Thomas Scoffin’s Alberta rink is in a three-way tie for first place at the Canadian junior men’s curling championship at Fort McMurray.
Scoffin, who represented Yukon each of the last six years, improved to 6-1 after the first game in the championship pool Wednesday, but needed a steal of two in the eighth end and four more in the ninth to beat New Brunswick’s Josh Barry 10-4.
“Step one is complete. We made the championship round and that was a battle of a game; it was a lot closer than the score indicated,” said Scoffin, whose Saville Centre team includes third Dylan Gousseau and the Bucholz twins, Landon and Bryce, on the front end. “It’s good to come out with a win against these tough teams from the other pool. … We’re getting closer to the end.”
The top three teams after the championship round robin finishes Friday qualify for the playoffs; with the first-place team advancing straight to the final. The second- and third-place teams will play in the semifinal.
Alberta head coach Rob Bucholz reports that Scoffin showed great patience to set up the steal of four that put Wednesday afternoon’s game away.
Scoffin, who set a personal best last year with a 7-5 record, is tied for first place with Ontario’s Aaron Squires and Nova Scotia’s Stuart Thompson heading into Wednesday’s 6 p.m. game against Quebec’s Félix Asselin (3-4).
