SILVER LINING

CANADA WINS SILVER AND WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP BERTH AT JUNIOR-B FINALS

Team Canada had already met their goal of advancing to the ‘A’ group at the U-21 World Championship when the playoffs resumed on Tuesday morning. Their quarterfinal victory in the Junior B world championship had assured them of that. 

All that was left for Myla Plett, Alyssa Nedohin, Chloe Fediuk, and Allie Iskiw (out of Airdrie and Sherwood Park, Alta.) was to focus on the remaining task of taking home some hardware from Lohja, Finland.  

After cruising to victory in the semifinal over Turkey, that mission was also accomplished as a medal was now guaranteed. Unfortunately for the Canadians, the colour of that medal would ultimately be silver after the Chinese team skipped by Li Ziru took home the gold after a 6-3 final. 

The biggest prize at stake was a berth in the ‘A’ World Championship. The team had earned that on Monday by reaching the semifinal and finishing in the top 4. Normally only the top 3 would qualify, but the World Curling Federation announced that host-nation Finland would not be sending a team to the event, which meant a fourth entry would be drawn from the B group. 

After Canada opened the game by scoring one with the hammer, China answered with three in the second. That, and a couple steals of one later in the game, made all the difference in the final.  

Earlier on Tuesday, Canada played Turkey’s Berfin Sengul in the semifinal. Both teams had reached the playoff stage without a loss, so a Last Stone Draw determined the hammer, which went to Turkey.  

Turkey opened the scoring with a single, and Canada answered with two in the second. When Turkey tied it with another single in the third, Canada put three on the board and never relinquished the lead after that. 

The Canadians (with coach Blair Lenton, assistant coach Dave Nedohin, and Olson-Johns) will return to Finland in February, to play in the ‘A’ Group World Championship. A top-six finish there will mean that next year’s Canadian champs won’t have to fight through the 25-team ‘B’ championship again.  

Starting Thursday, it will be the junior men’s chance to accomplish the same feat. The Alberta-based squad skipped by Johnson Tao will take on a 22-team field hoping for at least a semifinal appearance, and the return trip to Finland. 

They’ll open the tournament with games against Ukraine and Turkey on Thursday.