Team Yukon, lead Robert McKinnon, second Brandon Hagen, third Alexx Peech, Skip Dustin Mikkelsen, and alternate Ray Mikkelsen have returned home from the 2021 Tim Hortons Brier and are now completing the required two weeks self-isolation.

Because of the COVID pandemic, all of Curling Canada’s events are being held at a fan-free bubble at the WinSport Arena at Canada Olympic Park in Calgary.

The Yukon Team went 0-8 in Pool A but the team’s skip said it was a great learning experience – especially because aside from Ray, none of the other team members have been to a Brier.

“We did pretty good against good teams,” said Mikkelsen. “We lost a few badly. But, we learned some lessons, like how you need to play the top teams. That will go along way in the future.”

Since it was the team’s first Brier, Mikkelsen said there were some nerves at the beginning.

“The first game there were nerves,” said Mikkelsen. “But, we got used to it and it wasn’t a factor after the third game. Maybe it affected us here and there.”

Team Yukon faced a tough opening draw, playing Northern Ontario, which is skipped by Olympic Gold medalist and 2013 Brier winner Brad Jacobs.

Mikkelsen said his favourite game of the Brier came against Alberta, skipped by Brendan Bottcher. The Alberta rink was the eventual winner, defeating Kevin Koe’s Wild Card 2 team.

“The Bottcher game was my favourite,” said Mikkelsen. “The game was closer than the final score showed, we were tied after the fifth end. We were up at one point.”

Team Yukon conceded the game to Alberta 11-2.

Before leaving for the Calgary bubble, Mikkelsen told the Star the team had been working on “runbacks, hits, and finesse kind of shots.” The strategy was to keep games close, keep it clean and capitalize on mistakes.

Mikkelsen said, for the most part, they accomplished those goals.

“A few games got away from us,” he said. “That pulled us out of our strategy, but we kept games clean for the most part.”

Another hurdle Mikkelsen said the team had to contend with was arena ice.

“It is more swingy, the rock paths, you have to really pay attention because it will slow right down,” he said. “They sharpen the rocks more and the sweeping is so good it breaks down the ice more.”

Because of their self-isolation requirement, the team will not be able to get back on the ice before the curling season concludes. When they can back on the rink, Mikkelsen said they have a plan on which to improve.

“We are going to work on our finesse game,” said Mikkelsen. “And work on more consistency in our deliveries. The curling there was completely different.”

To improve, Mikkelsen said, you need to play the best there is.

“We were playing against some of our idols,” said Mikkelsen. “We have more confidence and gained more experience.”

The Brier, one of the country’s most popular events, was fan-less because of the pandemic, but Mikkelsen the atmosphere in the arena was great.

“In the arena it was good,” he said. “All the teams were nice and there was lots of joking on the ice. The hotel life was a little boring, you were cooped up in your room if not eating meals.”

Because the Yukon team qualified for the Brier, they will also be eligible to play in the 2021 Everest Canadian Club Champions from Nov. 28-Dec. 4. The tournament is slated to be held at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club.