Playoff Picture Still Fuzzy at New Holland U-20 Championships

The frontrunners are starting to pull away from the field, but much is left to be decided at the New Holland U-20 Canadian Championships in Sudbury, Ont. 

Each pool in the 18-team men’s division has three teams clear of the field, although with two more draws Thursday, the playoff picture is still a bit fuzzy. 

“We got a good win out there today,” said Alberta #2 skip Jaxon Hiebert following a 9-2 victory over the Yukon team, skipped by Nolan Floyd. “It’s been a really good week, and we’re just looking to cap off the round robin tomorrow afternoon.” 

Hiebert’s Edmonton-based squad of Noah Mason-Wood, Nate Burton, and Braeden Hein currently has a 5-1 record, and is one of the few teams leading the way in Men’s Pool A. While that looks promising in terms of a playoff spot, there are two other teams with a single loss, and two more games to come on Thursday. 

Both British Columbia (skipped by Harrison Hrynew) and Ontario #2 (skipped by Tyler MacTavish) also sit at 5-1. Two losses in the final two games would allow teams with three losses to still have a chance.  

The team from New Westminster, B.C. has to face both Alberta #2 and Ontario #2 on the final day, which creates a number of permutations and playoff scenario variations. Players and fans alike will be forced to keep an eye on multiple scoreboards and Last Stone Draw standings to figure it all out. 

“When I was younger, I’d be peeking at the standings a bit more, or looking at other sheets,” said Hiebert. “But we have enough people helping us who can keep an eye on all that. I have to go do my job.” 

Winning one of two would guarantee any of the top three a spot in the playoffs, although the big prize for coming first is a bye directly to the semifinal. Head-to-head results act as the first tiebreaker, followed by LSD standings if necessary. 

“We can’t control what other teams do,” said Hiebert. “We just have to go out there every day and do the best we can do.” 

A similar situation is evolving in Men’s Pool B as well. Newfoundland and Labrador’s Simon Perry has skipped is team to a 6-1 record, while Ontario #1 (Evan MacDougall) and Quebec #1 (Raphael Tremblay) both sit at 5-1.  All teams have at least one game to play, while some still have two. That means Saskatchewan #1’s Rogan Snow and Alberta #1’s Peter Hlushak also still have a chance to qualify for the playoffs, as they each only have two losses at this point. 

Thursday’s men’s draws will hit the ice at 10:00 am ET and 6:00 pm. 

Playoffs begin Friday afternoon with the top seed from each pool advancing to the semifinal. Second and Third place teams will play a cross-over qualifier to reach the semi.  

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