With the Yukon being unable to field a team in the women’s event at the 2019 New Holland Canadian Juniors, it allowed the province of Saskatchewan to have a pair of rinks in Prince Albert from Jan. 19-27.

As a result, provincial champion Sara England and her rink from the Regina Callie got to wear the green jacket, while Skylar Ackerman’s team from Moose Jaw served as the Host Team.

Although both sides did not make it to the playoffs last weekend, the chance to play at home was one they won’t forget.

“Even though we didn’t play to our full capabilities, which was disappointing, it was still an awesome week,” England said. “The event was awesome and the crowds were amazing. The people here in Prince Albert were fantastic, which made for a memorable time here.”

“We were one of the younger teams here, so it was great for us to play against some of the best teams in the country,” Ackerman added. “It was disappointing that the results didn’t go our way, but there’s still a lot of years left ahead of us.”

Although England, who is the daughter of the late Sandra Schmirler, was making her third trip to the nationals, this marked the first trip for third Rachel Erickson, second Sarah Hoag and lead Jade Goebel.

“Sarah and I had to the chance to compete at the Under-18’s a couple of years ago in Moncton, which prepares you quite well for an event like this,” Erickson said.

“There’s a lot more intensity when you come to the juniors, even when you are off the ice. There’s a lot more focus on what you need to do in order to improve for the next game and you are always talking about curling.”

On their way to a 5-5 finish in the Championship Pool, England changed her approach over the course of the week as she embraced the raucous atmosphere that came when Saskatchewan was on the ice.

“You can’t be scared by it,” said England, who made the second all-star team in the women’s event.

“You know the crowd is going to get loud and that means your making shots. After I used that as a positive, I think it really allowed me to be play better.”

As for the Ackerman rink, which featured Madison Johnson at third, Chantel Hoag at second and first team all-star Samantha McLaren at lead, they held their own against the top teams in the country despite finishing with a 2-7 record.

“There’s definitely a lot that we can take away from this week,” Ackerman said. “When you go up against the top teams like an Alberta or a Nova Scotia, they will take advantage of any mistakes that you make.

“The biggest thing is to not get discouraged. You are going to learn a lot from playing those teams and hopefully have a chance to play them again in the future.”

All four players, who won a silver medal at the Under-18 nationals last year, will now prepare to represent Saskatchewan at the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer later this month.

England and Hoag are representing the Regina Cougars at the Canada West playdowns this weekend in Edmonton.

The entire Ackerman rink is eligible for junior play next season, while Hoag and Erickson can both defend their provincial title.

As the Prince Albert Raiders went on their six-game road trip through British Columbia over the last two weeks, newly acquired goaltender Boston Bilous go to see first hand why the team has become the one that everyone is chasing in the Western Hockey League.

“When you look at their record you wonder how and why they are so good,” Bilous said. “A lot of it comes down to the leadership within in the group and how they hold each other accountable. They are playing for the logo and each other every single night.

“There’s a special bond here and everyone’s accepted me into the team. It’s a very fun group to be around and I’m looking forward to the future here.”

Bilous joined the team on Jan. 10 as part of a trio of moves the Raiders made on WHL Trade Deadline Day.

The Langley, B.C. native, who will be turning 18 years of age Saturday, had spent the last season and a half with the Edmonton Oil Kings prior to being dealt to Prince Albert.

“Obviously it’s hard when you get traded, but that’s all in the past,” Bilous said. “I’m a Raider now and I’m here to whatever I can to help our team win.”

Bilous earned a pair of victories for the Raiders during the road trip, as had turned aside 29 shots in a 4-1 triumph over the Kamloops Blazers on Jan. 18 and made 13 saves in a 7-3 affair against the Kootenay Ice last Saturday night.

“To be able to help the guys get a couple of wins was a great feeling,” Bilous said. “I thought I had a good game against Kamloops. I was able to get my feet underneath me and the guys played really well in front of me

“I didn’t get as much as work in against Kootenay and there was a goal or two that I want back. However, those are things that I can work in practice and those starts were good building blocks towards the future.”

Having previously committed to the NCAA’s Denver Pioneers, Bilous signed with the Oil Kings in the summer of 2016 after they drafted him in the fourth round of that year’s WHL Bantam Draft.

After posting an 0-10-1-0 record with a 4.72 goals against average and a .838 save percentage in his rookie campaign, he had a 3-4-0-1 mark with a 3.56 goals against average, a .859 save percentage and a shutout this year prior to being traded to the Raiders.

“Last year was difficult at times, especially being a young guy in the league and not getting as many touches as you would like in goal,” Bilous said.

“I think it was good to go from some adversity though as I’ve become a better goalie for it.”

Bilous also found himself among a bevy of netminders who have been in the Oil Kings crease over the last two years, as Travis Child, Josh Dechaine, Dylan Myskiw and Todd Scott all suited up for the team during his time there.

“It was definitely hard at times when you are in a situation where there are three goaltenders on the roster,” Bilous said.

“My work ethic didn’t change though and I was always focused on improving my game. I have the same approach here now working with Ian (Scott) and I’ve already learned a lot from him when it comes to what it takes to be successful both on and off the ice.”

Bilous will get a chance to see his old team Friday as the Oil Kings will pay a visit to the Art Hauser Centre.

After hosting the Moose Jaw Warriors Saturday, the Raiders will then make a trip to Bilous’ old team as they’ll take on the Oil Kings at Rogers Arena Monday.

“It’s crossed my mind a little bit as we get ready to go back there, but for me it’s just another game that I have to prepare for,” Bilous said.

Monday’s meeting in Edmonton was originally slated for Wednesday, Feb. 6, but was rescheduled due to a Justin Timberlake concert that had been postponed back in November. 

Pre-Game Notes

The Raiders are 2-0 against the Oil Kings this season, as they picked up a 6-3 win in Edmonton on Nov. 28 and followed that up with a 6-5 overtime triumph in Prince Albert on Dec. 12.

Heading into Friday’s contest, the Raiders have won five straight meetings with the Oil Kings, with their last loss coming in a 4-1 affair in Edmonton in December 2017.

They have also won their last five matchups at the Art Hauser Centre in a streak that dates back to 2015.

According to the WHL’s Weekly Report, forward Jake Neighbours is day-to-day with an upper body injury he sustained against the Red Deer Rebels on Dec. 30, while defenceman Logan Dowhaniuk is out for two more weeks with an upper body injury.

Oil Kings blueliner Conner McDonald and Raiders captain Brayden Pachal are the hottest skaters in the lineups for both teams entering Friday night as they each have four game point streaks.

During his speech Sunday at the closing ceremonies of the 2019 New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championships at the Art Hauser Centre, event chair Bryan Rindal’s main message to the crowd was just how overwhelmed he was with the response that he got from how the event.

“It was all very positive from the curlers, coaches and parents, and a lot of that comes from the work that those involved with preparing the ice, our volunteers and everyone else at the Art Hauser Centre and Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club did,” Rindal said.

“Everything ran flawlessly and everyone here was trying to help out the curlers if they needed anything.”

One of the things that Rindal was impressed by was the feedback he received from the 122 competitors that came from across the country to vie for the men’s and women’s titles, which were won by Tyler Tardi of British Columbia and Selena Sturmay of Alberta. 

“I couldn’t believe how courteous all of them were,” Rindal said. “As a coach, I know it doesn’t always work out that way. This is a special group of young athletes.”

According to Curling Canada’s communications and media relations manager Kyle Jahns, that positive feedback about the host committee’s job was something that they got to hear about firsthand from the players, coaches and parents.

“They did an absolutely outstanding job,” Jahns said. “Prince Albert is no stranger when it comes to hosting events like this and you can see that with the amount of people in the community who have helped out.

“The sport of curling that is something that those involved are very invested in, and you can see that with the amount of pride they had in hosting the juniors.”

Although there were no sell-out crowds during the week, the best atmosphere was easily on Saturday night when Saskatchewan’s Rylan Kleiter went up against Manitoba’s J.T. Ryan in the men’s semifinal.

“That was a fun night,” Rindal said. “We had done an ‘Up Close and Personal’ event with the guys on Thursday after we knew they made the semifinals, and I told them to phone all of their buddies at school in Saskatoon and have them come up to the semis wearing green.

“They came out in full force and that was really appreciated.”

Outside of Prince Albert, Curling Canada was blown away by the response they got from streaming games for the first time during the round-robin, as they teamed up with Big Drum Media to broadcast a game from each draw at the Art Hauser Centre on Facebook.

“It really amazed us just how many people tuned in, especially those from outside of Canada as we had viewers from Brazil and Cuba during the week,” Jahns said. “Big Drum Media played a huge role in that as everything ran smoothly.”

When it comes to hosting another major curling event in Prince Albert, Rindal said that those involved behind the scenes will take some time to reflect on this past week before throwing their hat in the ring again.

“This was a 20-year dream that a group of us at the Curling Club had to bring a national event to Prince Albert,” Rindal said.

“We got the template now and I’m sure we’ll look at bringing in more events. However we still have to go over our final reports before we make any plans.”

Curling Canada will be back in Saskatchewan in Feb. 2020 for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, while the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling will hold their Humpty’s Champions Cup competition in Saskatoon this April.

A third straight trip to the provincial Scotties final proved to be the charm for Prince Albert curler Kara Thevenot.

The lead for Robyn Silvernagle’s rink from the Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford will be heading to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time in her career following a 6-5 win over Sherry Anderson Sunday night in Humboldt.

“Everyone’s been congratulating us over the last couple of days, but I’m not sure it’s really sunk in yet for us,” Thevenot said.

“I think once we get our green jackets and everything else that we will be wearing at the Scotties, that’s when it will hit home for sure, along with when we all arrive in Sydney, N.S. for the event.”

Silvernagle and Thevenot had made it to the championship game in 2017 and 2018, but had lost a 10-7 affair to Penny Barker’s Moose Jaw rink and 7-6 extra-end contest to Anderson’s Saskatoon squad respectively.

Sunday’s final was a close one right from the opening stone, as Silvernagle and Anderson were tied at five heading into the 10th end.

Although they were without the hammer coming home, Silvernagle’s rink were able to steal a point to get the win as Anderson’s angle bump back of a guard came up short of being shot stone.

“We weren’t as sharp as we had been earlier in the week but we all stayed positive no matter what the situation was,” Thevenot said.

“Even though we gave control of things in the eighth (when Anderson got two points to take a 5-4 lead) and a rock ended up jumping on us when we had a chance for the blank in nine, we all stuck together as a team and that paid off for us.”

While Thevenot kept an eye on Anderson’s final shot, her skip was nowhere to be found on the ice at the time.

“She actually went downstairs and was hiding in the bathroom,” Thevenot said. “I’ve played with her for four years and I wasn’t surprised that she was hiding because she doesn’t like to watch the other teams shots, especially when we don’t have the hammer.

“After we all shook hands with Sherry’s team, I was wondering where she was and then I saw her running out and I gave her a big hug. We’ve been through a lot as teammates, so it was great to win it with her and to have our family and friends there to cheer us on.”

While Silvernagle and Thevenot will be making their first trip to the Scotties, along with second Jessie Hunkin, third Stefanie Lawton will be going to the event for the fifth time.

She skipped Saskatchewan’s team at the 2005, 2009, 2014 and 2015 events, with her best result being a semifinal finish four years ago in Moose Jaw.

“To have her experience on our team will be a big help, but we’ve been lucky enough to play in some major events as a group, such as the Meridian Canadian Open in North Battleford a few weeks ago,” Thevenot said.

“The jitters that come with playing under the big lights are something that will be there when you arrive of course, but we’ve got to play at the slams and the provincials on arena ice in the past which helps us out a lot, along with having chance to face many of the big teams that will be there at World Curling Tour events.”

The Silvernagle rink will find out what pool they will be in after this weekend, which is when the provincial playdowns will conclude in British Columbia, Northern Ontario and Ontario.

Among those who are already locked in for this year’s Scotties, which runs from Feb. 16-24, are Alberta’s Chelsea Carey, Manitoba’s Tracy Fleury and defending champion Jennifer Jones.

A sendoff party will be held for the rink at the Twin Rivers Curling Club in North Battleford on Friday, Feb. 8 at 7 p.m.

The worst kept secret in the Western Hockey League became official Tuesday.

During a morning press conference in Cranbrook, B.C., it was announced that the Kootenay Ice would be leaving after 21 seasons to move to Winnipeg for the 2019-20 campaign.

“This was a Western Hockey League discussion ultimately — not the ownership decision to transfer this franchise,” WHL commissioner Rob Robison said to the media. “It was a decision made over an eight or nine year period of assessment of this market and the ability of this franchise to be sustainable over a long period of time.

“These are difficult decisions, especially difficult when you look at the passionate fans in this community and how it supported this franchise.”

The Ice franchise moved to Cranbrook from Edmonton in 1998 and won three championships in 2000, 2002 and 2011, along with a Memorial Cup in 2002.

The team has been subject to relocation rumours for the last few seasons, as they were linked to a move to Manitoba’s capital in 2014 and looked to be headed to Nanaimo, B.C. in early 2017 before its residents voted against building an $80-million events centre.

The Chynoweth family, who had owned the Ice since 1995, sold the team in March 2017 to Winnipeg entrepreneur Greg Fettes and hockey executive Matt Cockell.

“We came in eyes wide open. We knew there was going to be some challenges, but we went all in,” Fettes said. “Judge us by our actions when we first got here.”

“When we bought this franchise our desire to be part of the WHL went way before Matt and I actually had the opportunity to have a franchise. When we had this opportunity the league made very clear to us that is we were to buy the franchise we had to go 110 per cent to make it work here — and we made that commitment and frankly we were all in, but again judge us by our actions.”

The Winnipeg Free Press originally reported in October that the Ice would be moving into a new arena that is part of a commercial and entertainment hub in the southwest corner of the city.

While the 4,000 seat arena is being built, the team will play out of the 1,400-seat Wayne Fleming Arena, which is on the campus of University of Manitoba.

The Ice will now compete in the WHL’s East Division, while the Swift Current Broncos will move over to the Central Division next year.

This marks the first time since the 1983-84 season that the WHL have had a team in Winnipeg, as the Warriors franchise moved to Moose Jaw following the campaign.

Kootenay’s last visit to the Art Hauser Centre to face the Prince Albert Raiders will take place on Friday, Feb. 22

British Columbia skip Tyler Tardi and vice Sterling Middleton accomplished something that no curlers have ever done Sunday.

The long-time teammates became the first players to win three straight New Holland Canadian Junior titles as they won the 2019 men’s championship in a thrilling 7-5 affair against J.T. Ryan of Manitoba at the Art Hauser Centre.

“It’s such an incredible feeling,” Tardi said. “To be able to do this with one of my best friends makes this extra special.”

“When I started curling with Tyler about five or six years ago now, our goal was just to make it to the Canada Winter Games,” Middleton added. “It’s been unreal to see how far we’ve come, not just as curlers but as friends.”

Of the pair’s three championship wins, Sunday’s was easily the most dramatic, as Ryan scored five unanswered points to lead after seven ends after he gave up a three-ender in the second.

Tardi made a fantastic takeout to score two points in the eighth to tie the game and moved back out in front after stealing a point in nine when Ryan was unable to clear the house in an attempt to keep the hammer coming home.

“Going into the ninth end, we were going to be pretty happy if we forced him to a single or if we stole a point, considering we were just down by two,” Tardi said.

“Our chances weren’t exactly 50/50, but I knew the guys were going to fight hard.”

Tardi made a picture-perfect freeze on his last shot in the final end to sit shot stone, with Ryan electing to throw back-eight weight to try and get inside Tardi’s rock on his last, but the Manitoba’s skip shot ended up crashing off a guard.

“I thought we were a little wide and heavy so I called for the guys to curl it in there, but we overdid it,” Ryan said. “That one’s on me. I called it a little early and I didn’t give it a chance.”

“I never thought that rock would curl like it did,” Middleton said. “It’s tough to see him lose like that.”

For Ryan, who curls out of the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club in Winnipeg and is joined on his rink by third Jacques Gauthier, second Jordan Peters and Cole Chandler, Sunday’s result marked his best finish at the Canadian Juniors in the 21-year-old’s third and final trip to the event.

“That was one of our best games that we’ve played as a team, especially with how we battled back after giving up three early,” said Ryan, who lost to Tardi in last year’s semifinal.

“B.C. played unreal and it was just an inch here or an inch there that decided the game.”

Sunday’s win also marked the first junior title for British Columbia lead Alex Horvath and second Matthew Hall.

Hall had come close to winning a national championship as a skip for Ontario in 2017, but lost to Tardi in the final.

“The way they reacted was similar to what Tyler and I were like when we won for the first time,” Middleton said. “I’m really happy for both of them.”

The Langley Curling Club and Victoria Curling Club based quartet will now prepare to defend their world junior men’s championship in Liverpool, N.S. from Feb. 16-23.

“I think we might have a few more fans on our side than we did last year in Scotland,” Middleton joked.

Before that though, the team will head out to Quesnel, B.C. to take part in the provincial men’s playdowns starting Tuesday.

“I don’t think we’re going to get any sleep,” Tardi joked. “We leave our hotel at 3 a.m. and then we’re flying straight to the provincials.

“We might get some sleep if the jitters go away, but I doubt it. We’ll see how it goes.”

Selena Sturmay and her Alberta rink have earned their place in the New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championships’ history books.

The team from the Saville Community Sports Centre in Edmonton became just the seventh rink since women’s play started in 1971 to go undefeated at the event as they picked up a 9-6 win over British Columbia’s Sarah Daniels in the championship game Sunday.

“It feels surreal right now,” Sturmay said after leading her province to their fifth women’s title in eight years.

“We were able to get a handle on the ice conditions early this week and I think that was a huge factor in how well our team played. We built up some consistency and got some wins, which led us to this happy outcome.”

Prior to Sturmay’s run, the last rink to go undefeated in the women’s event was an Ontario squad skipped by Rachel Homan in 2010.

The other skips to accomplish that feat were Cathy Overton (Manitoba – 1989), Cathy King (Alberta – 1978), Patricia Crimp (Saskatchewan – 1975), Janet Crimp (Saskatchewan – 1973) and Chris Pidzarko (Manitoba – 1972).

Sturmay, who is joined on her rink by third Abby Marks, second Kate Goodhelpsen and lead Paige Papley, built up a 5-1 lead at the halfway point of the match after stealing points in the third, fourth and fifth ends.

“We were able to capitalize early on some of their misses to get those steals, but they were still playing well and it was a close game all the way,” Sturmay said.

Daniels, who played with third Kayla MacMillan, second Jessica Humphries and lead Sarah Loken, tied the game up at six with a three-ender in the eighth end but Sturmay would get a trifecta of her own in the following frame to move out in front for good.

“We started off strong but we lost it a bit in the middle ends,” Daniels said.

“We knew it wasn’t over there and we were able to tie the game in the eighth, but we missed a couple of shots in the last two ends and they took advantage of that.”

For Daniels, this marks the third time that she’s won a silver medal at the event, as she made it to the final as a skip in 2016 and as a second to Kalia Van Osch in 2014.

“It’s been a great experience here this week and I’m really happy to be able to come back to the juniors,” Daniels said. “There’s a lot that our team can take from this as we look to move up into ladies’ play.”

Sunday’s win for Alberta also marked the second national title for Goodhelpsen, as she was the second for Kristen Streifel’s championship winning rink in 2017.

“This was my last kick at the can in juniors so I felt a little bit of pressure coming into the week,” Goodhelpsen said.

“I was just trying to take in everything that I learned from two years ago and I tried to help the girls with the little things, such as what it’s like to play when the TV lights are on you. Plus, it helped calm my own nerves a little bit.”

Sturmay’s rink will now go on to represent Canada at the 2019 World Junior Curling Championships, which will be held in Liverpool, N.S. next month.

“It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity,” said Sturmay, who will also compete for Canada at the 2019 Winter Universiade in Russia in March.

“I’m not going to be in school a lot over the next couple of months, but that’s okay.”

The 2019 New Holland Canadian Juniors will conclude at 3 p.m. with the men’s final between Manitoba’s J.T. Ryan and British Columbia’s Tyler Tardi, who has won the last two national titles and is the reigning world champions.

Tardi and his vice Sterling Middleton enter today’s game with a chance to be the first players to win three Canadian junior titles.

In other news, Curling Canada announced this year’s all-star teams from the women’s event, which is based on the best percentage in each position during the round-robin.

First All-Star Team

• Skip: Mackenzie Zacharias (Manitoba)
• Third: Katie Follett (Newfoundland & Labrador)
• Second: Karlee Burgess (Nova Scotia)
• Lead: Samantha McLaren (Host Team)

Second All-Star Team

• Skip: Sara England (Saskatchewan)
• Third: Lauren Lenentine (Nova Scotia)
• Second: Emily Zacharias (Manitoba)
• Lead: Keira McLaughlin (New Brunswick)

A partisan crowd at the Art Hauser Centre didn’t hinder J.T. Ryan in the slightest Saturday night.

The Manitoba skip topped Saskatchewan’s Rylan Kleiter by a score of 9-3 in the New Holland Canadian Juniors men’s semifinal Saturday and earned a berth into Sunday’s championship game at 1 p.m. against two-time defending national champion and reigning world title holder Tyler Tardi of British Columbia.

“I’ve been lucky enough to get one step further each time, but this is my last chance before I age out so hopefully we can be on our game tomorrow and we’ll see what happens,” said Ryan, who finished in third place at last year’s tournament.

“You see the guys (previous Manitoba junior champions Matt Dunstone and Braden Calvert) go on and win national titles…and that just drives you to be like them one day.”

In what was a 2-1 game, Ryan took control in the seventh end as he made a draw to the back four-foot for a sure two points, which turned out to be three points after a measurement of a pair of stones in the eight-foot.

“We knew that end was a big one and we felt like that was our chance to get a deuce,” Ryan said. “We were lucky enough to get three there after a measurement, which might have been the fourth of the game at that point. It was kind of ridiculous.”

“It never felt like a comfortable lead though. We could miss one shot and they could string a couple of shots together. Anything can happen in junior curling.”

Kleiter sent the crowd into a frenzy with a fantastic triple bump back for two points in the eighth, but Ryan would wrap up proceedings in the ninth with a quiet hit for four.

“The boys were confident that we could still make some shots and that (eighth) end turned out well for us,” Kleiter said.

“We would have liked to have had a few more rocks in play early on, but our hats go off to Manitoba. They were making runbacks and didn’t give us much room.”

Kleiter’s Saskatoon Sutherland rink, which includes third Trevor Johnson, second Joshua Mattern and lead Matthieu Taillon, enjoyed an excellent week in Prince Albert as they earned their best result in their third trip to the nationals.

All four players, who will compete in the Saskatchewan’s men provincial playdowns in Whitewood next week, are eligible to return for a final year of junior curling.

“You get a little better every time you come here, whether it’s from learning the ice conditions at the arenas or understanding how the event works,” Kleiter said.

“It was unbelievable to be the home team, especially when you hear the crowd go wild when you are making shots. It gave us so much energy.”

With the win, Ryan’s Winnipeg based rink will now gear up for a 3 p.m. matchup Sunday with Tardi, who can set a record by winning his third national title along with vice Sterling Middleton.

Ryan did win the head-to-head matchup in the round-robin Thursday by a score of 7-4, but that contest was held at the Prince Albert Golf & Curling Club.

“We can feel good about that game as we go into the final as we know that we can beat him,” Ryan said.

“However, Tyler’s a world champion. He’s been there and done that. This is all new for us.”

The final is also a rematch of last year’s national semifinal in Shawinigan, Que., which Tardi won 9-8.

The women’s final will take place at 10 a.m. Sunday as British Columbia’s Sarah Daniels will take on Selena Sturmay and her undefeated rink from Alberta.

Another big end propelled British Columbia’s Sarah Daniels into Sunday’s women’s final at the 2019 New Holland Canadian Juniors in Prince Albert.

After scoring a four-ender in Friday’s 8-6 tiebreaker win over Quebec’s Laurie St-Georges, Daniels matched that feat in the third end of Saturday’s semifinal at the Art Hauser Centre on her way to a 9-7 win over Nova Scotia’s Kaitlyn Jones.

“The way the end was developing, I noticed there were going to be a lot of rocks in play and that if we got some good angles, there might be a chance to get two or three,” Daniels said.

“I didn’t think I’d be sitting five after I made the hit on my first. Those four points were huge for us, especially as it allowed us to calm our nerves a bit.”

Despite the early advantage, Daniels’ had to stay aggressive as Nova Scotia put a lot of rocks in play for the rest of the game to try and cut the deficit.

“It’s always tough when you score a big end early and have to hold on to the lead,” Daniels said.

“They made things closer but we stayed focused on what we needed to do.”

Jones, who is the defending national and world champion, made a brilliant triple takeout on her last shot in the seventh end that led to a steal of one and cut British Columbia’s lead to 6-5.

She also made a nice runback shot to sit two after her last without hammer in the tenth, but Daniels was able to knock one of those rocks out to take the win.

“I’m really proud of the girls and how they battled right until the end,” Jones said.

“It always hurts when you give up a lot of points early, but we stayed in the game and made it close.”

Daniels will now face Alberta’s Selena Sturmay, who has a perfect 10-0 record so far this week, in Sunday’s final at 10 a.m.

The two teams squared off Sunday in a round-robin game at the Prince Albert Golf & Curling Club, which Alberta won by a score of 8-6.

“That was early in the week for both of us and it was at a different rink, so I think you pretty much have to put tomorrow’s game as a fresh start for both of us,” said Daniels, who was a runner-up as a skip in the 2016 event and a second for Kalia Van Osch’s rink in 2014.

“It’s nice to have that experience of being in a final, but I just want to enjoy it and have as much fun as I can.”

Sturmay can become the fifth skip, and the first since Ontario’s Rachel Homan in 2010, to run the table in the women’s event.

Second Kate Goodhelpsen can win her second national title on Sunday as she played the same role for Kristen Striefel’s Alberta rink in 2017.

The men’s semifinal will take place at 7 p.m. tonight at the Art Hauser Centre between Saskatchewan’s Rylan Kleiter and Manitoba’s J.T. Ryan.

The winner of that game will advance to Sunday’s final at 3 p.m. against two-time defending national champion and reigning world title holder Tyler Tardi of British Columbia.

One shot proved to be the difference maker at the Art Hauser Centre during Friday’s women’s tiebreaker game at the 2019 New Holland Canadian Juniors.

British Columbia skip Sarah Daniels made a runback double takeout to pick up four points in the seventh end as she would go on to defeat Quebec’s Laurie St-Georges by a score of 8-6 and earn a spot in Saturday’s semifinal against Nova Scotia’s Kaitlyn Jones.

“That four-ender was huge for us,” Daniels said.

“We kept things a little bit cleaner than we usually do as we were looking to make the makeable shots in the early ends. We waited for an opportunity and we finally got that in the seventh.”

St-Georges, who finished second in last year’s tournament, tied the game back up with two points in the eighth.

British Columbia would then blank the ninth end and score two points with the hammer in the final frame to earn the victory.

A silver medalist as a skip in 2016 and as a second on Kalia Van Osch’s rink in 2014, Daniels fell into the tiebreaker mix after losing 9-4 to New Brunswick’s Justin Comeau in her round-robin finale Friday morning.

“We just needed to calm our nerves a little bit,” Daniels said. “We were a little bit heightened up going into that game as we knew a win would get us into the playoffs and a loss would probably mean we’d have to play in the tiebreaker.

“I think a lot of the preparation that we’ve done this year really paid off today. We’ve stuck together as a team through the good and bad games, which has played a huge part in our success.”

After finishing off the round-robin with three straight wins, Nova Scotia was the beneficiaries of a three-way tie for second place as they joined British Columbia and Quebec with 7-3 records at the conclusion of Championship Pool play.

Since each team had a 1-1 record in their head-to-head matchups, the tie was broken via which rink had the best overall mark in the pre-game draw to the button during the round-robin, which put the defending national and world champions into the semifinal.

“We started off our week a little bit weaker as we were battling a little sickness, but we’ve started to find our groove once again,” Jones said after picking up a key win over Manitoba’s Mackenzie Zacharias Thursday night.

“We have some momentum now and we want to keep that going for as long as we can.”

Daniels previously played Jones on Monday morning and came away with an 8-7 round-robin victory.

“They are a very experienced rink and we know that they are going to bring their very best game,” Daniels said. “We’re going to throw everything that we can at them.”

Awaiting the winner of Saturday’s semifinal, which gets underway at 1 p.m., is Alberta’s Selena Sturmay.

Her rink led the way through the round-robin with a perfect 10-0 mark and earned a bye into Sunday’s championship game, which begins at 10 a.m.

“To have a perfect record up to this point is certainly a happy surprise, especially with how strong the competition is here,” said Sturmay, who finished in fifth place in her previous trip to the nationals in 2016.

“We’re super excited to be in the final, as it was one of our goals coming into this week. Our entire team is playing well and hopefully we can pull out one more win.”

Alberta could become only the fifth women’s team, and the first since Ontario’s Rachel Homan in 2010, to run the table at the event.

Second Kate Goodhelpsen has an opportunity to win her second national title on Sunday, as she served the same role on Kristen Streifel’s championship winning side two years ago.

The men’s semifinal will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday between Manitoba’s J.T. Ryan and Saskatchewan’s Rylan Kleiter.

The winner of that game will advance to Sunday’s final at 3 p.m., where they will take on two-time defending national champion and reigning world title holder Tyler Tardi of British Columbia.

All four games will be held at the Art Hauser Centre and will air nationally on TSN.