Only three teams remain in the hunt to wear the Maple Leaf.
The eight-team round robin U-21 Canadian Mixed Doubles Qualifier in Sudbury, Ont., has produced three playoff teams; one from Ontario and two from Alberta.
Going into the last game on Thursday afternoon, Brooklyn Ideson and Owen Henry (Ilderton, Ont.) had already locked up first place regardless of that draw’s results.
Three of the four games on the ice, however, had major implications on which teams would finish second and third to round out the playoff picture.
When the dust settled, it was two Edmonton based teams who advanced to the semifinals. With a dramatic last-shot win, Bethany Evans and Sahil Dalrymple took second place with a 5-2 record.
Gracelyn Richards and Zach Davies also won their final game, which improved their record to 4-3 – good enough for a tie for third. The head-to-head standings gave them the edge over Truro, N.S.’s Olivia McDonagh and Chris McCurdy who shared the same record.
“That was a really good game for us to head into playoffs with,” said Richard of their final victory. “We started the week knowing that we had to keep building, and we’ve done a good job of that.”
Ideson and Henry, meanwhile, dropped their last game to McDonagh and McCurdy to also finish 5-2, but owned the head-to-head result over Evans and Dalrymple. That advantage equated to a bye directly to the final, with a berth at the World Junior Mixed Doubles Championship on the line.
It’s worth noting that the world event is to be played in May at Edmonton’s Saville Community Sports Centre for the second year in a row – the same facility where semifinalists Richards/Davies and Evans/Dalrymple all train and compete for the University of Alberta.
“It’s a fantastic event that they put on,” said Richards. “We got to see it run at the Saville before. It would be a dream to play there… it would be really comfortable to play there, but there would also be some pressure being Team Canada – but I think it’s a good pressure.”
The semifinal between the two Alberta squads will take place at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex at 10:00 am ET with the winner advancing to the final against Ideson/Henry at 4:00 pm ET.
“We play them a lot,” said Richards of her U of A teammates. “That’s how we practice, that’s how we got here… it will be a good game. I expect a lot of good shots!”
Results can be found here while the event website can be found here.
