Western Ontario Athletics

PETERBOROUGH, Ont. - The strong leadership of Western curling skips Evan Lilly (Sudbury, Ont.) and Hollie Nicol (Markham, Ont.) paved the way for both the Western Mustangs men's and women's curling teams in advancing to the OUA Championships for the third straight year. 

Both Western teams went undefeated in OUA Crossover play at the Peterborough Curling Club on Feb. 6-7. 

The Western men were tested in their first game of the weekend by the Trent Excalibur, but trailing 6-4 in the game's final end, Lilly engineered a timely steal of four for the 8-6 victory.  

Against Toronto in their second game, precision shotmaking throughout the Mustangs men's lineup resulted in steals of one in both the fourth and fifth ends resulting in a 7-2 victory.

An 8-4 win over Laurentian and a 6-5 victory over Queen's capped the weekend's work and left the men in first place as they head to the OUA Championships, which will be hosted by the University of Waterloo, Feb. 13-14.

Women's skip Nicol was forced to draw the button on her last rock insuring a 6-4 Mustangs women's win over a determined Trent team in Western's first draw action at OUA Crossover play. 

In their second game, the Western women played thieves in an 8-2 victory over Toronto, stealing two points in the third and fifth ends.

Nicol led Western to an abbreviated 8-4 win over Laurentian and closed out the weekend with a 7-4 victory over the Queen's Gaels. The women's team finishes up with a season record of 6-2 as they look toward the OUA Championships.