With three out of the four members on last year's third-place team returning, the Brock Badgers men's curling team is poised for another big run at the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) Championship.
The 2024 edition is hosted by the Guelph Gryphons and will take place from Friday, Feb. 2 to Sunday, Feb. 4 at the Guelph Curling Club.
15 other schools will compete with the Badgers for the right to be called provincial champions. The first two days will feature round robin matches before moving into the playoff bracket on Sunday.
This year's exhibition bonspiel schedule has shown the Badgers can compete with the best in the province, with their crowning moment of the season so far being a 5-0 showing at the McMaster Invitational. They not only placed first at the bonspiel but secured a massive 6-5 victory over the defending OUA champion Laurier Golden Hawks.
The Badgers also placed second at the Guelph Invitational and most recently, they finished 2-2 at their home bonspiel, which included a victory over the Gryphons in a rematch of last year's bronze medal contest.
"The men's team has seen many successes, both as team and individuals, this season," said men's head coach Jordan Thin. "Our new addition Sean Kirkland has brought good energy to the team."
Kirkland will be the second this weekend and is a transfer student from Alberta. The Sport Management major brings a wealth of experience being coached by curling legends like Kevin Martin and Marc Kennedy. He will be joining a team that has a lot of continuity from last year's bronze medal performance.
Called upon to lead the Badgers once again will be second-year skip Owen Henry. The London product participated recently in the Ontario tankard, gaining valuable experience against the province's best adult teams.
Junior vice Victor Pietrangelo earned Brock University Athlete of the Week honours back on Monday, Jan. 8 and is another experienced curler for head coach Jordan Thin, competing in the provincial competitive adult and under-25 circuit.
Rounding out the squad will be lead Patrick Spiura, who has grown from his time on the junior varsity team, and alternate and veteran of the team Daniel Krowchuk.
You can follow along with all the weekend's action at https://scores.curlingtours.com/event/OUA2024/Schedule.
