The Paul Carr foursome has dug itself a bit of a hole to start the Canadian Masters Curling Championship.
The Thunder Bay rink fell 5-2 on Tuesday afternoon to Harold Breckenbridge`s Alberta squad, dropping to 0-2 on Day 2 of the week-long event at the Port Arthur Curling Club.
Down two in the seventh, Carr stared down a takeout of two Alberta rocks to square the match 4-4, but missed the shot and the Western Canadian team wound up with a steal of one and a stranglehold in the eight-end match.
That was the key to the match, said Carr, whose teammates include lead Ed Koivula, second Ken Ketonen and third Glen Fossum.
“It just floated a little on us. We really had an opportunity. We had lots of opportunities that end. They came up with the big shots. They made a couple of doubles and a pick, and unfortunately we missed that double we need desperately to get back in it,” Carr said.
The Northern Ontario team, which missed the playoffs at last year’s Canadian Masters in Montreal, is having a slow go of it, Carr added, though he thinks they’re playing well.
The other teams are just playing a little better.
“The competition is really good. Last night we struggled a little bit with the ice. But today it was just a well-played game. All credit to Alberta. They came out firing and they played well to beat us. I thought it was an excellent game.”
In Monday’s opener against the Northwest Territories, Northern Ontario scored three in the seventh to go up 6-3, only to pick twice in the eighth and surrender four in the eighth to fall 7-6.
In other men’s Draw 4 play, Manitoba, who will take on Carr in Tuesday’s evening draw, thumped New Brunswick 12-3, Saskatchewan downed Yukon 12-3 and the Northwest Territories beat British Columbia 6-1.
On the women’s side, Northern Ontario team skip Marion Clark’s team lasted just five ends, dropping a lopsided 8-1 decision to the Northern Ontario host representatives from Sudbury, skipped by Brenda Johnston.
Clark’s record slipped to 1-1.
Alberta nudged Quebec 5-4, Manitoba dropped Newfoundland 7-4 and B.C. crushed Yukon 9-2 in other women’s action.
