This time it was Sault Ste. Marie’s Eric Harnden, not defending champion brother Al, who won the Dominion of Canada Northern Ontario men’s championship, held at the Englehart Sports Complex, February 4-9.

Harnden, along with sons E.J. (Eric Jr.) and Ryan, at third and second, respectively, and lead Caleb Flaxey, pulled off a shocker by defeating Thunder Bay’s Jeff Currie, 7-3 in the final.

Harnden stole a crucial point in the fourth end, took three in the seventh for a 5-2 lead, then another deuce in nine for the clincher.

Sixteen teams participated in the championship, separated into two groups of eight.  The top three in each group qualified for the cross-over Page playoffs.

Currie won Section B and faced Section A winner Trevor Clifford, also of Thunder Bay in the A1 vs B1 Page game.  Currie won 7-3 to advance to the final.

Meanwhile, Eric Harnden finished with a 5-2 record, good enough for third place in Section B.  His team then won an improbable four games in a row. He first defeated the A2 team skipped by Claude Lapointe of Timmins, 9-5.  Next, it was (A3) Matt Dumontelle of Sudbury, 11-10, followed by A1 winner Trevor Clifford, 7-5. 

And finally, it was Currie who fell to the Harnden squad.

Harnden will be making his third Brier appearance, but first since 1990.  He played second for skip Jack MacFarlane in 1983 in Sudbury (5-6), then was third for Al Harnden in 1990 (8-4, third place), when the Labatt Brier was held in his hometown of Sault Ste. Marie.

Northern Ontario has four Brier wins to its credit, the last two by Al Hackner in 1982 in Brandon and 1985 in Moncton.

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