2026 ACAC Curling Championship Day 2 Recap
Lac La Biche, AB (January 31, 2026) - The Day Two Update is split between the highlights on the ice and the spotlights at the afternoon banquet for the ACAC all-conference curling selections and awards. Who was selected? Glad you asked (it's also in a neighbouring story on the ACAC website)
The All-Conference Women's team selections were SAIT's Bayly Scoffin as skip, Lakeland Rutlers' Kali Johnson as third, teammate Cira Hozac in second position and Rachel Jost from Concordia Thunder as lead. The Mixed team All-Conference team is skipped by SAIT's Samantha Atkinson, with the Rustlers' Rachel Wilson as third, SAIT's Bronte Chin as second, and Rebecca Montgomery from the NAIT Ooks as lead. The Men's All Conference selections included three NAIT members – Anders Van Amsterdam as skip, Tyler Brodt as third and Mathew Hannah as second – and Red Deer Polytechnic Kings' Teryn Herder as lead.
The ACAC Curling Coach of the Year Award was presented to Karyn Flory-Simmons from the NAIT Ooks.
NAIT moves
With four players selected overall for the All-Conference lineups and a newly minted Coach of the Year, the NAIT program has registered successes on and off the ice this season.
Men's Division
The Ooks men's team has qualified for the CCAA National Championships in each of the five seasons Flory-Simmons has been coaching. Coming into the weekend championships in Lac La Biche – where the top three teams in category earn a spot at the Nationals – the Ooks men's team was ranked first in the six-rink ACAC conference.
"We've had a good season coming into the championships. Our men's team is confident. I like how they have worked together," Flory-Simmons said, referencing an 8-2 record over the 10 games played in the fall and regional playdowns. She credits strong bonds of friendship within the team as a big part of their success and growth.
"The four have been constantly together as a team now for three seasons. They are good friends off the ice, too, and I think that helps when you are working together on the ice," she said.
Tyler Brodt, a fifth-year NAIT student now taking his Bachelor of Technology in Management, plays third on the Ooks team. He says the bond helps the team play well, have fun, tackle each obstacle, and enjoy each victory one step at a time.
"We come out and play and have fun. We are playing this game to win the next game, and we do it one end at a time, one rock at a time," he said.
Those obstacles and victories were mixed in the team's Day Two results, losing their first game to the Concordia Thunder 3-2 and then winning their second game 8-3 over Red Deer Polytechnic. The win put them into the semi-finals, playing Concordia again, as the Thunder had lost their next game to Red Deer. NAIT beat Concordia in the semi-final game, putting the Ooks into Sunday's gold medal game. They'll play the winner of Sunday morning's semi-final decider between Concordia and SAIT. The Trojans got to the semifinals by beating Red Deer in the quarterfinal round. Phew – that see-saw roller coaster of a day is exactly what Coach of the Year Flory-Simmons meant when she said the teams are "bringing their all" to the championships.
Sunday's final day of the championships will begin at 8 am with the SAIT – Concordia game. The winner plays NAIT for gold, the runner-up plays Red Deer for silver and bronze.
Women's Division
On the women's side, the SAIT Trojans continued their winning streak with two draws, first beating Lakeland 8-2 and then Concordia 5-1. But in the quarterfinals, in a rematch with Concordia, the Trojans suffered their first loss of the championships – and of the perfect season. The win for Concordia puts them into the gold medal match, playing the winner of the SAIT and Red Deer Polytechnic semifinal on Sunday morning. Red Deer got to the semifinals after beating fourth-place Portage 6-1. The loss sends Portage to the bronze medal game, playing the runner-up in the SAIT – Concordia matchup.
Mixed Division
Are you ready for one more? Day Two also saw the SAIT Trojans mixed team's first loss of the championships, a 5-1 decision to the NAIT Ooks. The Trojans rebounded later in the day, beating Lakeland in the semifinals to secure a spot in the gold medal game on Sunday at 3:00 pm. SAIT will face the winner of the other semifinal game between Lakeland and NAIT. That game will be played on Sunday morning. NAIT got to the semifinals by beating Concordia. The bronze medal game in the mixed division will see Concordia facing the runner-up in the NAIT – Lakeland game.
In short, it's been a busy couple of days. Student-athletes, coaches, staff, volunteers, and organizers have been busy. To see the rewards of the efforts, spectators are encouraged to attend the games or watch through streaming on the ACAC website.
Draw times for the Sunday playoffs and medal rounds begin at 8 am at the Lac La Biche Curling Club. The bronze – silver games go at 11:30, and the gold medal games begin at 3 pm.
Admission to the games at the Bold Centre is free, but space in the upstairs viewing area is limited.