Two Finals, One Matchup: TMU vs Carleton For All The Gold In Toronto đ
+ OUA MVB playoff upset, Canada West WBB upset, Canadian curling chronicles
(Maggie Stemp-Turner / TMU Athletics)
Quick rundown: Both OUA basketball championship finals are set. Hereâs how we got there.
Critelli Cup: TMU đ Carleton
The TMU Bold put on a show Wednesday night as they beat the Windsor Lancers by a 59-point margin, punching their ticket to the Critelli Cup. Their 97-38 victory came on the back of Myriam Kone and Kait Nichols, who both put up numbers â Kone ended the game with 24 points and 11 FGM, and Nichols finished with 20 points and 8 FGM.
A couple of hours east, the Carleton Ravens upset the No. 1-seed Queenâs Gaels 61-54 in front of a hometown Kingston crowd. Fourth-year guard Kyana Jade-Poulin ended the night with 21 points in the Ravensâ victory. This also marked the end of Queenâs season and the end of a U SPORTS legendâs career â Kiyara Letlow, who finished her career with the most rebounds in U SPORTS basketball history.
Wilson Cup: TMU đ Carleton
TMU took down the Brock Badgers 77-64 in their semifinal matchup. To no surprise, Aaron Rhooms put on another show, scoring 27 points with 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 3 steals, and 1 block. It was a true legacy game for the fifth-year guard, who will be playing in his first Wilson Cup of his career.
The Carleton Ravens held their ground after going back and forth with the U of T Varsity Blues in the first three quarters. An inbound lob from Aubrey Dorey-Havens to Emmanuel Ngo Kana Suzama started the momentum for the Ravens, who went on to dominate the fourth quarter 25-11, leading to an 80-65 victory.
Both the Critelli Cup and the Wilson Cup will take place on Saturday at the Mattamy Athletic Centre, with the womenâs final at 3 p.m. and the menâs final at 7 p.m. Mark your calendars.
Nip, Nip⊠Hooray: Nipissing Sweeps U of T in OUA MVB Quarter-Final đ
Quick rundown: The Nipissing Lakers shook up the OUA mens volleyball playoff bracket this past weekend, stunning the U of T crowd, taking down the Varsity Blues 3-0. This win marked the Lakersâ first-ever OUA playoff victory.
U of T came into the match as the No. 2 seed in the OUA while leading the conference in points and kills per set. On the other side of the net, Nipissing came into the game as the No. 7 seed while also finishing the regular season as one of the best defensive teams in the OUA, ranking second in digs and blocks per set.
The impact: Nipissingâs core showed up in this match, with Marc Marchand, Jack Svenson, and Justice Smith all playing their part in sending their team to its first-ever OUA semifinal. The Lakers as a team had a hitting percentage of .355, compared to U of Tâs .178, and beat U of T in every statistical category.
Points: Nipissing 45 | Toronto 37
Kills: Nipissing 35 | Toronto 32
Aces: Nipissing 4 | Toronto 1
Blocks: Nipissing 6 | Toronto 4
Assists: Nipissing 35 | Toronto 32
Digs: Nipissing 34 | Toronto 29
Nipissingâs quarterfinal victory also came without the help of one of the best middle blockers in the OUA. Trent Obrien, who led the OUA in blocks and blocks per set, did not play Friday night.
Farewell, Maxime Gratton: U of Tâs loss didnât just mark the end of their playoff hopes but the end of a legendary OUA career. Varsity Blues outside hitter Maxime Grattonâs OUA career came to an end on Friday night.
His career resume:
Two-time OUA first-team all-star
Two-time U SPORTS first team all-Canadian
2022 OUA rookie of the year
U SPORTS All-Rookie Team
3-time OUA champion
U SPORTS bronze medalist
đ€ Maxime Gratton.
The Nipissing Lakers will face off against the Queenâs Gaels this Friday in Kingston at 7 p.m.
West Got Wild: Dinos Down No. 1 Saskatchewan in Canada West Semi-Final đ
(Liam Richards / Electric Umbrella)
Quick rundown: The No. 6 seed Calgary Dinos beat the Saskatchewan Huskies in the Canada West playoff semifinals 61-58. This marks the first loss Saskatchewan has suffered since November 2024.
Key performances from the Dinos came from AmĂ©lie Collin, who strapped up on defense in the final seconds of the game, and Christine Geraldo, who both put up 15 points. Fourth-year guard Courtney Oss amassed a double-double in the Dinosâ victory with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
Whatâs ahead? Calgary will now head to UBC to take on the UBC Thunderbirds in the Canada West final. The Huskies will hope to earn a wild-card berth to the U SPORTS national championship. If this were to happen, they would enter the Final 8 as the No. 8 seed, meaning whoever comes into the tournament as the No. 1 seed will have to face Saskatchewan, who went undefeated in the Canada West regular season.
Stone-Cold Finish for Canadian Curling in Milano-Cortina đ„
(Candice Ward / COC)
Quick rundown: The journey for the menâs Olympic curling squad at the Milano-Cortina 2026 Games was anything but a straight line, but the boys rallied and came home with gold.
Team Jacobs, which features multiple U SPORTS ties â Brad Jacobs (Algoma alum), Marc Kennedy (Brandon alum), and Brett Gallant (assistant coach with Calgary Dinos menâs curling) â faced controversy early, with multiple cheating allegations made toward them. Early in the tournament, numerous claims were made against them, alleging that their throwers were contacting the stone after its initial release.
In the midst of all the accusations against them, Team Jacobs still managed to squeeze out of round-robin play with a 7-2 record, later beating Bruce Mouat and Great Britainâs menâs curling team in the gold medal match, 9-6. Coming into the tournament, Mouat held a 13-2 head-to-head record against Jacobs, making this gold medal victory taste just a bit better.
Team Homan takes bronze: While gold slipped out of reach, the Canadian crew scraped together bronze after going 6-3 in round-robin play, going on to lose their semifinal match to Sweden. Entering the bronze medal match, Canada lost their round-robin match to the United States â the first time the U.S. has ever beaten Canada in Olympic womensâs curling. Canada went on to beat the Americans in an intense bronze medal brawl, 10-7, which came down to the very last end.
This marked the first-ever Olympic medal for Rachel Homan and her fellow team members â Emma Miskew, Tracy Fleaury (Laurentian alum), and Sarah Wilkes (Laurier alum).