Veronica Smith and Kyle Holland will skip the UPEI entries in the Atlantic university curling championships beginning on Friday

UNB is hosting the event at the Capital Winter Club in Fredericton, N.B., from Jan. 3 to 5. Six women’s teams and five men’s rinks will be competing at the championships, which is co-ordinated by Curl Atlantic.

Both UPEI teams open play on Friday at 7 p.m., with Smith taking on Saint Mary’s and Holland facing Memorial.

Two men’s and two women’s teams will earn the right to represent Atlantic Canada at the CIS/CCA university curling championships in Regina, Sask., from March 19 to 23.

Smith has the same team as last year, including third stone Jane DiCarlo, second stone Emily Gray and lead Aleya Quilty. Paul Smith is the coach.

Third stone Connor MacPhee, second stone Andrew Cameron, lead Taylor McInnis and coach Eric Pidgeon round out the UPEI men’s rink.

Smith and Holland recently skipped the winning teams at the provincial junior curling championships.

The Smith rink, along with the Saint Mary’s rink skipped by Sara Spafford, were last year’s women’s representatives at the nationals. Smith finished play at the nationals with a 2-5 (won-lost) record, just out of a playoff position.

The Acadia team, skipped by Robert Mayhew, and the Dalhousie team, skipped by Lee Buott, represented the men. Neither men’s team is back this year.

(Story orginally appeared in the Journal Pioneer on Jan 2, 2014)