Team Newfoundland and Labrador skip Nathan Young makes as shot as he plays Team Alberta at the Tim Hortons Brier in Lethbridge, Alta., Saturday, March 5, 2022. Young defeated Greg Smith 8-6 on Sunday to win the Newfoundland and Labrador Tankard and qualify for the Tim Hortons Brier. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Nathan Young defeated Greg Smith 8-6 on Sunday to win the Newfoundland and Labrador Tankard and qualify for the Tim Hortons Brier.
Young scored three points in the eighth end and made a hit for a single in the 10th to lock up the win.
Tyler Smith earned Prince Edward Island’s crown with a 9-5 victory over Darren Higgins.
Later Sunday, Glenn Howard and Mike McEwen were scheduled to play in Ontario’s final and Tanner Horgan was to meet Sandy MacEwan for the Northern Ontario title.
Nova Scotia’s men’s final is schedule for Monday.
British Columbia’s Jacques Gauthier, Quebec’s Felix Asselin, Yukon’s Thomas Scoffin and Nunavut’s Jake Higgs have already qualified for the March 3-12 Brier in London, Ont.
Defending champion Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L. returns as the Canada entry.
Young, 19, was an alternate on Gushue’s team that won November’s Pan Continental championship in Calgary.
Young skipped Newfoundland and Labrador to a 1-7 record in last year’s Brier in Lethbridge, Alta.
Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, New Brunswick and the Northwest Territories will hold their playdowns next month.
Three wild-card entries in the 18-team Brier field will come from the top three non-qualified teams in the Canadian Team Rankings System (CTRS) at the conclusion of all provincial and territorial championships.
Alberta’s Brendan Bottcher, Manitoba’s Matt Dunstone, Gushue, Alberta’s Kevin Koe and Manitoba’s Reid Carruthers ranked first to fifth Sunday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 29, 2023.
