Image credit: Mike Bernard/Curling Canada

By Marty Hastings

ON PEBBLED ICE

Team Hafeli of Kamloops Curling Club wins U20 national bronze

Mar 31, 2025 | 3:00 PM

SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Team Hafeli won bronze at the New Holland Canadian Under-20 Curling Championships, which wrapped up on Sunday (March 31) in Summerside, P.E.I.

The Kamloops Curling Club women’s rink – which includes skip Holly Hafeli, third Jorja Kopytko, second Gabby Brissette, lead Natalie Hafeli and coach Monica Makar — earned a 6-5 win over Nova Scotia 1 in an extra end in the bronze-medal matchup.

“It took a second to sink in,” said skip Hafeli, whose team represented B.C. at nationals. “At dinner, we were like, ‘Oh, my gosh, we got bronze.’ That’s so great. There are so many teams here that were playing amazing and we were the third best in the country.

“And for it to be such a quick turnaround from such a disappointment, it’s almost a blessing because it doesn’t sting too, too much.”

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Quebec edged the Hafeli rink 6-5 in the semifinal round.

“It hurt a lot,” said Hafeli, who posted a 6-2 record in round-robin action. “Yeah, it was a rough one. I had a shot to win the game and it wasn’t too difficult. Unfortunately, we got in a path that just wasn’t curling. I threw it pretty well. It just didn’t move.”

The Hafeli rink will age out of the junior ranks after this season with a resume that includes two B.C. titles and one bronze medal at nationals.

“It’s really nice to have put our name in that history book,” said Hafeli, whose team posted a 4-4 record to miss the playoffs at the 2022 junior nationals in Stratford, Ont.

Hafeli – also a provincial champion in the under-18 and high school ranks — is a two-time participant at the women’s B.C. championships, posting a 2-5 record in 2024 and 2025.