Tyler Stewart and Nicole Westlund-Stewart have competed at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championships before - just not since 2017 and not as parents of two young children.

And most certainly not as representatives of Northern Ontario.

"It's actually the first Heart (emblematic of winning a provincial curling championship of any sort) for both Nicole and I for the NOCA (Northern Ontario Curling Association)," noted Tyler recently after the couple edged the Amanda Gates / Dustin Montpellier Sudbury tandem 8-7 in the Northern Ontario final earlier this month in Kakabeka Falls.

"Being from the north, both Nicole (Thunder Bay) and I (Timmins), it meant a little bit more," Stewart continued. "It meant a lot, don't get me wrong, coming out of Ontario (2017), but it means a little bit more coming from the north."

In fact, their ties extend right across the north.

Tyler Stewart and family moved to the Sudbury area while he was still in high-school, his time in the Nickel City allowing him the opportunity to curl with the likes of Ian Dickie, Steven Daoust, Jon Bruley, Evan Lilly, Peter Myslik, Joey Lanthier, Evan Quesnel, Brian Kirby, Sandy MacEwan, Ryan Lafraniere and others in club play, with the Lasalle Lancers or as a member of the Laurentian Voyageurs.

Still, it wasn't until 2015, a decade or so after his arrival in these parts, that Tyler Stewart would partner with Nicole Westlund-Stewart to take their shot at a variation of curling that was still in its infancy.

"In 2015 (when they qualified based on CTRS in open men's and women's play), we were still learning the game as we were preparing to go to nationals," recalled Stewart. "I remember watching video of Wayne and Kim Tuck."

"That was our research before nationals started - and a lot of people were in the same boat, learning the game on the fly."

Since that time, the Mixed Doubles game has evolved mightily, though the Stewart / Westlund-Stewart partnership remains every bit as good a fit on the ice as it was from the time they first started.

"There are some couple that cannot and should not play mixed doubles," noted Westlund-Stewart with a laugh. "It's a very high stress environment with something on the go all the time."

"But for us, we're both pretty easy-going and we get along really well. And we've been playing together for ten years now."

Their experience was clear as day at northerns as the team that will now make their way to Summerside (Prince Edward Island) from March 16th to 21st for nationals ran the table in the minimum five games, topping a 15-team field.

Team Stewart / Westlund-Stewart made their way through to the "A" qualifier berth with victories over Adam L'Hirondelle / Ali Chabot (Fort Frances - 11-1), Connor Mangoff / Kirsten Armstrong (Fort William CC - 8-2), Chris Silver / Victoria Beaudry (Fort Frances - 8-2) and Brayden Sinclair / Lily Wright (Kakabeka Falls - 6-5).

The only Sudbury team in the field, Gates & Montpellier had a tougher go, knocked out of the "A" bracket by Sinclair / Wright (6-5), stringing together three wins but sent to the "C" grouping following a 7-4 loss to Chris Briand / Samantha Morris (Fort William - 7-4) but getting the better of Sinclair / Wright in the C rematch, 11-5.

Down to the three team playoff, Gates/Montpellier tripled Briand/Morris 9-3 and battled their way back from a 7-3 deficit after six ends in the final, scoring four in the seventh before Stewart and Westlund-Stewart capitalized on last rock advantage in the eighth.

Understandably, there is a level of confidence with the NOCA representatives that did not exist in their first trip to the Canadian playdowns ten years ago.

"I think one of our strengths is that we both play vice on our women's and men's teams - and I think we've both played every position," suggested Westlund-Stewart. "It allows us to adapt to mixed doubles well."

"We can do the strategy and call line and also be able to throw all of the different kinds of shots that you have to throw in mixed doubles."

"The evolution of the mixed doubles game has been fun to see," added Stewart. "What we have learned in mixed doubles is that your offense is often your best defense."

The field of 32 teams will be divided into eight pools of four with 14 pairings qualifying as association champions (as Stewart / Westlund-Stewart did) while the remaining 18 there as a result of previous playdowns or Canadian Mixed Doubles Rankings.