Griffins head into new ACAC season with a men's rink for first time since 2014-15

Jefferson Hagen, MacEwan Athletics

EDMONTON – For the first time since 2015, the MacEwan Griffins will feature a men's team in Alberta Colleges Athletic Conference curling competition.

Ever since Jordan Steinke's rink capped off a fine 2014-15 season with an ACAC championship and a bronze medal at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association nationals, the Griffins haven't had a men's entry in competition.

Three seasons of drought, though, have ended as five rookies have stepped forward to form a team full of enthusiasm.

Skip John Semashkewich (Sunset Beach, AB) and his rink of fellow first-year players Jordan Geiger (Invemere, B.C.), Brandon Rubisch (Canyon Creek, AB), Dylan Vereschagin (Edmonton) and Zale Zabolotniuk (High Prairie, AB) head into their first ACAC action this weekend at the Fall Regional event in Red Deer.

"I'm excited," said MacEwan head coach Tom Kitagawa. "They're all rookies, but I'm happy to see we have a men's team. We have some potential. It's hard to say. We'll find out this weekend. They've been working hard."

The men will kick off their university pebbled ice careers at Red Deer's Pidherney Curling Centre on Friday when they will face RDC (5:30 p.m.) and Olds (8 p.m.). On Saturday, they'll go against UAlberta Augustana (8:30 a.m.) and Lakeland (3 p.m.) before finishing off the Fall Regional on Sunday against NAIT (9 a.m.) and Concordia (12:30 p.m.).

As a byproduct of having a men's team this season, MacEwan won't be returning to defend their ACAC championship in the mixed division.

However, as a result, the Griffins women's team could be the strongest it's ever been. Former mixed team members Taitan Hagglund (Edmonton) and Rebecca Bartz (Fort Saskatchewan) bolster a rink that returns three members from its ACAC silver medal-winning squad – skip Ashton Simard (Chauvin, AB), third Erin Wells (Fort McMurray) and second Andie Kurjata (Meadow Lake, SK).

"Having Ashton and Andie and Erin back, that's great," said Kitagawa of three-quarters of his rink that finished fourth at the CCAA national championship in Leduc last March.

Bartz played third for MacEwan's ACAC mixed championship squad last season, while Hagglund skipped the Griffins' mixed team to an ACAC bronze medal in 2016-17 before taking a year off from competitive curling.

"She brings back a lot of experience and quite a bit of athleticism," said Kitagawa. "She plays competitive softball.

"She's had a year away from the game, but she's in really good shape from playing softball and has a lot of competitive experience curling (in the junior ladies ranks)."

So, that will create competition for playing time on a Griffins rink that should contend for a banner.

"It will all come down to who's having the best weekend," said Kitagawa. "That will vary on the ice and how you (are curling) mentally."

The Griffins women's rink will also kick off play at the ACAC Fall Regional in Red Deer on Friday night – vs. Lakeland (5:30 p.m.) and RDC (8 p.m.). On Saturday, they'll face Concordia (11:30 a.m.) and Olds (7:30 p.m.) before finishing the bonspiel off on Sunday against NAIT (9 a.m.) and UAlberta-Augustana (12:30 p.m.).

Records earned at the Fall Regional carry over to the ACAC Winter Regional, hosted by MacEwan at the Avonair Curling Club Jan. 25-27. From there, the teams with the top-four combined records from the regional events in each division will move forward to the ACAC Championship Feb. 22-24 in Olds.

The top two teams in each division out of the ACAC finale qualify for the CCAA national championship March 15-19 in Fredericton, N.B.