JUNIOR-B GOLD FOR CANADA 

CANADA’S U21 MEN WIN GOLD AT WORLD JUNIOR-B TOURNAMENT

After a week of ups and downs, Canada’s U21 men finished the World Junior-B championship with a string of highs, finishing on the top step of the podium wearing a gold medal. 

Although the competition started in Lojha, Finland with an unlikely loss to Ukraine,  another loss to Japan meant that Canada’s playoff hopes were determined by Last Stone Draw scores. The Alberta-based foursome seized the opportunity and played three strong playoff games to claim a berth in the ‘A’ Group World Championship and finished the week with a ‘B’ group gold medal. 

“This was a strong field to compete against,” said Johnson Tao, skip of Canada’s U21 national champions. “There were many teams in the running to win it.” 

The 22-team field was pared down to the top eight based on pool round-robin records, and in Canada’s case, a LSD score. Other teams with a 4-2 record didn’t make the playoffs based on the pre-game draw shots. 

Once in the playoffs, however, Canada found a new gear, knocking off undefeated Sweden, cruising over New Zealand in the semifinal, and playing a solid game against the United States to claim the top prize. 

“The U.S. are a solid team,” said Tao. “We had to play very well to maintain control of the final.” 

Tao, with Jaeden Neuert, Zach Davies, and Adam Naugler started the game vs. the U.S. with hammer , and immediately put two on the board. They forced the Americans to a single in the second, before adding two more in the third. Another force of one gave Canada a two-point lead at the half, with hammer playing the fifth. 

After taking a single, Canada gave up one, then another steal, to take a one-point lead into the eighth and final end. With a pile of granite in the four-foot, the American skip Wesley Wendling just over-curled with a run-back attempt, allowing Canada to add two more without throwing their last stone. The final score was 7-4. 

“Finishing this event on top will be a big confidence booster for us heading into the Junior-A,” said Tao. “It shows us what we can accomplish when we play like we can. We’re excited to come back and represent Canada again in February.” 

The Canadians, coached by Skip Wilson, had earned their World ‘A’ group berth by reaching the semifinals on Monday. The team, along with assistant coach Ben Morin, and team leader Rob Krepps, will return to the same venue in Finland in February to compete for another world championship. 

Canada’s U21 women, skipped by Myla Plett, achieved the same berth last week, finishing their Junior-B tournament with a silver medal. This was the first time that both Canadian teams needed to qualify through the ‘B’ championship. They can avoid this challenge next year by finishing in the top-six in the ‘A’ group. 

Denmark, the only other team to qualify for playoffs based on LSD scores, finished with the bronze medal, defeating New Zealand by a score of 7-5.