Sundre's Rebecca Konschuh is coming home a Canadian champion.
Konschuh, 19, and her curling teammates Jocelyn Peterman, Brittany Tran and Kristine Anderson from the Red Deer Curling Club won the Canadian Junior Ladies Curling Championships in Napanee, Ont. over the weekend with an impressive 12-6 win over Manitoba's Shannon Birchand in the final game.
Both teams ended round robin play with 10-2 records but Manitoba was given first place and a bye to the final due to their earlier round robin win over Alberta.
Team Alberta moved to semifinal play where they narrowly defeated a strong B.C. team giving them another chance at Manitoba, this time for the Canadian Championship.
"We were a little nervous going into the semifinal game. I didn't play well in that game," said Konschuh after returning from Napanee. "But we curled good in the final and I played better as well."
The game, featured on TSN Saturday evening, saw Alberta score a big four ender in end four and then steal a whopping five points in the next end to take a comanding 9-1 lead at the midway point. Konschuh contributed big to the four ender with a nifty hit and roll behind cover on her first stone. The shot proved to be the turning point in the game according to curling guru and TSN commentator Russ Howard. Manitoba scored a deuce in end six and another three in end eight while Alberta replied with a single in seven and another two in end nine to seal the win.
"We are feeling great right now," said Konschuh. "It is kind of surreal. We went into this just hoping to make the playoffs and then take it from there, we now need to get ready for Sweden."
The World Championships are slated for Ostersund, Sweden, March 3 to 11. The team will leave February 28 in order to get in a few days rest prior to the start of competition.
In Junior Men's play, Team Alberta, skipped by Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton, will also be making the trip, as they defeated Northern Ontario in the final game on Sunday evening to be crowned men's champions.
