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Adams Jr. enjoying curling success in return to city

After nearly 10 years in Geraldton, the three-time Northern Ontario junior champion is sitting in second place in Tbaytel Major League of Curling play, at 4-1.
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Skip Brian Adams Jr. has 12 of a possible 15 points through five weeks of Tbaytel Major League of Curling action at Port Arthur Curling Club. (Leith Dunick, tbnewswatch.com)

THUNDER BAY – It’s been about a decade since Brian Adams Jr. last competed in Tbaytel Major League of Curling.

Sometimes life circumstances just get in the way.

Adams, who grew up surrounded by curling, left Thunder Bay to seek his fame and fortune in Geraldton, but said it was time to head back home.

A three-time Northern Ontario junior curling champion, and a finalist at the 2014 Northern Ontario provincial playdowns, losing to Jeff Currie in the championship match, Adams Jr. said the curling just wasn’t the same in Geraldton.

Not that he appears rusty.

Not in the least.

With the old gang back together, joined this season by Mark and Colin Koivula and brother Joel Adams at lead, the Adams rink has roared out to a 4-1 start this season, good for third in the Major League standings.

The latest triumph came on Wednesday night at Port Arthur Curling Club, knocking off Jodi Judd 7-2 in Week 5 play.

“I always felt bad that I had to leave Major League. I played in it ever since I was a junior and it’s great competitive curling here in Thunder Bay. It wasn’t the same where had moved to, so I’d been itching to get back for years,” said Adams, 41, who won a Major League title in 2005-06 playing third for John Salo’s squad.

Was he expecting to win four of his first five games back? Not necessarily, but he also wasn’t expecting not to win them either.

“It’s a great start. We’re seeing a lot of consistency early, a lot of great shot-making. It’s a newly reformed team and we’re communicating well, so we’re off to a great start.”

Adams took control of Wednesday’s match in the second, scoring three to go up 3-1. He stole singles in the third and fourth and two more in the fifth, the teams shaking hands after six.

It turns out the playoff-seeking team needed the three points for the regulation win, as the top four teams pulled off wins.

Al Hackner, who leads the way at 5-0, had little problem downing Ben Mikkelsen, stealing three in the third and adding another three with hammer in the fifth on the way to a 9-3 triumph.

The Trevor Bonot rink, missing their skip and third Mike McCarville, who are competing at the Canadian Mixed Nationals, scored four in the fifth and finished off two-time defending champion Dylan Johnston 8-3. Gary Weiss needed to win the shot-to-the-button competition to edge Dallas Burgess 7-6. Krista McCarville defeated Ron Rosengren 5-2 and Denis Malette hit double figures, downing Nicole Westlund-Stewart 10-3.

In the only other match of the night, Bryan Burgess stole a pair in the eighth to eke out a 4-2 win over Kory Carr.  

In the house: Bonot’s rink is 4-2 at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship and will take on Quebec’s Felix Asselin (4-1) on Thursday.



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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