TOP TEAMS EMBRACE EXPECTATIONS AT NEW HOLLAND U-20 CHAMPIONSHIP

And they’re off… again… in Sudbury. 

About 24 hours after the U-21 Mixed Doubles World Qualifier wrapped up on Friday afternoon, the next youth event got started at the Gerry McCrory Countryside Sports Complex in Sudbury, Ont. 

The New Holland U-20 Canadian Championships kicked off on Saturday with a full-eight sheets of action, featuring 16 of the 18 men’s teams from around the country. As is common in such events, some teams have higher expectations than others – usually based on years of experience at previous national events, or recent success on the ice. 

Newfoundland and Labrador’s Simon Perry, a 19-year-old university student from St. John’s, is skipping one of those teams. His rink (with Nick Codner, Brayden Snow, and Carter Holden) won gold at the U-18 National Championship in 2024, and recently very nearly won the provincial men’s title and a trip to the Montana’s Brier. 

“It’s in our minds that we won against all the same teams in U-18s,” said Perry. “What we take from that is to know we can do it, but we have to manage it game by game.” 

Team Newfoundland and Labrador managed their first game well, defeating Team Saskatchewan #1’s Rogan Snow, 13-4.  

“We had a great start, came out firing,” said Perry. “We’ve been given all the resources to have a good week. The ice is great, so we’re happy campers.” 

When asked if the experience and expectations creates any sort of pressure, Perry had to think. 

“It’s not the bad kind of pressure,” he said. “It might be the kind that motivates us to get in gear and play our best.” 

Another team riding some recent success is Quebec’e Raphaël Tremblay. He skipped the team that won this year’s U-18 title just last month in Timmins, Ont. with third-rock thrower Louis-François Brassard. Their U-20 tournament began with a comfortable 6-2 win over P.E.I.’s Connor Bruce. 

“The conditions are perfect,” he said. “My team did a great job adapting to the speed of the ice. It’s really fast ice. We watched some of the Mixed Doubles, so I think that helped.” 

With the recent U-18 win, the Tremblay explained how the objectives for the week have been re-framed. 

“The main goal is always to have fun,” he said. “Of course, it’s easier to have fun if you can win some games. Our team goal is to make the playoffs and see what happens.” 

And while the goal may be fun, there is now the added weight of expectations. 

“Because we won the U-18, I feel a bit more pressure on myself,” said Tremblay. “Because we won there, I want to show that we can do well at U-20s and prove we can compete here too.” 

Games continue all week, with finals on Saturday, April 4. 

Scores and schedules can be found at curling.ca/scoreboard while live streaming can be found at Curling Canada’s YouTube channel.