Music: {allcanada} THREE-WAY TIE FOR FIRST IN POOL A IN CANADIAN JUNIOR CURLING

Monday, February 4, 2013

{allcanada} THREE-WAY TIE FOR FIRST IN POOL A IN CANADIAN JUNIOR CURLING

FORT MCMURRAY, Alta. -- Needing a big win to improve its playoff position, Brady Scharback's Saskatchewan rink played its best game of the 2013 M&M Meat Shops Canadian junior curling championships.

Scharback's team from Saskatoon knocked off previously unbeaten B.C. 9-4 on Monday.

The result created a three-way tie for top spot in Pool A of the men's competition between Saskatchewan, B.C. and Ontario. The top four teams in each seven-team pool will move onto the championship round-robin, beginning Wednesday.

"We came out and we played excellent," Scharback said. "We knew that we had to come out and get a win. You're set for the top four for the next set of round-robin games, but if you want to be in the top three (playoff teams) at the end of the week, you really can't have more than two losses. We need to come out and win the rest of our games."

Taking down Tyler Klymchuk's B.C. squad was a step in the right direction for Scharback.

"It was really nice to do that," he said. "My guys in front of me have been playing excellent this week. I've been kind of not making as many shots as I'd like, but that's definitely the best I've played. But the other guys have been spot on all week."

In other games, New Brunswick's Josh Barry remained the only men's unbeaten team at 5-0 with a 9-2 win over Daniel Murray of the Northwest Territories.

Nova Scotia beat Manitoba 4-3, Quebec defeated Newfoundland and Labrador 6-4, Ontario thumped P.E.I. 7-2, and the Yukon downed Nunavut 7-2.

In women's play, the Yukon's Sarah Koltun improved her playoff hopes significantly with a 10-7 extra-end win over previously undefeated Karynn Flory of Alberta.

The win left Koltun's team from Whitehorse with a 3-1 record, tied with B.C.'s Corryn Brown for first place in their pool.

B.C. had the bye on Monday afternoon.

"Not pretty. But it feels good to come out with a win," said Koltun, who had a shot to win in the 10th end but was heavy with her draw. "We fought hard. We had a few little mistakes, but we were able to come back from them, so it feels good."

In other women's games, Saskatchewan toppled Newfoundland and Labrador 10-3, Nova Scotia beat Quebec 10-5 and New Brunswick defeated Nunavut 21-1.