Comeau and Tardi remain undefeated at Under-18 Championships

It was big day in Moncton for the inaugural Canadian Under-18 Boys and Girls Curling Championships, as front-runners moved ahead of the pack, and upsets across the board kept playoff hopes alive heading into Thursday, the third day of round robin play.

Justine Comeau, New Brunswick (Greg Weston/Curling Canada photo)

On the Girls’ side, New Brunswick’s Justine Comeau remains the only undefeated women’s team after defeating British Columbia’s Heather Drexell, 7-1, in Pool B action. Comeau controlled the game early, scoring a deuce followed by a steal in the third end. Drexell surged back, forcing the N.B. skip to draw the side of the pin for a point in the sixth before Comeau stole three points in the seventh, leading to handshakes. New Brunswick will try to keep that momentum going into Thursday, while B.C. will be looking to keep playoff hopes alive. Nova Scotia hangs on to second place in Pool B with a 3-1 record after Day 2, with Quebec and B.C. right behind at 2-2. In Pool A action, Northern Ontario’s Kira Brunton remains on top despite suffering her first loss this morning to Ontario’s Kayla Gray. A steal of three in the sixth end for Ontario turned the game around, but Northern Ontario proved tough to beat, stealing one in the eighth end to force an extra. Ontario made no mistake, picking up their point and the win to keep their playoff hopes alive and joining Manitoba in third place, both teams with 2-2 records. In Boys’ play, a Nova Scotia loss to Newfoundland and Labrador dropped them back to join the pack at 3-1 in Pool A action. Nova Scotia, skipped by Ryan Abraham, seemed to be cruising along with three straight wins before running into a hot team from St. John’s, who ran them out of stones to climb their way into the playoff hunt at 2-2. In Pool B action, Tyler Tardi and his British Columbia team remain the only perfect team at 4-0, with Quebec close on their heels. Thursday will be “moving day”, as many of the top teams will face each other throughout the day, with draws at 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. (all times EDT).

Tyler Tardi, British Columbia (Greg Weston/Curling Canada photo)