For the second year in a row Mackenzie Zacharias, Morgan Reimer, Emily Zacharias and Jenessa Rutter curled on the final day of the Canola Provincial Junior Championships.

And for the second year in a row the Altona Curling Club foursome saw their provincial run end in the semifinals.

Zacharias dropped a 9-2 decision to Laura Burtnyk of Assiniboine Memorial Friday morning at the St. Vital Curling Club in Winnipeg.

“It's always tough losing these games but we're just happy to get here and get to this spot,” said the Altona skip who also lost the semifinal last year in Rivers which was the teams first trip to the provincials. ”It's kind of funny how it all worked out kind of like last year. It's too bad it had to end that way but that happens sometimes.”

Burtnyk got three in the third end, stole one in the sixth and put the game away with a steal of four more in the seventh.

“We just couldn't string enough shots together in a row,” said Zacharias. “We were all kind of struggling with the ice and the weight. Just couldn't pull it together. They're a good team.”

Zacharias, Reimer, Zacharias and Rutter finished first in the Black Group with a 6-1 record.

They lost 9-4 to Kristy Watling of East St. Paul in the 1-1 page playoff game Thursday night and headed home after their loss to Burtnyk in the semifinals.

“We definitely wanted to get to try to get to the final. You always want to get there just to give yourself a chance. We did give ourselves a chance by getting to the playoffs and hopefully in the years to come we can get a little bit farther.”

A little bit farther in 2018 would be extra special for the Zacharias foursome since the Canola Junior Championships will be held in Altona.

“It's going to be incredible – if we can get there,” said Zacharias. “It's what you dream of. You dream of playing in your home club and you hope that you can do your best there for your club and hopefully represent everybody there. It would be incredible.”

Brooke Friesen, Katelyn Derksen, Kelsey Sagert and Holly Friesen of the Winkler Curling Club finished with a 5-2 round robin record and lost 7-5 to Paige Watkins of Deer Lodge in a tiebreaker.

Jordan Peters and Joshua Friesen of the Morris Curling Club both missed the playoffs.

Peters had a 4-3 record while Friesen was 3-4.