The Nunavut under-18 women's curling team secured a 6-5 victory over Yukon in their opening playoff match at the Arctic Winter Games on Tuesday night. This win followed a mixed round-robin performance and marked their first victory in three appearances at the event. However, their medal hopes ended with a 6-2 loss to Alaska on Wednesday afternoon.
The Arctic Winter Games, held in Whitehorse, Yukon, brought together about 2,000 athletes from eight circumpolar regions, including Nunavut, Nunavik, Alaska, Yukon, the Northwest Territories, northern Alberta, Greenland, and the Sápmi region of Scandinavia. The games opened on Sunday and continued until Saturday.
In the under-18 women's curling competition, Nunavut's team had a challenging round-robin stage, defeating Yukon—their first win in three Arctic Winter Games appearances—but losing to Alaska, the Northwest Territories, and Alberta North. The playoff opener against Yukon on Tuesday night proved tense, ending 6-5 in Nunavut's favor.
Prior to the match, player Naja Ejesiak expressed confidence: “It’s an important game, but I think we have a good chance.” Reflecting on the round-robin win over Yukon, 17-year-old Arianna Atienza said, “That was just amazing. It felt so great to win and represent Nunavut.”
Coach Leigh Gustafson praised the team's effort after Tuesday's game: “It was good, we had a few misses, but I think overall the girls played really well.” This marked the team's third appearance at the games, with Gustafson noting improvement despite the losses. Sixteen-year-old Sophia MacDonald added, “I feel like we played good as a team, and we’re doing really well this year. And I think that’s more important than anything.”
The squad, including Ejesiak, MacDonald, Atienza, and Aubrey Sheppard, may be participating in their final Arctic Winter Games due to age limits. They made the most of the experience by exchanging pins with other athletes and visiting Subway, an option unavailable in Iqaluit.
On Wednesday, Nunavut fell 6-2 to Alaska, concluding their campaign without a medal. Separately, Nunavut's under-18 men's team finished round-robin play 0-4 and lost 8-2 to Alaska, ending their participation.
