Race to the Finish

CANADIAN UNDER-18 SHIFTS GEARS INTO PLAYOFF MODE AFTER SLOW START 

Halfway through the week, there was a question if some teams would ever get started at the Canadian Under-18 Championship. 

And just like that, in what seemed like a blink of an eye, every team completed their round robin games, and playoff teams were decided.  

As if time had sped up further, by the end of Friday night, several elimination games were played, and semifinalists were decided. 

“We’re really excited,” said British Columbia #1 skip Ava Arndt after her team’s quarterfinal win over Alberta #1. We were a little scared at the beginning of the week because we weren’t playing so great, so to have made it this far already is pretty great.” 

After several schedule changes, teams arriving late, on-ice performance issues, and some minor difficulties in the ice (which began with Friday’s much warmer temperatures), each team had their own version of emotional rollercoaster to ride. 

“It was a little rough,” said Arndt. “We were pretty fortunate because our schedule didn’t change as much as some others did. But it was a big scary not knowing when you were playing all the time. We also had to do a bit of a lineup change. It’s working pretty well, and it’s going better.” 

While Arndt is happy to have reached the semis, the playoff schedule was also a source of more trepidation. 

“And now that we’re closer to the end it’s going to get harder,” said Arndt. “Because the playoff draw got a bit squished down into a shorter time.” 

Indeed, due to the delayed start, the playoffs started a day later and had to fit more games into a shorter time. 

“We just have to stay focused, and try to play like we have been playing,” said Arndt. “Hopefully we can get some sleep tonight. We know we can play well so we’re just going to do out best!” 

The other female teams qualified for the semifinals are Nova Scotia #1 (Cassidy Blades), Ontario #1 (Katrina Frlan), and Alberta #2 (Abby Desormeau). 

The male semifinals will shape up with Nova Scotia #1 (Zach Atherton) facing Alberta #1 (Peter Hlushak), and Quebec #1 (Zachary Janidlo) taking on Ontario #1 (Tyler MacTavish). 

Semifinals are scheduled for 12:30 pm local time, with the gold medal matches to follow at 4:00pm. 

For scores and schedules, visit http://curling.ca/scoreboard