Young Cochrane curling star Hannah Airey won a bronze medal with Team Alberta at the Canadian U-18 Women's Championships April 9 to 14 in St. Andrews, N.B. The 16-year-old Airey was the lead on Team Alberta, that won nine of their 11 match ups over the course of the competition. The bonspiel had 14 teams divided into two pools, with the top four teams out of each pool making it to the playoffs. The local team started off with a 4-3 loss to Nova Scotia in the opening game, but bounced back and went undefeated throughout the final games of pool play, settling for a 5-1 record, good for second in their group and third out of the 14 teams. The group then started their opening game of the knockout round with a loss to British Columbia by a score of 10-8, but showed resilience once again by defeating North Ontario and New Brunswick to advance to the medal round. Airey and Team Alberta fought hard against Saskatchewan, but lost 6-5 in an extra end which placed the team in the bronze medal match against Ontario, where the team was able to finish the tournament strong with a national bronze medal by a final score of 5-3. "I think the bronze medal game went really well. As a team, we just set aside all distractions as well as past experiences and just went out and played to the best of our abilities," said Airey. "Our minds were all set on one thing and that was to bring home a medal for Alberta ... it was really special for all of us to be able to do so." Airey said the tournament was very tough competition and she was pleased that her and her teammates were able to represent the province well by bringing home a medal. "Winning five of six in the opening round of the tournament gave us confidence going into the knockout stages," Airey said. "The level of competition was very strong. All the teams we played are the best teams in the respective province so they are going to be strong teams to play. All the games we played could have gone either way ... we went in expecting the toughest competition and that's what we got. We had to be on our toes for all the games we were in and be ready for anything to happen throughout the game since every team was really good and well prepared." "It was amazing representing Alberta and having the feeling of bringing a medal back home is something I'll never forget. As a team, we are super proud of the year we had and the goals we obtained. Walking down the sheet of ice right before we were about to get our medals was so amazing with everyone cheering for us ... the support from back home really made it even more special then it already was." This was the first time Airey represented Alberta at a national tournament, and while the town curling star said she was nervous, it didn't affect her play. "At first it was nerve-racking. Playing for Team Alberta, you're representing the whole province and just hoping you can make them proud," said the St. Timothy High School student. "As the week went along, it was amazing knowing that we played well enough as a team at provincials to have the opportunity to represent the place we all call home." Airey will now finish up her school year and take the summer off before she gets back into her usual curling routine, albeit without some key members of the squad that helped bring home the bronze medal. "Next year, I will continue to curl at the same level as I do right now, which is U-18, where we will also be competing in U-21 competitions over the course of the year," Airey said of her upcoming schedule. "Our goal once again is to make nationals and represent Team Alberta. I will be playing with my skip, Ryleigh Bakker, and our fifth, Elysha Crough. Sadly our third, Hannah Phillips, and second, Rhiley Quinn, age out of U-18 so there will be a different look to our team." "It will be nice to have some time off, but I'm also looking forward to starting up the new season."
