Cougars Varsity Sports Wrap-up National Championships!
A fast-paced week in Sault College Athletics saw our Men’s Curling Team travel to Fredericton, NB for the CCAA National Championship, while our Women’s Hockey Team travelled south to St. Louis, MO for the 2024 ACHA National Championship where they looked to defend their championship.
In Curling action, Sault College opened their tournament against the top seeded school from Alberta in a highly contested match with the SAIT Trojans. It was a closely contested match with both teams delivering multiple 3-point ends. Both teams displayed skill and strategy, but ultimately SAIT managed to secure the victory with a final score of 10-7.
The Cougars played their second match against OCAA rival the mohawk Mountaineers. Facing one of the top teams in the competition, the perseverance and compete of the Cougars squad was on full display as they battled back from an early 4-2 deficit to tie the game up at 5-5 heading into the eighth end. Mohawk would continue to show why they have won 3 straight provincial championships, prevailing with an 8-5 victory.
The final draw on day 2 of competition saw Sault College go head-to-head with the Assiniboine Cougars from Manitoba. Looking to turn things around, Sault College got up early with a pair in each of the first 2 ends. Assiniboine would get a single back in the third, but the Cougars would not be tonight on this night as they managed 4 points in the fourth end and stole another 4 in the fifth. Sault College would go on to win 13-2 with Evan Robert & Jacob Reid each curling at 91% for the match.
It would be another all-OCAA matchup on Day 3 as Sault College went up against the Humber Hawks. The Cougars would manage a single in the first, with Humber responding with a deuce of their own in the second end. This trend would continue throughout the match with Himber taking the final 3 points in the ninth end to claim a 9-4 victory over Sault College.
In the Cougars second match of the day, it would be another battle with western Canada as the Cougars squared off with Red Deer Polytechnic. Red Deer got out to an early 1-0 lead int eh first end before the teams swapped 5 points each across the next 6 ends. Sault College would manage a single in the eighth end to tie things up. Red Deer would not be denied as they took 3 points in the ninth end leading to a 9-6 defeat for the Cougars.
The final day of curling action would get underway with a match-up against the Concordia Thunder. Sault College would pounce early and often in this one, taking a pair in the opening end and stealing another pair in the second end. The teams would blank the third before Sault College would ice the match, stealing 5 points in the fourth end leading to a 9-2 victory for the Cougars.
In their final match of the National Championship, Sault College faced off with the Northern Alberta Institute of Technology. The Cougars would score a single int eh opening end, before giving up 4 straight points over the next four ends. Sault College would get back on track with 3 points in the sixth end, and 2 points in each of the seventh and ninth ends to secure an 8-5 victory in their final match of the 2023-2024 season.
Sault College would finish the national championship with a record of 3-4 and a 6th place finish across Canada. The Men’s Curling season is now c with an OCAA Bronze Medal and National Championship appearance. Great season and great work by everyone involved!
In Women’s Hockey Action, the Sault College Cougars travelled to St. Louis to defend their 2023 ACHA National Championship. The Cougars were placed in Pool D with a round robin schedule facing off against Mercyhurst, Navy and a rematch of last year’s final the Northeastern Huskies.
In their opening game, Sault College opened the scoring just under six minutes into the contest as Alyssa Byers skated down the left wing and beat Mercyhurst goaltender Victoria Campana glove side from the faceoff circle. With just under four minutes to go in the opening frame, Sault College took a 2-0 lead as Materia Land beat Campana with a shot from the right circle off a rebound of an Emily Brunet shot from the left circle. Emma Lee would add a pair of goals in the second period, which would be a precursor to her tournament. Jasmine Groleau would add a pair of goals herself as the Cougars would cruise to a 7-0 victory in their tournament opener. Farah Farstad was in net for the Cougars stopping all 7 shots that were thrown her way.
In game 2 of their tournament, the Sault College Cougars squared off against a physical Navy squad. Sault College got on the board midway through the opening period on a Materia Land powerplay goal. Less than 5 minutes later, with Sault College on the penalty kill, Emily Moore skated the puck out of her own zone into the Navy end before beating the goaltender 5-hole to extend the Cougars lead to 2-0. Alyssa Byers would add her second of the tournament before the buzzer would sound on another power play goal from the point, as Sault College would take a 3-0 lead into the opening intermission. Navy goaltender Diana Pivirotto would stand tall in the second period to keep the game 3-0 after 40 minutes. Emma Lee would add the dagger early in the 3rd period as Sault College skated to a 4-0 victory. Cassidy Dobson made 13 saves to pick up the shutout.
The final round-robin game was a rematch of last year’s final and a berth in the semi-finals was on the line. Emma Lee would open the scoring for the Cougars on her fourth goal of the tournament. Under 2 minutes later, Jasmine Groleau would add another for the Cougars after a 2-on-1 with MP Lecours. Northeastern would get one back on the powerplay late in the opening frame, making it a 2-1 hockey game heading into the second period. After a tightly contested period, Emma Lee would add her second goal of the game late to push the Sault College lead back to 2. Halle MacLachlan would add a goal early in the 3rd period to put Sault College up 4-1. The teams would exchange a goal each as the game wound down, with Sault College securing the 5-2 victory and a spot int eh semi-finals against Dakota College at Bottineau.
In the Semi-Finals, Sault College faced a familiar foe from earlier this season. Cougars captain M-P Lecours got the party started when she cashed in on a rebound late in the opening frame. Materia Land would add another goal under 3 minutes later to give the Sault a 2-0 lead heading into the intermission. Land would add her second goal of the game just over 5 minutes into the second period as they started to control the play and take over the game. Dakota would get one back midway through second period, but Lecours would respond with her second of the game shortly after to restore the 3-goal lead and give the Cougars a 4-1 lead heading into the third. Sault College would turn into a defensively dominant team int eh third, allowing only 1 shot on goal and adding 2 for insurance in a 6-1 final. Cassidy Dobson made 16 saves in her semi-final victory.
The Finals of the 2024 ACHA National Championship saw a highly anticipated matchup between Sault College & Assiniboine Community College. With the two teams having faced off against each other early in the season, splitting a pair of games with Sault College winning 5-2 and Assiniboine winning 4-1, the rubber match was set on the biggest stage. The game got off to a feverish start with action both ways and a nervous energy in the building. Goaltender Farrah Farstad was up for the task as neither team was able to find the back of the net and entered the first intermission tied 0-0. Assiniboine was giving a penalty early int eh second period, and Emma Lee got back to her scoring ways with a goal 13 seconds into the power play to give Sault College a 1-0 lead. Emma Lee would add to her tournament totals with her second goal of the game at the 10:29 mark of the second period on a slick feed from Emily Moore. Materia Land would add another goal midway through the 3rd period to push the Sault College lead to 3-0 and bump up the energy in the building. Farrah Farstad would remain strong through the final minutes of the game, turning aside all 22 shots she faced as Sault College skated to a 3-0 victory and were crowned the 2024 ACHA W2 National Champions. Emma Lee was named tournament MVP after compiling 7 goals and 2 assists across 4 games of tournament play.
Great season and great work by all players and staff involved with the 2024 ACHA W2 National Champion Sault College Cougars!