LITTLE CURRENT—The Chandler Rink out of the Little Current Curling Club and the Assad Rink out of the Copper Cliff Curling Club had local lads among their roster and were greeted with great enthusiasm and support from Island fans as they took part in the Men’s Northern Ontario Curling Association Championships, but in the end both teams saw their Montana Briar dreams dashed.
The Chandler Rink included skip Jordan Chandler, vice Connor Lawes, second Charlie Robert and lead Kyle Chandler.
The Assad Rink included skip Mike Assad, vice Jason Strelezki, second Chris Gordon and lead Matthew Gordon, the latter two having strong Island connections (see front page story in the January 24 edition of The Expositor).
Despite some stellar shots throughout the tournament, and more than a few nail-biting ends—including three extras, the Chandler Rink succumbed in the C Division playdowns putting them out of the running for the championship game.
“It was a good turnout,” said Jordan Chandler, who expressed gratitude for the fantastic fan support he and his rink received from the hometown crowd. “Unfortunately, we didn’t play our best.” This marks the end of the Chandler Rink’s competition season for 2024.
Mr. Assad was philosophical about the loss after struggling to come back from a three-rock end early in their last game. “We did better than a lot of people thought we would,” he said. “We were the 10th seed coming in.” The Assad Rink was using the NOCA tournament as preparation for the Traveller’s Curling Club Championship later this season—so there will be plenty of opportunity to cheer the Gordon boys on.
