Truro’s Karlee Burgess has made Canadian junior curling history.
The third for Manitoba’s Mackenzie Zacharias rink earned her third Canadian title on Sunday when Team Manitoba defeated Alberta's Abby Marks 10-3 in the final of the Canadian junior women's curling championship in Langley, B.C.
Manitoba, which went 10-0 in round-robin play, broke open a close championship match with a four-spot in the eighth end. After Zacharias stole two more in the ninth, the skips shook hands and the rink of Zacharias, Burgess, Emily Zacharias and Lauren Lenentine of Altona Curling Club were crowned national champs.
Burgess becomes the first junior women's curler with three national championships. She also captured Canadian titles as the third for Mary Fay (2016) and Kaitlyn Jones (2018).
The 2020 world junior curling championships begin Feb. 15 in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Alberta, the 2019 champion, advanced to the national final after upending Nova Scotia’s Taylour Stevens 6-5 in Saturday's semifinal.
Stevens, trailing 5-4 heading into the 10th end, pushed Alberta to an extra end but could only manage a single point with last-rock advantage.
In the 11th, Marks didn't need to throw the final stone and escaped with the narrow victory.
Nova Scotia, which settled for bronze, pulled ahead 2-0 early into the match. But Alberta would rebound with a third-end three, followed by a stolen single in the fourth, which turned the game around.
Stevens' Halifax Curling Club team of Lindsey Burgess, Kate Callaghan and Cate Fitzgerald closed out preliminary play with an 8-2 record to advance directly to the semifinal.
Alberta defeated New Brunswick 10-3 in a tiebreaker earlier Saturday.
On Saturday, Karlee Burgess was named a first-team all-star at third, joining teammates Zacharias (skip) and Lauren Lenentine (lead).
Lyndsey Burgess earned the Ken Watson Sportsmanship Award, as voted by the players, while Callaghan will take home an ASHAM Fair Play Award, as selected by the officials.
In the junior men's championship, Nova Scotia - represented by the Chester rink of Graeme Weagle, Owen Purcell, Jeffrey Meagher and Scott Weagle - finished at 5-5.
Manitoba and Newfoundland and Labrador played in the men's final later Sunday.
Meagher was selected as a first-team all-star at second while Scott Weagle took second-team all-star honours at lead, in a tie with Newfoundland's Nathan King.
Nova Scotia coach Anthony Purcell earned an ASHAM Fair Play Award.
