KINGSTON, ON. – The NAIT Ooks will have a presence at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, which kicks off tomorrow in Kingston, Ontario. 4th-year skip, Trygg Jensen will be competing for Team Yukon at this year's national championship. Along with Jensen, former Ook Brett Winfield will be joining him curling for the most western territory. NAIT Head Coach Jules Owchar will also be in Kingston; however, he will not be coaching any Ooks. He will be making his 18th appearance at the national tournament this year as a coach for Newfoundland and Labrador's Brad Gushue.
Former ACAC Male Curler of the Year, Trygg Jensen qualifies for the Brier as a third on team Yukon after going undefeated in the territory's qualifying tournament.
"I'm excited to get there and share the ice with some of the top teams in the world," said Jensen.
Team Yukon's first game will be against team New Brunswick on February 29th. The opening match is a must-win in Jensen's eyes:
"Our goal is to advance to the championship round, to do so we will likely need at least a 4-3 record in pool play."
The tournament features 16 teams, one from every province/territory, plus a team from northern Ontario, a wild card team, and Team Canada (winners of the Brier from the previous year). The top four teams from each pool of eight will advance into the championship round, where they will play the top four teams from the other pool. The teams with the top four combined records will advance to the playoffs. The winner of the 2020 Brier will advance to the 2020 World Curling Championship in Glasgow Scotland at the end of March.
"We need to stay focused and take the tournament game by game. It can be easy to look past a couple of games in anticipation of playing Team Canada or some of the other strong teams," said Jensen. "We need to trust our abilities and not let the "big stage" rattle us. If we can do that, I think we can compete with all of the teams, and win a few games.
Jensen is no stranger to the national stage as he has competed in five Junior Canadian Championships, which led to a successful ACAC career, where he has 52-28 career record.
Joining Trygg is former teammate Brett Winfield, who was added to team Yukon this year as an "import" after playing on the 2018-2019 NAIT men's curling team alongside Jensen. The team captured bronze at the CCAA Curling National Championships the past two years.
"They are two of the better curlers we have had in recent years, last year they had a few bad bounces and fell just short of an ACAC gold and ended up capturing CCAA bronze, I think if they focus they can find some success this week," said NAIT head coach Jules Owchar. "It's exciting for our program along with the ACAC."
Canadian Curling Hall of Fame inductee and long time head coach of the NAIT Ooks, Jules Owchar, will also be at the Brier as a coach for the Gushue rink out of Newfoundland and Labrador. This year is Owchar's 18th appearance at the Brier, he has coached Kevin Martin, Ken Hunka and for the last few years, Brad Gushue.
"It's been a good run, second, two wins and a third. Hopefully, we can back to the winner's circle this year," said Owchar. "The curling has become so competitive over the years. One good shot or one bad shot can be the difference-maker."
Jensen and Owchar are in opposite pools to start the tournament, so can only meet up in the championship round, should both teams qualify.
"My personal goal is to get out of pool play so we can meet up with Jules and the Gushue team. Curling against my current coach on the national stage would be a pretty cool experience," said Jensen.
Both Owchar and Jensen are skipping the ACAC Curling Championships, which are being held in Red Deer, Alberta, this weekend. Should the Ooks qualify for CCAA National Championships, Trygg and Jules will be flying to Manitoba to join the rest of the Ooks immediately following the Brier.
Sam Nahrgang • Sports Information • (780) 471-7606 • snahrgang@nait.ca