Following this morning’s “A” finals at the Pepsi Provincial Junior (U21) Curling Championships at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, the first of a possible total of three qualifying teams for the junior men’s and women’s championship rounds on Sunday have now been determined.

Tyler Smith

Lauren Ferguson

The Tyler Smith foursome from the host club won the junior men’s “A” qualifier with an 8-1 victory in six ends over the Brayden Snow foursome from the Silver Fox in Summerside, while the Lauren Ferguson squad were tied with their Cornwall clubmates the Rachel MacLean team after seven ends, but a steal of  four in the eighth gave Ferguson the advantage, and she went on to win 7-4.

Play continues with “B” section games at 2 pm. Ferguson and Smith also get to play in the “B” section in this modified triple knockout format and, if they win their games at 7 pm, will play in the B finals at 9 am on Saturday. If a team wins two sections, they will have a “double life” and have to be beaten twice in the championship round on Sunday. If Ferguson or Smith were to win all three sections, they would be declared the champion without the Sunday playoff round.

Full schedule is on the event web page at: https://peicurling.com/juniors20182019/

The PEI champions will advance to the 2019 New Holland Canadian Junior Men’s and Women’s Curling Championships, to be played Jan. 19-27 in Prince Albert Saskatchewan, co-hosted by the Art Hauser Centre and the Prince Albert Golf and Curling Club.