For the second straight year, none of the three northern territories are represented in the main draw of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Each of Yukon, Northwest Territories and Nunavut went home early after British Columbia emerged as victor of the pre-qualifying tournament Saturday.

Karla Thompson of Kamloops beat Kerry Galusha of Yellowknife 8-5 in the play-in game to become the 12th team in the main draw of the national women’s curling championship in Grande Prairie, Alta.

Last year, Northern Ontario beat out the territories in the preliminary round.

The results saw Nicole Baldwin’s Yukon rink head back to Whitehorse early after finishing 1-2 in three games.

Baldwin opened last Thursday with a 10-7 loss to former Scotties teammate Galusha.

Up 8-7, Galusha stole two more points in the 10th as Baldwin’s double runback attempt with hammer missed by just over a centimetre.

Baldwin then lost 8-4 to Thompson on Friday before thumping Nunavut’s Geneva Chislett 12-1 to close out the tournament.

The early exit stung Baldwin, who captained a rink that also included third Steph Jackson-Baier from Victoria, second Ladene Shaw, lead Rhonda Horte and fifth Sandra Mikkelsen.

Still, the 35-year-old said the experience was fantastic.

“It was fantastic – I’m not going to lie,” she told the Star. “Being out there, knowing that you’re representing a territory – you can’t really put words into it.”

Baldwin said her rink represented the Whitehorse Curling Club with class.

“We played well – we excelled at points,” she said. “We just didn’t capitalize on a couple ends. I feel like we did what we went there to do.

“The girls played fantastic. I’m so proud of them. Not being able to be in the main draw is a little disappointing, but we gave it all we could. We were just getting our feet under us – and then it was over.”

Yukon curlers nearly earned a berth in a tiebreaking game, but watched that possibility slip through the cracks as B.C. beat N.W.T. 8-6 in an extra end in the final pre-qualification match.

That result saw B.C. and N.W.T. finish with 2-1 records, and earned them a rematch in the play-in game.

The territories will endure one more year of the relegation format, before changes in 2018 will see all areas of Canada represented in the main draw.

“That’s one of the drawbacks of the current process they have in place,” Baldwin said, on the lack of northern representation.

Nunavut made history at the Scotties, beating B.C. 8-7 to secure their first-ever victory at nationals, as well as dressing the event’s youngest player ever – 16-year-old Sadie Pinksen.