Saskatchewan, skipped by Jason Ackerman of Regina, stole its way to an 8-7 extra end victory over Alberta (Kurt Balderston of Grande Prairie) in the 49th edition of the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, Saturday at the Sudbury Curling Club.
2012 Canadian Mixed Curling Champions – Team Saskatchewan
Saskatchewan managed to steal a total of four points during the game – singles in the fourth, seventh and 10th ends, then the winning point in the 11th.
It was the first extra end Mixed final since Nova Scotia’s Paul Flemming edged Alberta’s Shannon Kleibrink, 12-11 in 2003 in Abbotsford, BC.
“You dream about it,” said the 32-year-old Ackerman, whose team appeared beaten after giving up three in the eighth to fall behind, 7-4. But a deuce in the ninth end, followed by dramatic steals in the 10th and 11th ends got the job done. It turned out to be the only time in the game they were actually in front, after falling behind in the first end, 3-0, then chasing throughout.
“You know, you just keep grinding. I threw two of the worst rocks I’ve thrown all week in the eighth end,” explained Ackerman. “They were bad enough to give them three, but you’ve just got to keep grinding, stay in the moment, keep enjoying it and hopefully things will work out.”
In the extra end, “They (Alberta) got a little bit of a bad break when they tried to peel a rock on the outside part of the rings, but wound up ticking the corner guard and moving it to the centre line, giving us a centre guard. We were in trouble the whole end. So then it was game on. Kurt had a three-quarter rock triple (with his last stone) but he hit it a little too thin.”
It is the first Mixed title for Ackerman, third Chantelle Eberle, second Dean Hicke and lead Colleen Ackerman, who represented the Tartan Curling Club.