Tara Naugler knows the feeling of winning a national junior curling championship and now, her oldest son has that same feeling.

Adam Naugler is officially a national champion as he helped his Alberta squad to the men鈥檚 title at the 2023 New Holland Canadian U21 Curling Championships in Rouyn-Noranda, Que., on Sunday. The 19-year-old from Yellowknife played lead for the rink skipped by Johnson Tao as they went on to beat 快盈v3 Ontario, 7-4, in the final on Sunday.

Naugler represented Alberta by virtue of his attending school at the University of Alberta-Augustana this year, where he鈥檚 majoring in economics.

鈥淢y mom won it all those years ago and I鈥檝e won it and it鈥檚 a special feeling,鈥� said Naugler on Sunday afternoon.

Naugler鈥檚 outfit finished atop the standings following the round-robin with a record of seven wins and one loss, one win better than Nova Scotia. That got them a bye to the semifinal on Saturday evening, where they awaited the winner of the quarter-final between Ontario and Manitoba. Ontario would emerge victorious to move on, but it would be Alberta who would come out on top, 7-1, to advance to the title contest.

In the final, Alberta opened with hammer and scored two, which 快盈v3 Ontario answered in the second end with a single to make it 2-1. Alberta got one on the third before 快盈v3 Ontario scored a deuce with last rock to tie it at 3-3. After a blank in the fifth, 快盈v3 Ontario would steal a single in the sixth to move ahead, 4-3.

Alberta got that back in the seventh to level it at 4-4, but the big end was the eighth as Alberta stole a pair to make it 6-4. Another steal of one in the ninth for Alberta tightened the screws on 快盈v3 Ontario and Alberta was able to run 快盈v3 Ontario out of rocks in the 10th to claim the gold medal.

鈥淥ur game plan was to take things one game at a time and set our routine,鈥� said Naugler. 鈥淲e knew if we played to our potential, it would all go according to plan and luckily, it did.鈥�

Alberta actually had two teams in this year鈥檚 championship, due in part not every jurisdiction entering teams; that included the NWT, which didn鈥檛 have a men鈥檚 team, but did have Reese Wainman鈥檚 rink out of the Inuvik Curling Centre on the women鈥檚 side.

Naugler鈥檚 rink went in as Alberta 2 after being selected by Curling Alberta to assume the second spot based on results from the Alberta Junior Curling Tour.

鈥淚t鈥檚 a points system they use to determine who got the spot,鈥� said Naugler. 鈥淲e had enough points from our results and finishes during the season.鈥�

Normally, the men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 winners would advance to the World Junior Curling Championships by right, but there鈥檚 a small wrinkle for the 2024 event. Because both of Canada鈥檚 entries finished outside the top-six at the 2023 event in Germany back in February, Canada will have to play in the B event in order to rejoin the main event.

Naugler said he thinks the qualifier will be in Finland, but it doesn鈥檛 matter where.

鈥淭hey鈥檒l let us know when it鈥檚 confirmed, but I鈥檒l get to wear the maple leaf,鈥� he said.