Draw 3 of the BC U18 Curling Championships at the Richmond Curling Centre featured two A Qualifier games – one on the boys’ side and one on the girls’ side.

On the boys’ side, it was Team Tam (Port Moody, Salmon Arm) versus Team Blaeser (Vernon, Salmon Arm). With some sharp shooting from both teams, it was a close game all the way through. A precise last rock in off by Team Tam finalized an 8-6 win for them.

On the girls’ side, it was Team Hafeli (Kamloops) versus Team Wong (Royal City, Vancouver). Team Hafeli posted a 4-point steal in the 7^th end to seal the win, with a final score of 9-3.

As winners of the A Qualifiers, Team Tam and Team Hafeli get a bye to the championship finals. The boys’ final is set for Friday, December 30, 2022 at 7:00PM, while the girls’ final is on Saturday, December 31, 2022 at 2:00PM. Qualifying for the BC final also guarantees a trip to the Canadian U18 Nationals in Timmins, Ontario from February 5-11, 2023 for both teams.

“This is our first U18 nationals,” said Team Hafeli lead, Natalie Hafeli. “Even though we did go to U21 nationals in the previous season, this is an exciting experience to go to U18s in our last year.”

“This is probably one of the best rinks we’ve played at,” Natalie added. “I couldn’t have asked for better ice conditions and ice techs.”

There was even more curling to enjoy from the B Event, with one boys’ game and two girls’ games.

Team Shelin (Comox) took on Team Patterson (Dawson Creek) in the lone boys’ B Event game. Each team used their first hammer of the game to score three. In the end, it was Team Patterson that finished strong with an 11-5 win.

On the girls’ side, Team Norrington (Port Moody) faced Team Manning (Penticton). With only a one-point difference at the break, it was a tight game all the way through. Team Norrington held the hammer in the last end, but Team Manning expertly placed their last rock to assure their win, with a final score of 6-5.

Team Duncan (Comox, Duncan, Vancouver, Port Moody) found their stride against Team Dezura (Golden Ears) to pave the way to their first win of the tournament with a score 8-1. Team Duncan will move through to the B semi-final versus Team Wong, while Team Dezura awaits their opponent in the C Event.

This BC Championship is funded in part by a grant from viaSport BC and the Province of British Columbia through the Hosting BC program.