Mohawk Mountaineers Curling teams head to nationals
Earlier this month, the Mohawk Mountaineers men's and women's curling teams earned medals at the Mohawk College-hosted OCAA Curling Championships securing their places in the CCAA Championships taking place later this month.
Men's Team
The Mohawk Mountaineers men's curling team triumphed 7-4 over the Humber Hawks to win the 2025 OCAA Championship, marking the fourth consecutive year they've claimed provincial gold.
The Mountaineers advanced to the final by defeating the Sault Cougars 6-0 in the semi-finals, securing their spot in the CCAA Championships. The game was tightly contested early, with Mohawk holding a slim 1-0 lead after two ends. They added one more in the third and fourth, two in the fifth, and another point in the sixth. Sault eventually conceded, sending Mohawk to the gold medal game.
In the championship match, Mohawk trailed the Hawks 2-0 after two ends. Following a blank third end, Humber added one more to lead 3-0. The Mountaineers responded with one point in the fifth end, but the Hawks regained a 4-1 advantage after six. In a thrilling seventh end, Mohawk came through with a four-point rally to take a 5-4 lead. The eighth end came down to the final Humber rock, and Mohawk capitalized, picking up two points to secure a 7-4 victory.
Jarrett Matthews (Waterdown, Ont.), Eric Just (Ancaster, Ont.), Joel Matthews (Waterdown, Ont.), and Jacob Jones (Brantford, Ont.) were all named OCAA Championship First-Team All-Stars. For the fourth straight year, Jones was also named the OCAA Men's Curling Championship Most Valuable Player.
In addition, Betty Calic earned her fourth consecutive OCAA Men's Curling Coach of the Year award.
With this win, the Mountaineers have earned their place at the CCAA Championships. Mohawk will travel to Lethbridge, AB, to compete in the national tournament from February 24-28.
Women's Team
The Mohawk Mountaineers women's curling team secured the bronze medal at the 2025 OCAA Curling Championships, marking the program's first provincial medal since 2014, when they also claimed bronze.
After finishing the round robin with a 3-2 record, the Mountaineers faced the Humber Hawks in the semi-final. Mohawk lost 10-5, which sent them to the bronze medal game against the Niagara Knights.
In the final, the Mountaineers dominated, winning 11-0 to claim third place. Mohawk scored two in the first end, four in the second, three in the third, and two in the fourth. Niagara conceded after the fourth end.
For the second consecutive year, Mohawk also earned the Vern Dow Fair Play Award.
Natalie Scholtens (Hamilton, Ont.) of the Mountaineers was named an OCAA Women's Curling Second-Team Championship All-Star.
By finishing in the top three, Mohawk has earned a spot at the CCAA Championships, which will take place in Lethbridge, AB, from February 24-28.
Mixed Team
In mixed doubles, the Mountaineers faced the Sault-2 Cougars in the semi-finals but lost 10-6. Mohawk trailed 2-0 after the first end but cut the deficit in half in the second. Sault-2 added three in the third, but the Mountaineers responded with a four-point fourth end to tie the game. Sault-2 scored two in the fifth, and after Mohawk answered with one in the sixth, Sault-2 closed out the game with three points in the seventh.
The Mountaineers followed up the semi-final loss with a bronze medal match against the Niagara-1 Knights. Niagara-1 jumped out to a 4-0 lead after two ends, but Mohawk fought back, scoring three in the third. The Knights answered with one in the fourth, but Mohawk took a 7-5 lead after scoring four in the fifth. However, Niagara-1 responded with one point each in the sixth, seventh, and eighth ends to defeat Mohawk 8-7.
Support the Curling Team!
The Mountaineers Curling team has established themselves as a Provincial and National powerhouse over the past several years under the guidance of 2024 National (CCAA) Coach of the Year, Betty Calic.
By investing in Mohawk College Curling, donors play a vital role in fostering athletic and personal growth, helping our players become champions in sport and life.
Support the Mountaineers Curling team through the Mohawk College Foundation.