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Freshman Thomas Scoffin chose Edmonton's University of Alberta for its excellent curling program and opportunities within the sport.

It hasn't taken long for the 18-year-old Whitehorse resident to add his own winning touches to the already-esteemed Golden Bears program.

Scoffin's rink won their second junior bonspiel of the season on Sunday 鈥� the Whitney Field Junior Curling Classic in Lloydminster, Alta.

The Golden Junior Bears downed Brady Scharback's Saskatoon-based rink 7-3 in the final.

The victory comes on the heels of an undefeated record put on by Scoffin and his rink at the Curler's Corner Classic Junior Bonspiel in Calgary.

"The U of A has one of the best curling programs in the country,鈥� Scoffin told the Star yesterday.

"I also get the opportunity to practice at the Saville Sports Centre 鈥� one of Canada's national training centres 鈥� on a daily basis, and I work with some of the country's best coaches. On top of that, the team that I joined up with this year was already based out of Edmonton, so it was a perfect fit.鈥�

Scoffin is studying sport and recreation in his time away from the ice.

In Lloydminster, the Junior Bears finished 2-1 in the round robin before beating Daniel Selke's rink 6-2 in the quarterfinals and Jayden Shwaga 6-2 in the semifinals.

They then downed their third Saskatchewan rink of the day 鈥� Scharback 鈥� en route to the tournament win.

"All three of these games were much closer than the score indicated, and the other teams battled hard,鈥� Scoffin said. "It was a good indicator of where we're at as a team.鈥�

Prior to the Whitney Field memorial tournament, the Junior Bears earned a spot in the finals of the Shamrock Shotgun 鈥� a Men's World Curling Tour cashspiel 鈥� before losing 8-4.

"It's great to have some early success this season,鈥� said Scoffin. "Edmonton is a great place to play some of Canada's top level teams and we gain a lot from playing these teams on a regular basis.

"Our main goal for the season is to win the provincial championship and earn a trip to nationals in Fort McMurray,鈥� the young skip added. "It's a long road to that goal and we are working hard every day to be the best we can possibly be for when the time comes.鈥�

Scoffin joined twin brothers and defending junior champs Bryce and Landon Bucholz on the U of A rink.

"We've had great team chemistry from day one,鈥� Scoffin said. "We have a ton of fun playing together and that's been a big part of our success thus far.鈥�

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Sarah Koltun's rink also competed in the Lloydminster tournament, finishing with a 2-3 record 鈥� not enough for a playoff run.

The 19-year-old Whitehorse skip said her team was drained after playing an "exhausting鈥� four games in one day.

"It was kind of tough physically for us, but we tried our best and we came up short,鈥� Koltun said.

The Yukon rink finished third in the Valley First Crown of Curling in Kamloops B.C. the weekend prior.

The Lloydminster matches were closer than the record indicated 鈥� two games were lost in the final end.

Koltun, a sophomore at Trinity Western in Langley, B.C., said despite the lack of practice time, the team continues to have good success.

"Chelsea (Duncan) and I have been curling together for eight seasons,鈥� she said.

"We know how to play with each other. Every time we're back on the ice, it's just automatic.鈥�

Jenna Duncan has spent five seasons with the rink, and Patty Wallingham has "fit right in,鈥� said Koltun.

The rink's next competition will be in Victoria B.C. from Nov. 9-12 to compete in the Vancouver Island Shootout.