Three teams threw their names into the proverbial hat at the Yukon Curling Associations Territorial Men’s Championships at the Whitehorse Curling Club this past weekend. At stake for the winner, was a shot to represent the Yukon at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier.

After going 4-0 during the championship, Team Scoffin punched their ticket to Kingston, Ont. when the Brier begins Feb. 29. Skip Thomas Scoffin, third Brett Winfield, second Trygg Jensen and lead Joe Wallingham will all don the Yukon across their chest.

Scoffin said that although his rink went undefeated, the draws were still closely contested.

“They were close battles this weekend,” said Scoffin. “You can’t take any days off and we played how we wanted to play.”

For Scoffin, it will be his second time at the Brier. Last year, he didn’t make it to playdowns but said the team continued to improve because of the close-knit curling community in the Yukon.

“It’s a tight community,” said Scoffin. “We compete against the other teams during league play. We are always pushing each other to get better.”

Scoffin said the Yukon team will be the youngest at the Brier. The goal he said, is for the team to continue to gain experience.

“I’m confident we got a good team and we’ll improve on past performances,” said Scoffin. “We are not expecting to win. It’s a super-high calibre at the Brier and we will compete every game.

“The goals are geared toward performance. This is the biggest stage in Canadian curling and we’ll use it as a stepping-stone to gain experience.”

Although they will be the youngest team in Kingston, Scoffin isn’t concerned about the other team’s experience.

“Curling is a sport you can play for a while,” said Scoffin. “We are excited to be there and not worried about the age difference.”

Scoffin said the Yukon team is relishing the opportunity to play some of the best rinks the country has to offer.

“It’s always fun to have the chance to play the best teams in the country,” said Scoffin. “One thing about curling is you are never out of it, anyone has a chance to win.”

The pools are yet to be decided but Scoffin said he would like to face the Northwest Territories team.

“It’s always fun to play Jamie Koe’s rink,” said Scoffin. “David Aho is a former teammate of mine.”

With the championships now in the rearview mirror, Scoffin said the rink is diligently practicing.

“It’s lots of practice and lots of hours at the rink getting prepared,” said Scoffin. “There are no free spaces on the bingo card and we want to bring our best.”

One aspect of the Brier the team is focusing in on, Scoffin said, is the atmosphere surrounding it.

“We started to chat about that, how it’s the biggest stage in Canadian curling,” said Scoffin. “We are excited about it. I remember my first game of my first Brier being very nervous playing in front of a packed house.”

Scoffin said they will look to harness those nerves to put in good performances.

“There is some strategy to change pressure into focus,” said Scoffin. “That will come as we get used to the atmosphere. We don’t shy away from pressure. We perform our best in those situations.”

Scoffin said it is great to be able to the represent the Yukon on a stage such as the Brier.

“It’s always an honour to wear the Yukon colours and have the flag on your back,” said Scoffin. “It’s special to get to a national event.”