defined the weekend. Laurier remained unbeaten, often jumping out to early leads and dictating play.

"The guys were playing at a level that was just top notch," Wilkinson said. "They kept their foot on the pedal but were controlled with it, knew when to go and when not to go, and just took advantage of the situations we had."

Mulima echoed that sentiment, pointing to steady growth and role clarity throughout the lineup.

"I think we all worked really hard individually and as a group to keep moving the yardstick," he said. "Everybody just embraced their role so well. When we were doing well, everyone was really committed to their roles and just getting the most out of every shot."

Mulima's rink featured vice Landan Rooney, second Wyatt Small and lead Wyatt Wright, with Nathan Kim serving as alternate. Mulima credited Rooney's addition in particular for adding poise and experience.

"I've got to credit Landon's addition as well - such a smart player, bringing a lot of experience and composure to the team," he said.

The cohesion extended beyond shot-making.

"We're very constructive in how we communicate and how we operate," Mulima said. "Whatever situation you're in on the scoreboard, you feel like you can get through it. You saw it in the final - we had a lead, then got down before the break, but we battled and stuck with it."

Individual honours followed the team success. Rooney was named an OUA first-team all-star, while Mulima and Small earned second-team all-star recognition. Mulima was also named the championship's most valuable player.

Wilkinson said the maturity and collective leadership of the group have been central to Laurier's sustained dominance.

"The amount of leadership that's on this team, it's really more than one person," he said. "Each of them has something different that brings the best out in each other."

Despite this being a FISU qualification year, with this season's U SPORTS champion earning the opportunity to represent Canada at the university games, Wilkinson said the focus never drifted from the immediate task.

"Everything that was talked about this year was about winning gold at OUAs," he said. "There really was absolutely no talk about anything else."

Now, attention quickly shifts to the national stage, with the U SPORTS/Curling Canada University Championships looming from February 17-21 in Regina.

"That's the big goal, really," Mulima said. "I believe it's the biggest thing you can win in university sport. This was a really good step and a really good test for us. We're really excited for the opportunity and to keep growing."