PRINCE GEORGE, B.C.
The ice in Prince George isn’t agreeing with Yukon’s male curling team, but it hasn’t been all bad.
The rink has one win and three losses so far at the Canada Winter Games this week.
“They’re all right. We had one good game against Alberta and the other games were not as great. Didn’t execute as well,” said skip Brayden Klassen. “We’re having trouble with the ice - a lot of over-curls. Nobody is throwing up to their potential right now.
“The surface itself (has) a heavier pebble, but we don’t want to use that as an excuse, obviously.”
Yukon got off to a bumpy start Sunday with a 9-3 loss to Nova Scotia and an 11-2 loss to B.C. - who is undefeated at 4-0 going into Wednesday.
The Yukon rink, which includes third Trygg Jensen, second Bailey Muir-Cressman and lead William Klassen - Brayden’s younger brother - bounced back with a 7-4 win over Alberta on Monday.
“We were just all-around happier and were able to stay in the game,” said Brayden.
Yukon then took an 11-4 loss to P.E.I. on Tuesday. They will next play New Brunswick on Wednesday to end their pool’s round robin before beginning cross-over games on Thursday.
A win over New Brunswick, which is so far winless, could put them in a tie for third in their pool of six teams going into the placement rounds.
To help get the win over New Brunswick, the team will need “more sleep, be a little more cheerful in the morning,” said Brayden. “I think we’ll have a good game tomorrow. Everyone is feeling good now and we know what we need to do.”
“Nobody is too down on themselves or nothing,” he added. “We’re still looking forward to the next few games.”
Three members of the team already have major Games experience. The Klassens and Jensen won gold at the 2014 Arctic Winter Games. Jensen and Brayden played at the Junior Canadian Curling Championships a couple weeks ago, coming home with a 3-6 record. In both cases they were playing with skip Joe Wallingham.
“It’s great,” said Brayden of the Games. “The venue (the Prince George Golf and Curling Club) is so nice. The entire city, everyone is so welcoming.”
Contact Tom Patrick at
tomp@yukon-news.com