Posted by Sudbury Northern Life 
The Laurentian Lady Vees curling team looks to cap off their inaugural season by claiming the CIS/CCA championship banner in Montreal this weekend.
The Lady Vees are competing at the Royal Montreal and Montreal West Curling Clubs from March 25-29.
The team, consisting of Amanda Gates (Sudbury, Ont.), Kim Curtin (Lindsay, Ont.), Jenny Gates (Sudbury), Vanessa Maloney (Sudbury) and Denise Brown (Barrie, Ont.), with coach Jan Pula, will take the ice for the first time in nearly two months following a silver medal performance at the OUA championships in February.
This year is the team's first season competing with varsity status at Laurentian following two years of playing in the formally invitational CIS championships.
This year's team had to qualify for the national championships and Laurentian did that with strong performances at the OUA sectionals in Kitchener (2-1), OUA cross-overs in St. Catharines (4-1) and OUA championships in Peterborough (2-2).  Overall the Lady Vees went 8-4 and claimed a silver medal along the way falling to Western in the OUA championship final. 
The team will be in Pool "B" of the CIS/CCA championship with the likes of Alberta, Manitoba, Concordia and UPEI.  A round-robin will take place with an added game against a Pool "A" opponent (Laurentian will play Laurier) to bring the preliminary total to five.
The top-two teams from each pool move onto play a semi-final on Sunday morning, with the finals slated for Sunday at 2 p.m. at the Royal Montreal Curling Club.  The champion of this year's event will represent Canada at the 2010 Karuizawa International Curling Championships in Japan.
"We have had tremendous contribution from a number of players all year," said Pula, in a release. "If this group can get on a role, we have the talent to be standing on the top step of the podium on Sunday."
They will play a five game modified round robin with semi-finals and finals on Sunday, March 29.
