The University of Toronto Varsity Blues men's curling team handily defeated the Laurier Golden Hawks 8-1 to claim their first provincial title since 2001 as the 2014 OUA championships wrapped up Monday at Guelph Curling Club.

The Blues defeated the Waterloo Warriors 7-6 in semi-final action earlier in the day to earn their spot at the upcoming 2014 CIS championships, March 19-23, at the University of Regina. 

It marks the fourth time in program history that Toronto has claimed the OUA men's banner. U of T won the inaugural championship in 1955-56 and last won in the 2000-01 season.

After taking an early 2-1 advantage in the championship final, skip Evan Lilly and the Blues exploded for a critical four points in the fifth end of play to take a commanding 6-1 lead over Laurier.  In the ensuing sixth end, Laurier skip Aaron Squire's final stone came up just short of the house, allowing the Varsity Blues to steal two more points and put the contest on ice.

Toronto's women narrowly fell 9-6 to the Carleton Ravens in semi-final action, but bounced back with a 6-5 win over Guelph in extra ends to win the bronze medal and earn a berth to the national championships next month.

The Gryphons were looking to claim their second bronze medal in as many years at the championships, but the Blues and skip Danielle Bourque managed to tie the match in the eighth before stealing a pair in the extra end to book a trip to Regina.

"I'm so proud of both teams this week," said Varsity Blues head coach Scott Jenkins.  "Their hard work and dedication paid off.  Both teams stuck to their game plans through thick and thin.  They showed patience and determination rallying after the first day's loss and going on very impressive win streaks.  They will definitely be a force to reckon with at CIS in Regina later this month."



Day 5 Results
Women's Final
Laurier 4 - Carleton 3

Men's Final
Laurier 1 - Toronto 8

Women's Bronze
Toronto 7  - Guelph 5 (9 ends)

Men's Bronze
Carleton 6 - Brock 7

Women's Semi-Final #1
Carleton 9 - Toronto 6 (9 ends)

Women's Semi-Final #2
Laurier 5 - Guelph 2

Men's Semi-Final #1
Brock 6  - Toronto 7 (9 ends)

Men's Semi-Final #2
Laurier 8 - Carleton 1

For live scores of the gold and bronze medal matches, click here.

To go to the OUA Curling Championship page, click here.

For a full recap of Day 4, click here.

For a full recap of Day 3, click here.

For a full recap of Day 2, click here.

For a full recap of Day 1, click here.