Ottawa's Sinclair clan has made the Canada Winter Games in Whitehorse a family affair.

Father Graham Sinclair is the coach of the Ontario men's curling team, while his son Neil, 16, is the skip.

Neil Sinclair takes a shot Tuesday.
(Chuck Stoody/Canadian Press)

Neil's rink, from Manotick, now part of the amalgamated city of Ottawa, improved to 2-1 at the Games on Tuesday with a thrilling 7-6 extra-end win over Saskatchewan.

The victory kept Ontario's playoffs hopes alive heading into a key afternoon game against Manitoba (2-0).

Neil is hoping to follow in the footsteps of sister Jamie, who won gold last week as the third for the Ontario women's team.

And both father and son know they'll hear plenty from 14-year-old Jamie if they don't come home with gold medals themselves.

"It puts a little pressure on us, but that's okay," Neil said. "I was really happy for her."

Team Sinclair also has a pair a non-sports representatives at the Games: mother Suzanne spent last week in Whitehorse as a volunteer, while eldest son Alexander is showing off his skills as a designer and visual artist in the National Artists' Program.

Having both Neil and Jamie competing for medals at Canada's largest multi-sport event is something Graham never saw coming.

"It kind of snuck up on us last spring during the Ontario Winter Games," Graham said. "We were both there and then we realized we had a great shot of having both teams qualify for the Games — and it happened."

Neil said being part of a curling family played a vital role in his development, with his dad and sister always there to keep his spirits up.

"Everyone's always been there for each other," Neil said. "It's easy to stay motivated with everyone playing the game."

Stiff competition in curling

Tuesday's victory was just what the Sinclair rink needed after Monday's rough start that saw it drop a 13-3 decision to Prince Edward Island.

The tournament is expected to be one of the more wide-open events at the Games, with several provinces in the hunt for a medal.

Graham said the quality of teams has surprised him.

"I didn't expect the teams to be as good as they are," Graham said. "Looking out across the sheets, they all look good.

"We know that every game is going to be tough."

Ontario concludes its round-robin Wednesday with games against the Yukon and Nunavut, two of the less formidable teams in Pool A.

Graham said his team won't be taking its territorial opponents lightly, after Ontario posted a narrow 7-5 win over the Northwest Territories on Monday.

"Northwest Territories gave us a tough game, for sure," Graham said. "We're going to be ready on Wednesday."

Golden moment for Graham

Graham watched from home last week as Jamie captured gold with the Rachel Homan rink.

He admitted swelling with pride as he recalled a conversation he had with Jamie when she was a young girl.

"I remember a few years ago telling my daughter as she watched the Scott Tournament of Hearts on TV that someday, I would be watching her on TV," Graham said.

"It was quite a moment for me to realize that was suddenly the day that I was watching my daughter on national TV."

Graham is no stranger to the North, having spent several years in Alaska flying F-15 fighters for the United States Air Force.

He said he feels more nervous watching Neil on the pebbled ice than he ever did in a cockpit.

"Flying an F-15, I have control," Graham said. "I know what's going on and I feel more comfortable.

"Here, I don't have control. I have a few time outs, but that's it — this is definitely more nerve-wracking."