Canada West curling championship returning to Saville Centre

Canada West announced that the 2026 conference curling championships will be held at the Saville Community Sports Centre from January 16–18. This is the second time in the last three seasons the event will be hosted in Edmonton, giving the Golden Bears and Pandas a home-ice advantage as the conference’s top programs arrive to compete.

With home ice under their feet and no travel required, Alberta will have a chance to make the most of the opportunity when the championship returns to Saville.

Saville Centre has become a regular championship venue in recent years, and hosting again puts Alberta in a unique position. Curling is a sport where small details matter. Ice familiarity, routine, and recovery can quietly influence outcomes across a long weekend.

Last season, the Golden Bears and Pandas showed they could compete with the conference’s best. Competing at the Canada West championships in Calgary, both Alberta teams finished 3-2, picking up decisive wins over the University of British Columbia Thunderbirds, University of Lethbridge Pronghorns, and Brandon University Bobcats. Losses to the University of Regina Rams and the University of Victoria Vikes came in tighter games, underlining how narrow the margins were at the championship level.

The results were solid, but not spectacular. This time, the setting changes.

Instead of neutral sheets, Alberta will play at home. That alone does not guarantee success, but it removes variables that often matter more in curling than in most other sports.

Canada West curling remains one of the conference’s deepest championships. Programs like Regina, Calgary, and UBC regularly arrive with experienced lineups. Hosting does not lower the standard, but it does offer Alberta a chance to control tempo early and settle into the event without travel fatigue.

For the Pandas, hosting represents a chance to build on last year’s showing and push deeper into contention. For the Golden Bears, it is another opportunity to grow consistency in a format that rewards patience and execution over three demanding days.

With Alberta also set to host Canada West wrestling later in February, Edmonton will be a major hub for Canada West championship action in 2026.

Curling returns to Saville Centre in mid-January. Bring your support the Golden Bears and Pandas in a crucial three days of competition, so we can make the home-ice advantage even more effective.