It’s back to a familiar place for a Foothills curling skip.
Okotoks native Kyler Kleibrink qualified once again for the Alberta Junior Men’s Curling Championship by earning one of three berths through a challenging southern playdowns last weekend in Medicine Hat.
It wasn’t easy to get through against the southern half of the province’s best in the Hat.
The Okotokian skip, a Foothills Composite graduate and the son of famed Olympic bronze medallist Shannon Kleibrink, shook off a loss to Colton Goller in the A-final to book his provincial ticket in the B-event.
First, he took out Ryan Parent by a 9-5 score to advance to the B-final where the 21-year-old edged out Airdrie’s Desmond Young by an 8-7 score.
Kleibrink scored a single in the extra-end to secure the win in the seesaw affair which saw the skip jump out to a 4-0 advantage.
Kleibrink, along with third Mark Taylor, second Tyler Van Amsterdam and lead Connor Lenton, earlier picked up wins over Black Diamond’s Jacob Libbus and Medicine Hat’s Connor Zeidell.
Team Kleibrink curls out of the Glencoe Club in Calgary.
The skip will be looking for a better finish to last year’s provincials which saw the then third for Jeremy Harty produce an undefeated mark in the championships prior to losing in the final to Karsten Sturmay.
A provincial champion at the Juvenile or U18 level, the Junior title is one of the only things missing on Kleibrink’s impressive resume to date.
Three Foothills Juvenile aged teams showed themselves well at the Junior level.
The Oilfields Curling Club’s Jared Palanuik posted a 3-3 mark at southerns and was one point away from competing in the C-final.
Palanuik ended the playdown hopes of Team Knopp, featuring Okotoks skip Cailen Knopp and third Michael Steele, in the C-event.
Team Knopp finished with a 1-3 mark.
Team Libbus, previous Bantam southern champions, posted a 1-3 record in Medicine Hat.
The Junior women’s southerns, held concurrently in the Hat, saw reigning provincial champion Selena Sturmay from the Glencoe Club, Jessica Wytrychowski of the Calgary Winter Club and Medicine Hat’s McKenna Jones claim the three provincial qualifying spots.
The men’s and women’s Junior Alberta Provincial Championships run from Jan. 4-8 at Edmonton’s curling crown jewel, the Saville Sports Centre.
For more information on the SACA playdowns go to saca.ca
