Chad Cowan will be the number one Yukon team heading into territorial playdowns Feb. 13 while Brian Wasnea will be number two.

Cowan, lead Ross Milward, second James Buyck and third Wade Scoffin finished the Yukon championship, held at the Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre over the weekend, with a record of 4-2.

For Milward, the weekend's victory was a relief.

He missed the first round of playdowns in Watson Lake Jan. 22-25, as well as the first three games on the weekend, because he was playing for Paul Hunter at the senior nationals in Vernon, B.C.

He flew back into Whitehorse Friday night after the Hunter rink finished with a record of 2-9.

Milward said missing those games was hard on him, both emotionally and mentally.

'Me being at the seniors hurt the dynamic a bit,' explained Milward, who has been curling with Cowan for five years.

'It put me in a real spot. The senior team was relying on me. I'm estatic now that we've got through this and can move on.'

Cowan said Milward knew from the start of the season he would be curling on both teams, but didn't see the conflict.

'Once we realized it, we sat down and talked,' said Cowan. 'We said, What do we have to do if you make it to seniors?' So as soon as he made it, we knew exactly what we had to do.'

Cowan asked Darol Stuart to curl as a fifth for the team. Cowan said they picked him because he was similar to Milward very knowledgable and supportive.

It ended up working.

'We were satisfied,' said Cowan. 'We had some very close games. We felt we probably could have won one or two more games, but overall, it felt good.

'Darol worked really well in Watson Lake. And with Ross being gone, James' role has increased dramatically.'

The team won its first game last Thursday evening, but had a rough day Friday, losing two games.

'Friday, I was a little off my draw weight and couldn't get my rocks in the house,' said Cowan. 'We were down four against Abel, but came back to tie it and then lost it in the extra end. It was an interesting game.

'Saturday morning, we got back on track pretty much.'

Cowan said the team faced some tough competition this year, evident by the game against Abel.

'We always expect the best,' he said. 'These are some very strong teams.'

Most of the curlers from the championship play each other in Superleague, so there's always a chance to try different strategies against them, Cowan said.

'Before the game, we always have a discussion on how we want to play that team,' he explained.

As for the competition in a couple of weeks, Cowan admitted he's not too familiar with the teams in Yellowknife this year.

'We always expect Steve Moss to be there, ' he said. 'He has a strong team.'

The Cowan rink will also need to get past fellow Yukoners Wasnea, Pat Molloy, Bruce Hunt and Kevin Sumner to win a spot at the Brier.

The Wasnea rink won the second spot at territorials by defeating Curtis Prosko in the extra end of a tie-breaker Sunday.

'We're always trying to curl an average of 80 per cent as a team,' said Cowan of his goals for the playdowns. 'If you're curling over 80, you're going to win games.

'We just want to win it. We have to play each team twice again, so it will be tough.'

Everybody on the Cowan team has been to the Brier before while both Cowan and Milward have already been to Saskatoon, where the championship will be held this year.

They've also learned to deal with the media exposure.

'In some ways, it works against you because it's overwhelming,' said Cowan. 'But you learn to focus and block everything out.'

Milward said the team will shoot for a record of about 500 if they get to the Brier.

'About 500 would be good,' said Cowan. 'A 6-5 record would be awesome.'

The team will continue to practise for the next couple of weeks, as well as take part in Superleague games.

The Sports North Sportsmen's Bonspeil will be held at Mount McIntyre Recreation Centre this coming weekend. Cowan said the team members will all be taking part, although they will split up.

'We're just going to relax,' he said. 'It's just for fun. We're more into getting people to come out.'

You can sign up for the bonspiel at the Whitehorse Curling Club, or by calling 667-CURL.