Youth duo going for title at mixed doubles curling nationals

A 23-year-old and an 18-year-old are stealing the show at the mixed doubles national championship in Leduc, Alta.

Colton Lott, 23, and partner Kadriana Sahaidak, 18, are still the only undefeated team at the event and have now punched their tickets into the finals. 

"This is all new to me. I've never played on arena ice in my life," Sahaidak said. "I'm kind of lost for words. I was hoping for two wins here."

Lott and Sahaidak, who curl out of the Winnipeg Beach Curling Club, defeated Chelsea Carey and Colin Hodgson in Sunday morning's semifinal and are now just one win away from winning the national title and representing Canada at the world mixed doubles curling championship in Sweden in late April. It won't be easy though.

• WATCH | Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships

Their opponent in the final (2 p.m. ET) will be Laura Crocker and Kirk Muyres after they defeated Joanne Courtney and Reid Carruthers in the other semifinal matchup. 

Defending champions out of the running

Courtney and Carruthers won the event last year. They would go on to lose in the gold medal game at the world championships in heartbreaking fashion. They had wanted to get back to worlds for redemption.

Courtney and Carruthers defeated Jocelyn Peterman and Derek Samagalski in the quarter-finals on Saturday night.

"In my mind I'm playing to wear that maple leaf again," Courtney said before Sunday's match. "There are so many great mixed doubles teams here. I'm trying to play without being afraid to miss."

Carruthers says Courtney has been playing with a lot of confidence this week.

"She's been the best player on this team this week," Carruthers said with a smile. "She's made some beauties."

Crocker and Muyres are ready to take on the defending champions and also seem to be bursting with confidence heading into the semifinal.

"Our chemistry is great. We play hard. Our intensity is there," Muyres said. "It would be so cool to wear the maple leaf. That gets me excited. That gets me pumped up."

Canadian wheelchair curling final set

It's a battle of prairie curling teams in the national wheelchair championship set for Sunday afternoon in Leduc.

• WATCH | Canadian Wheelchair Curling Championships

Saskatchewan, skipped by Marie Wright, will play Manitoba, skipped by Dennis Thiessen.

The two were teammates for Canada's wheelchair team in Pyeongchang just a couple of weeks ago.

Wright was lead and Thiessen played second on the bronze medal-winning team while Manitoba's Jamie Anseeuw was also there as the alternate.

Now, they'll square off against each other in the final.

"I'm going to have a thousand butterflies playing against them. I'm ready for it. I play better when I have butterflies," Wright said.

Thiessen can't wait to play his teammate.

"Her and I are really good friends. It's going to be a lot of fun out there," he said.

Thiessen says his team is brimming with confidence heading into the game.

"It means a lot. My teammates are awesome. After losing the first three, the team was quite down. I told them we could bounce back and here we are."