OTTAWA, Ont. - The Alberta Pandas have punched their ticket to Lake Placid, after beating the Regina Cougars 11-4 on Sunday in the final of the Curling Canada FISU Qualifier. 

By winning the qualifier, the Pandas will represent Canada at the 2023 Winter Universiade Games, scheduled for this January in Lake Placid, New York. It marks the third time the Pandas have represented Canada at the Universiade Games, also doing so in 2017 and 2019. 

Kelsey Rocque's 2017 Pandas squad won gold at the 2017 Universiade in Almaty, Kazakhstan. 

The Pandas, led by skip Abby Marks, went 5-0 in round robin play, booking their ticket directly to the final on Sunday morning in Ottawa. Alberta took a 2-1 lead over Regina through two ends, before scoring five in the third end. Alberta's score of two in the 8th drew handshakes from the Cougars. 

Canada's teams were supposed to have been decided at the 2022 U SPORTS Canadian University Championships, but that event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2023 Winter FISU Games run from January 12th to 22nd.