Ontario to meet Nova Scotia for 2010 Canadian Mixed title

The two best teams during the week will battle for the title, Saturday at 1:30 pm ET, in the 47th edition of the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship. Ontario, skipped by Mark Bice of Sarnia, had no trouble disposing of British Columbia’s Jason Montgomery of Duncan, 12-3, in Friday evening’s semi-final at the Burlington Golf and Country Club. It was over in a hurry, as Ontario, with hammer, opened with a deuce, then proceeded to steal three in the second end, one in the third and two in the fourth for an insurmountable 8-1 lead at the fifth end break. After British Columbia stole one in the sixth, Ontario closed the door with four in the seventh end, before Montgomery called it quits after taking a single in the eighth. Now, Bice, a two-time provincial junior champion, must again face Nova Scotia, skipped by Mark Dacey of Halifax, for Canadian honours.  The teams finished tied for top spot with 9-2 records after the round robin, but ‘the Bluenosers’ were awarded first place and a bye to the final because of their 8-7, extra-end round robin win over Ontario on Thursday evening. Dacey, who won the 2004 Nokia Brier in Saskatoon and a bronze medal at the 2004 Ford Worlds in Gävle, Sweden, has already won the Canadian Mixed title once, in 2002 in front of his home club fans. Nova Scotia has won six Mixed titles since the championship began in 1964 in Toronto, the last in 2003 by skip Paul Flemming in Abbotsford, British Columbia. Ontario has won the championship twice – in 1986 by skip Dave Van Dine in Kamloops and by skip John Epping at the 2006 edition in Whitehorse. In addition to the Canadian title, two players from the winning team will also represent Canada at the 2010 World Mixed Doubles Championship, slated for April 16-24, 2010 in Chelyabinsk, Russia. The final will be shown locally on Cogeco Cable, on a two-hour tape delay, beginning at 3:30 pm ET.