There was no Tim Hortons involved, but Airdrie curler Aaron Sluchinski still got the double-double.
On Feb. 21, Sluchinski and his curling partner Brittany Tran secured their second consecutive Alberta mixed-doubles provincial title, beating Abby Marks and Andrew Gittis 9-3 in the gold-medal match at the Granite Curling Club in Edmonton.
Leading 5-3 after six ends, Sluchinski and Tran scored four points in a strong seventh end to create a comfortable six-point lead, which they were able to hold onto for the remainder of the match.
Sluchinski said the 2022 championship was just as sweet as least year’s, adding he felt he and Tran faced additional challenges this time around, as there was more of a target on their backs.
“It was a little more of a grind,” he said. “We dropped a few games and there was a little more adversity we had to overcome, but it always feels good to win.”
The pair recorded a 7-2 record throughout the bonspiel, their two defeats coming at the hands of Team Kayla Skrlik and Gregg Hamilton, and Team Michael Lambert and Krysta Hilker.
After losing two of their opening four matches, Sluchinski and Tran rallied back to win their final five draws.
“I feel like every team brought their A game against us, but we were able to find ways to grind out wins,” Sluchinski said, adding he and Tran have developed solid communication skills, having curled together for three seasons.
“It’s always tougher to defend a title because everyone is gunning for you, so it feels good.”
Unfortunately for Sluchinski and Tran, there will be no national mixed-doubles title to vie for this year, as the national tournament was cancelled earlier this winter as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Last year, the pair competed as Alberta’s representative rink, and finished in the round of 12 with a 4-3 record. Their final loss came at the hands of Brad Gushue and Kerri Einarson, who went on to win the tournament.
Brier bound
While there is no national mixed-doubles title to prepare for this season, Sluchinski’s season is not quite over yet.
He will be travelling to Lethbridge for the 2022 Tim Hortons Brier this week as the alternate for Team Bottcher.
The short trip south will mark Sluchinski’s first time at a Brier, which is Canada’s national men’s curling championship. The televised tournament will be held from March 4 to 13 at the Enmax Centre.
“That will be a good experience as well,” said Sluchinski, adding he would get to play in the event one of his teammates suffers an injury or records a positive COVID-19 test result.
“I’ll go there, scout rocks, and practise to help them prepare.”
After the Brier, Sluchinski said he has one more bonspiel in his schedule this season, taking place in late March in Leduc.
