Levesque rink drops squeaker to Alberta

Northern Ontario was rolling along merrily Thursday against the front-running team from Alberta.

But the last three ends proved to be disastrous, as the front-running western Canadian squad, skipped by Bruno Yizek scored a pair in the sixth to tie the game 4-4, then stole deuces in the seventh and eighth ends en route to an 8-4 win.

The loss drops Carl Levesque’s Northern Ontario squad to 4-3, in a three-way tie for the fourth and final playoff spot at the championship, being contested this week at Fort William Gardens.

Alberta improved to 6-1 with the win. Saskatchewan and Quebec are tied for second at 5-2.

Ontario and Manitoba, who also lost on Thursday morning, are the other teams with three losses. The top four teams make the playoffs, with any necessary tiebreakers scheduled for Friday afternoon.

Ontario will place the designated host squad from Sudbury, with a 1-6 record, in Thursday’s afternoon draw.