Owen Purcell, shown here representing Canada at the 2022 world junior curling championships, and the Dalhousie Tigers men’s curling team defeated Wilfrid Laurier 8-5 Sunday in the final of the World University Games qualifier in Ottawa. – CHEYENNE BOONE / WORLD CURLING FEDERATION
Glenn MacDonald
Owen Purcell and the Dalhousie Tigers men’s curling team have punched their ticket to the FISU Winter World University Games in Lake Placid, N.Y.
Purcell snapped a 5-all deadlock with three in the 10th end and escape with an 8-5 victory Sunday over Sam Mooibroek’s Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks rink in the final of the World University Games qualifier in Ottawa.
The team of Purcell, Adam McEachren (third), Jeffrey Meagher (second) and lead David McCurdy out of the Halifax Curling Club took a 3-2 lead after four ends and stole one in each of the next two ends for a 5-2 lead.
But Laurier added one in the seventh and then stole one in the eight end and another in the ninth to set up the dramatic final frame.
Dal earned a direct bye to the final by virtue of a 4-1 record, tops in its pool. The Tigers’ lone loss in the round-robin was a 10-4 setback to Laurier.
Six men’s and six women’s teams competed in this one-time event to select Canada’s representatives after the 2022 U Sports / Curling Canada university curling championships was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic earlier this year.
Abby Marks and the Alberta Pandas rink went undefeated at the qualifier concluding with an 11-4 victory over the Regina Rams in the women’s final on Sunday.
The Winter World University Games, formally known as the Winter Universiade, will be held Jan. 12-22.