FIGHTING FOR PLAYOFF SPOTS AT U-25 

PLAYOFF PICTURE STILL UNCLEAR AT U-25 NEXTGEN CLASSIC 

More than halfway through pool play at the U-25 NextGen Mixed Doubles Classic, very little is decided. 

While several pairs have won their first three games at Edmonton’s Saville Centre, it will require the full set of results in the five-game round robin to sort out which teams move on to the quarterfinals, and have a chance to play for the $3,000 top prize. 

Among those off to a hot start are the 2022 U-25 champions (and 2023 runners-up), Jessica Zheng and Victor Pietrangelo (Niagara Falls, Ont.). They’ve opened with three wins and sit at the top of the “Red” pool. 

Another previous winner has also opened with three wins. Sterling Middleton, who won last year’s event with Kayla MacMillan, is trying to repeat the feat with a new teammate this year. The Victoria, B.C. native has so far found success in the Red Pool, starting 3-0 with new partner Juliana MacKenzie. 

In the White pool, only one team remains undefeated. Prior to the Sunday morning draw, both Mackezie Arbuckle/Aaron MacDonell (Winnipeg) and Kaylee Raniseth/Evan Crough (Delburne, Alta.) were sitting at 3-0. However, they had to face each other in their fourth game. 

When the dust settled, Raniseth and Crough were the victors by a score of 7-4, which should guarantee them a playoff spot. 

Once pool play is completed, the top eight teams overall will move on to quarterfinals, beginning Sunday night. Quarterfinalists will earn $750 while a semifinal appearance will earn $1,250. Event winners will take home $3,000 in NextGen funding and receive access to Curling Canada’s high performance coaches and other training opportunities. The runner up will take home $2,000. 

All games are being streamed at http://youtube.com/curlingzone 

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