IQALUIT, November 8, 2008…The Canadian Mixed Curling Championship got underway Saturday evening at the Arniatok Arena, as 12 teams, representing the 10 provinces plus Northern Ontario and the Territories, took to the ice.

It’s the first time in history that a Canadian sport championship has been held in Iqaluit, located in the territory of Nunavut. 

The field for the 46th edition of the Mixed, which is being presented by First Air, includes 2004 Brier champion Mark Dacey of Nova Scotia.   The teams will compete in a round robin, which concludes on Friday, after which the first place team advances directly to the final on Saturday, November 15, while the second and third place teams meet in a semi-final to determine the other finalist.

Alberta has won a leading nine Mixed titles since the championship began in 1964 in Toronto, including last year’s edition, when Dean Ross of Calgary defeated Ontario’s Bob Turcotte in the final.

In addition to a Canadian title, two players from the winning team will also represent Canada at the 2009 World Mixed Doubles Championship, slated for April 17-25, 2009 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.

In first draw action on Saturday, Manitoba (Sean Grassie of Winnipeg) pummeled Ontario (Wayne Tuck of Brantford), 8-2, taking four in the ninth to put the game away; British Columbia (Greg Monkman of New Westminster) edged the Territories (George Lennie of Inuvik), 5-4; Saskatchewan (Darrell McKee of Saskatoon) whipped Newfoundland and Labrador (Andrew Mercer of St. John’s), 8-4, while Northern Ontario (Ian Fisher of Sault Ste. Marie) defeated Prince Edward Island (Bill Hope of Charlottetown), 9-6.

Round robin play continues on Sunday, with draws at 10:00 am, 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm ET.

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