TIMMINS – Claire Dubinsky dropped her first game at the Northern Ontario U18 provincial girls curling championship.
She hasn’t lost since.
The Thunder Bay skip rolled into the championship round on Saturday night, downing Fort Frances’ Emma Tucker 12-2 to finish round-robin play with a 6-1 record.
Dubinsky, who trailed 1-0 through two ends, turned things around in the third, scoring three to jump in front 3-1. She stole three more in the fourth and another in the fifth and was off to the races, up 7-1.
The foursome, which includes lead Lily Ariganello, second Bella McCarville and third Rylie Paul, put the match away, putting up five in the seventh, the two teams shaking hands at that point.
Thunder Bay’s other entry in the event, being contested in Timmins, lost their final round-robin match, but will move on to Sunday’s semifinal.
Lily Wright, lead Isabella Bron, second Sienna Desilets and third Caitlin Nephin dropped an 8-4 decision to Deanna Chilton, to finish at 4-3, tied for third with New Liskeard’s Rhya Baker.
Wright beat Baker in the round robin to claim third place, and will take on Chilton for a second straight match on Sunday morning, the winner meeting Dubinsky in the final.
In the boys’ event Thunder Bay’s Josh Hari dropped his final match, edged 5-2 by North Bay’s Riley Winters, who stole a single in the ninth to stop Hari from sending the game to an extra end.
Hari finished 1-3 for the week.
Winters and Sault Ste. Marie’s Justin MacKay will tangle in Sunday morning’s final.
