TWO BIG WINS FOR CANADIANS AT JR. MIXED DOUBLES WORLDS

Canada looked good in their first game at the Booster Juice World Junior Mixed Doubles Championship in Edmonton. They looked absolutely dominant in the next two. 

Canadians Brooklyn Ideson and Owen Henry (Ilderton, Ont.) posted two wins on Wednesday, improving to a 3-0 record with two convincing wins. 

The duo defeated Sweden’s Moa Dryburgh and Vilmer Nygren, 6-2, in the morning draw, before besting Germany’s Emma Waltenberger and Lukas Jaeger, 13-2, in six ends later in the day.  

“3-0 is the dream start for us,” said Henry. “We’re just trying to count the wins one at a time and keep the momentum rolling into the later stages of the week.” 

“We are definitely starting to gain some steam,” said Ideson. “To pick up two wins against a couple of great teams is big early in the week.” 

Through three games, the Canadians have outscored their opponents 29-5, controlling all three games, and limiting opponents’ scoring chances. 

“This morning vs. Sweden felt like a must-win game,” said Henry. “We’re not doing too hot on our LSD [Last Shot Draw] scores, so we wanted to make sure we beat the other teams that might be around at the end of the week and hopefully take the potential tiebreakers out of it.” 

“The game against Sweden this morning definitely got the blood flowing,” said Ideson. “We really wanted that one and were able to make some good draws to set ourselves up for big scores.” 

Coach Mark Ideson and Team Leader Laura Walker have been on the bench supporting the duo all week. 

“Knowing that my dad and Laura have been in those kinds of big games and experienced the emotions that come with them is comforting,” said Ideson. “Their belief in us to rise in high-pressure moments makes for a strong foundation of trust among the four of us.” 

Canada leads Pool D with a perfect record, and will face Finland’s Lara Sajaniemi and Santeri Jokiharju, who are currently 2-0 in pool play. Later in the day, they’ll face New Zealand’s Ellie McKenzie and Jed Nevill, who are currently 1-1. 

For scores and schedules, visit https://livescores.worldcurling.org/wjmdcc/default . For streaming, go to Youtube and find Curling Stadium Edmonton.