After opening the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors Curling Championships at Napanee, Ont., on Saturday with a disappointing loss, Kesa Van Osch and her team from the Nanaimo Curling Club recovered to finish the day at 1-1.

Van Osch, who is backed by sisters Kalia and Marika and Brooklyn Leitch, played her opener against Jocelyn Peterman from Red Deer. It was a see-saw battle and the outcome was all but decided on the ninth end when Peterman scored four to take a 9-6 lead. Van Osch rallied for two in the 10th but suffered the 9-8 loss.

In the nightcap against Roxane Perron from Quebec City, the Van Osch team scored the last seven points of the game en route to a 10-5 victory.

On the men's side, Josh Hozack and his team of Corey Chester, Nolan Reid and Zac Capron from the Victoria Curling Centre had a slow start, dropping both games - 7-2 to Brendan Bottcher from Edmonton and 6-5 in an extra end to Felix Asselin from Montreal.

"The experience of playing at the Canadian juniors is awesome,'' said Kesa Van Osch. "I wouldn't trade this for anything. We are taking in everything that we can and enjoying it.

"I thought that we curled really good today except for one bad end against Alberta when we had two flashes [missed takeouts] and a pick [rock collects debris and goes off course]. But that is curling and we were able to bounce back in our second game.''

Van Osch trailed Quebec 5-3 after seven ends but countered with three in the eighth, a steal of one in the ninth and another steal of three on the final end.

"The ice is very good but swingy. We have been getting between six-and eightfeet of curl and the sheets almost aren't wide enough to come around centre guards. You just have to believe what you are seeing out there.''

Van Osch is back in action today against Sarah Koltun from Whitehorse and Northern Ontario's Kendra Lilly from Sudbury.

Hozack will attempt to get his team on the winning track today against Thomas Scoffin from Whitehorse and Brennan Wark from Thunder Bay.

The top three teams from each division will advance to the playoffs with the first-place finisher advancing directly to the final. The junior women's final is 4 p.m. Saturday while the men go at 4 p.m. Sunday. Both games will be shown on TSN.

rrauch@timescolonist.com