Brett Gallant has been at the national university championship before and this time around he knows what to expect from the competition.
“Every game will be tough. You get curlers in their last year of junior or just starting in men’s,” said Gallant after his win at the 2012 Atlantic university championship on Sunday in Cornwall. “You get some really strong teams.”
Gallant and his UPEI Panther team of third Alex MacFadyen, second Sam Ramsay and lead Connor MacPhee won the Atlantic University Sport title with an 8-5 come-from-behind victory over the defending men’s champ from Saint Mary’s, skipped by Colton Steele.
That qualified the UPEI foursome for the Canadian Interuniversity Sport/Canadian Curling Association championships, March 14 to 18, in Welland, Ont.
Two years ago, Gallant’s UPEI rink, which included MacFadyen, Adam Casey and Anson Carmody, finished second to Queen’s University in a 7-6 loss to the Gaels in the final.
UPEI had beaten the Jon Beuk-skipped Queen’s rink 4-3 in the round robin, Queen’s only loss.
The Panthers on the other hand started 1-2 then ripped off three straight wins reach the playoffs.
In Sunday’s AUS men’s final at the Cornwall Curling Club, Gallant fell behind to Acadia 3-0 after two ends, but the UPEI team found its stride and pulled out the win.
To Gallant, a fourth-year business student, it was business as usual in the championship for the foursome, which finished 3-0.
“We didn’t really start well in any of our games. The ice was really straight,” said Gallant. “We had to stay patient. Sam and Connor played well. Alex, who normally plays leads, stepped up to play third.”
But before the university nationals, Gallant and MacFadyen will rejoin with regular members Eddie MacKenzie and Carmody, who play in several bonspiels across the region, and aim for the provincial men’s title at the end of the month in Cornwall and a berth in the Brier in March in Saskatoon.
Somewhere in that time frame, Gallant said his UPEI team will find time to practise and perhaps get some studying in.
“We’ve missed a ton of time away for curling anyway so one weekend shouldn’t be too bad. Hopefully, our profs will work with us,” said Gallant with a laugh.
UPEI’s Sarah Fullerton finished 0-2 in the women’s draw and out of the playoffs at the AUS championships.
Fullerton’s rink included lead Whitney Young, second Hillary Thompson and third Michelle McQuaid.
The Memorial rink skipped by Erin Porter won the women’s A title by a 7-6 score over Lindsay Doucet’s rink from Acadia.
Anita Casey from Seven Mile Bay skipped the defending women’s champions from Saint Mary’s to a 9-6 win over Doucet in the B final.
Fullerton lost a close 8-7 decision to Casey earlier in the event after Casey made a difficult raise shot on her last rock for the win.
Acadia downed Saint Mary’s 6-3 to win the men's B final.
The men’s and women’s A and B winners qualified for the national championships.
