If the Yukon curlers wanted to provide maximum entertainment for their hometown, they couldn't have found a better formula for this Arctic Winter Games.

Both were on the ice this morning playing for gold. Both went to last rocks in the 10th end Thursday afternoon to get there.

After five ends late this morning as the Star was preparing to go to press, it was tight, just as it was yesterday: N.W.T's junior female rink was leading Yukon 4-1.

Yukon's junior males were leading Alberta North 5-3.

The junior boy's rink ended the round-robin play in first place with a unblemished record of four wins, no losses. The junior girls ended it in a three-way tie for first, with three wins and one loss. They were elevated to first because of their record through the week in the each pre-game draw-to-the-button to determine who starts with the hammer. Their average distance from dead centre 35 metres away – four centimetres.

In the first game of the playoffs Thursday morning, with the Yukon girls facing second-place N.W.T. to see who would move on to the gold metal game, and who would have to play again in the afternoon, it was looking good.

The Yukon jumped out to a 6-2 lead after six ends, but then wheels came off, as N.W.T. rallied for three in the seventh, stole another one to tie in the eighth, went ahead by one with the hammer in the ninth and stole two more in the tenth for a 9-6 final.

The Yukon boys never did get their sea legs in the morning game, as Alberta North dominated throughout, and finished on top with a score of 9-5 score.

"This just happens,” coach Rhonda Horte said in interview shortly after meeting with her curlers following the loss to N.W.T.

"N.W.T. all of a sudden picked up their game and started making some shots and started putting more pressure on the girls,” said Horte

N.W.T., she pointed out, is no slouch, having just returned from the nationals.

Horte said she was confident her curlers could shed the loss and gain their composure in time for the afternoon game to see who would face N.W.T. for the gold this morning and would take home the bronze ulu.

"The best teams are the ones who can drop it and move on.”

They moved on all right, to a nail-biting finish against Alberta North that wasn't decided until the tenth, by a spectacular shot from skip Kelly Mahoney.

The score see-sawed throughout the game, and was tied 4-4 after five ends.

Alberta jumped out to a 6-4 lead in the sixth and the Yukon regained the lead with three in the seventh. Northern Alberta used the hammer to blank the eighth, and went ahead 8-7 in the ninth, leaving the Yukon with the last rock coming home.

Mahoney, shooting third rocks, was facing a field of stones guarding the house, with Alberta lying two.

She squeezed her way through for the double takeout, and left the Yukon lying two, the two that would count and send Mahoney, third Bailey Horte, second Kelsey

Meger, and lead Sian Molly to this morning's rematch against N.W.T.

"If they go on to win that will be the shot,” said an excited coach Horte, who has coach her curlers for the last five years.

"They call that a double takeout through the port,” she pointed out, with emphasis.

"I had a bit a pressure but I like pressure put on me when I'm shooting,” the 15-year-old Mahoney said after the win.

The skip said the key to a strong game today will be playing as a team, and having fun.

"Because when we have fun, we make our shots.”

Coach Wade Scoffin said his junior boys this week have curled the best they've curled all season.

"Most definitely, they applied themselves strongly,” he said in an interview yesterday afternoon shortly after his curlers stole a point in the 10th to defeat N.W.T. 8-7.

Scoffin said the strategy for today's game will be built around the team's strengths, focusing the shot selection according to their skills, and being aware of their opponents tendencies.

"We've both won one against each other, so it'll be the rubber match.”

Yukon skip David Aho said when a team heads into the tenth tied without the hammer, as his rink did yesterday afternoon, each shot is critical.

It's essential, said the 18-year-old Grade 12 student, to put up as much clutter in front of the house as possible.

And that's what they did.

For their last rock, N.W.T. needed a substantial curl around all that clutter, and they got the curl, they got the hit, but not enough to push Yukon out of shot rock.

"At the end of the day, you need the other skip to miss, so you have to make his shot as hard as possible,” said Aho, who was, or course, stoked about today's game.

"We've seen them before,” he said. "We will follow our game plan and it should be a really close game, and entertaining to watch.”

The Yukon won the junior boys gold ulu, defeating Alberta North 8-4. The N.W.T. won gold in the junior girls defeating the Yukon 8-3.