The Everest Canadian Curling Club Championships are as it sounds: an event for the best club curlers in the country.

Stacey Stabel has been there more than once and she knows what she鈥檒l be up against when she hits the ice in Ottawa for her opening game.

Stabel and her rink of Krista Wesley, Jill Andrews and Alison Davis are the NWT鈥檚 women鈥檚 representatives for this year鈥檚 national championships and they will be up against Ontario in their opening contest on Monday afternoon. The ladies left for Ottawa on Thursday.

This will be the third time Stabel will have played at this event, having won the right to go after winning the territorial playdown this past March, and she said there are no surprises.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going down to take it one game at a time,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou never know what can happen.鈥�

A total of 14 teams from every province and territory will be in action next week and they鈥檝e been split into two pools of seven for the round-robin. The top four from each pool will advance to a double-knockout playoff and from that, the last four teams left standing will play it out for the medals.

Stabel said she isn鈥檛 looking ahead to any one team in particular and won鈥檛 be trying to figure out who鈥檚 beatable.

鈥淚t can be a disappointment once you start doing that,鈥� she said. 鈥淵ou could get bad ice, there could be issues with the rocks, you could just have a bad game, injuries 鈥� anything can happen out there.鈥�

Being that this is a club championship, there won鈥檛 be any of the big guns i.e. the teams which chase the big money in Grand Slam events.

But that doesn鈥檛 mean the competition will be any less tough, said Stabel.

鈥淭here are usually some very competitive teams, especially from the bigger provinces,鈥� she said. 鈥淪ome teams either don鈥檛 or can鈥檛 make the commitment to go through the process of the Scotties (Tournament of Hearts) but they鈥檙e still very good.鈥�

The ice will be a bit more manageable to deal with as it鈥檚 on club ice as opposed to arena ice, which any top-level player will tell you plays much more differently than club ice.

Stabel said that makes things more familiar.

鈥淐lub ice is more natural and it鈥檚 what we鈥檙e used to,鈥� she said. 鈥淎rena ice is so much different 鈥� there鈥檚 more curl to it and you鈥檙e having to take more ice to make shots.鈥�

And the overall goal for Stabel this time? Hopefully hit the win column.

鈥淲e鈥檙e going to hopefully have some fun and do well,鈥� she said. 鈥淲hen we went in 2014, we weren鈥檛 expecting to do anything and we ended up making the playoffs.鈥�