While the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s SunLife Financial Open & Women’s Championships presented by Jim Anton are underway in Morris, at St. Vital, CurlManitoba’s Dynasty Mixed Doubles Championship has attracted 20 teams. While most of the teams are from the younger curling demographic, there are recognizable Scotties and Viterra Championship names included among the eight teams which have reached “A” Side semi-finals.
In the triple elimination event, three rural teams (from Brandon, Winnipeg Beach, and Stonewall), two teams from Granite, and one each for Fort Garry, Pemina and the host St. Vital club will play at 5:30PM or 8:30PM Saturday to determine the teams who will be in the first two qualifying games at 9:00AM Sunday.
Those match-ups include Colton & Kadriana Lott (Winnipeg Beach) vs Sarah-Jane Sass & Lucas Van Den Bosch (Granite); Steve & Stacey Irwin (Brandon) vs Thomas Dunlop & Katie macKenzie (Stonewall); and Corey Chambers & Janelle Lach (Fort Garry) vs Lyall Hudson & Lisa McLeod (Pembina) at 5:30PM. Cyrus Brandt & Lauren Rajala (St. Vital) vs Bryce McEwen & Roxie Trembath (Granite) is scheduled for 8:30PM.
The original 20 teams will play down to eight teams in the knockout playoff round on Monday.
Three Canadian champion teams and two other individuals who have won the Canadian title are included in the field of 24 teams from across Manitoba who will compete for the Manitoba Stick Curling Association’s Open Championship this weekend in Morris.
In addition, seven women’s teams including the 2020 Manitoba champions will compete for the MSCA’s Women’s Championship.
Competition in the round-robin plus playoffs formatted event will begin at 9AM Friday with round-robin play winding up on Saturday evening. Playoffs go Sunday with the two provincial finals set for 2PM.
Tom Campbell-Killarney delivers a stone in the 2022 Canadian Championship in Moncton, NB. Two sheets over, Britta Spiring-St. Vital prepares to deliver.
Highlighting the MSCA Open are Norm Magnusson & Resby Coutts-Fort Rouge (2022 Canadian champions), Tom & Rae Campbell-Killarney (2018 Canadian champions) and Jim Rouse & Ross MacMillan-Warren/Marquette (2015 Canadian champions) along with Canadian champions Warren Johnson-St. Vital (who won in 2012) and Charlie McCullough-Carman (who won in 2010).
Past Manitoba champions in the field include Ken & Shirley Strand-St. Vital (2018 Manitoba champions). Those who have won with different partners include two-time Manitoba champion Warren Johnson-St. Vital (2012 & 2017), and Manitoba champions Jim Webster-Stonewall (2020), Ron Shafirka-St. Vital (2022), and Ross MacMillan-Marquette (2015).
Gwen Smith and Lynne Rehbein-St. Vital were the MSCA Women’s champions in 2020, the last time a Women’s championship was held.
The Open AND Women’s champions earn a berth, and the opportunity to wear CurlManitoba’s provincial champions jackets, in the Canadian Open and Women’s Championships respectively. The event will be played in Nanaimo, BC in late-March. Seven of the teams competing in Morris this weekend have already indicated intention to compete in the Canadian championship bonspiel. These include Melanie Shura & Darlene Maywood-St. Vital in the Women’s. In the Open event Strand & Strand, Campbell & Campbell, Magnusson & Coutts, Grant Nicolson & Don Fischer-St. Vital, Dan McDonald & Warren Johnson-St Vital, and Britta & Fred Spiring-St. Vital will all be making the trip to Nanaimo
There was a shuffle in the Manitoba curling record books, relating to championship finals appearances and records, when the Dunstone & Carruthers teams faced off in Neepawa.
Jeff Stoughton still has the most final game appearances (12) and that remarkable 11W-1L finals record. Remember he only lost the one final game, in 2004 to Brent Scales.
Two curlers are now only one appearance behind as Reid Carruthers and Mike McEwen now share second place with 11 appearances. Carruthers could still catch Stoughton in the win column but a victory in Neepawa would have been a big help there.
With eight games played and six wins, Carruthers moved ahead of Jon Mead in both number of games played (122) and number of games won at the provincial championship. He moved into a tie in the number of games won (98) with former skip Mike McEwen.
Derek Samagalski was in his ninth final, now tied with Kerry Burtnyk, Jimmy Welsh and Jock Reid with both the same number of appearances and wins (5W). BJ Neufeld, who was also in his ninth final, separated himself from former teammates Denni Neufeld and Matt Wozniak, who are among five with eight finals appearances.
Colton Lott, Matt Dunstone, and Connor Njegovan all now have one Manitoba Men’s Championship win, although Lott has one more finals appearance.
Dunstone: 2 Finals with 1 win & 1 loss (Terry Ursel photo)
MEN’S FINAL APPEARANCES: 12: Jeff Stoughton (11W-1L) 11: Reid Carruthers (7W-4L) 11: Mike McEwen (4W-7L) 9: Derek Samagalski (5W-4L) 9: Kerry Burtnyk (5W-4L) 9: Jimmy Welsh (5W-4L) 9: Jock Reid (5W-4L) 9: BJ Neufeld (3W-6L) 8: Steve Gould (6W-2L) 8: Ken Watson (4W-4L) 8: Grant Watson (4W-4L) 8: Denni Neufeld (2W-6L) 8: Matt Wozniak (2W-6L)
Ryan Harnden also has one Manitoba Men’s championship final appearance and victory….. to go with a 13W-1L Northern Ontario finals record.
MEN’S GAMES PLAYED: 180: Jeff Stoughton 120: Kerry Burtnyk 142: Orest Meleschuk 142: Peter Nicholls 133: Vic Peters 131: Mike McEwen 130: John Usackis 122: Reid Carruthers 112: Keith Fenton
MEN’S GAMES WON: 144: Jeff Stoughton 117: Kerry Burtnyk 98: Reid Carruthers 98: Mike McEwen 93: Jon Mead 92: Vic Peters 90: Derek Samagalski 85: Orest Meleschuk 84: Peter Nicholls 82: Steve Gould
(CurlManitoba Release: Sunday, February 12, 8:PM)TEAM DUNSTONE WINS VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP In a stunning 10th end comeback, Fort Rouge’s Matt Dunstone, BJ Neufeld, Colton Lott, Ryan Harnden and Coach Adam Kingsbury won the 2023 Viterra Manitoba Men’s Curling Championship today in Neepawa.
Dunstone, Neufeld, Lott, Harnden, Kingsbury, Viterra Rep Ray Baloun
Team Dunstone trailed Reid Carruthers (Morris) 7-5 coming home after a brilliantly executed draw on the ninth gave Carruthers a steal of one.
With all the stones in play but one when Dunstone threw his first rock, he was faced with a Carruthers stone so completely buried that he had to blow things up. Dunstone’s hit angled a centre line guard onto a Carruthers stone in the start of a five rock combination. The result – Team Dunstone lying three and Carruthers in big trouble.
Dunstone did not have to throw his last rock in an 8-7 win.
In the now 20 year history of the Page Playoff at the championship, this was only the second time the 2-2 game winner won the title.
On the late draw Saturday, the new champions had beaten Brandon’s Steve Irwin. In the Sunday morning semi-final they defeated Braden Calvert, also of Fort Rouge.
It was the third Manitoba Men’s title for BJ Neufeld and the first for Matt Dunstone, Colton Lott and Ryan Harnden.
#1 seed Matt Dunstone
(CurlManitoba Release: Saturday, February 11, 11:PM)CARRUTHERS, DUNSTONE, CALVERT LEFT IN VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP Three teams will play Sunday in Neepawa for CurlManitoba’s Viterra Championship, the Manitoba Men’s curling championship.
Reid Carruthers and his second seed is in the favorite position as he and his Morris team have advanced to the Sunday 2:30PM final game. Team Carruthers qualified for the 8-team playoff from the “B” Side of the 32-team qualifying round and won their opening game Friday evening over former junior champion JT Ryan (AMCC). Team Carruthers trailed Steve Irwin (Brandon) 7-1 after four ends but fought back to win 10-8 on Saturday morning to move on to the final stage, the 4-team Page Playoff.
On Saturday evening in Neepawa, Carruthers was tied 4-4 playing two-time former world junior champion Braden Calvert (Fort Rouge) when he benefitted from a ‘pick’ on Calvert’s ninth end last stone. A steal of three gave Carruthers a 7-4 lead, the final score, and a spot in the Sunday final. Calvert dropped into the semi-final.
In the final game, Carruthers will play the winner of the Sunday morning 9AM semi-final between Calvert and #1 seed Matt Dunstone (Fort Rouge).
Dunstone had a three game day Saturday. He had reached the 8-team playoff round with an unbeaten run through the preliminary round and a first game win over Corey Chambers (Fort Garry). A Saturday morning loss to Calvert dropped Dunstone to the “B” Side where his team won back-to-back elimination games. The top seed beat #3 Ryan Wiebe (Fort Rouge) in six ends to earn a spot on the bottom side of the Page Playoff Championship and then beat Brandon’s Steve Irwin in five ends to advance to the Sunday semi-final
Irwin reached the Page Playoff with a win over Corey Chambers (Fort Garry).
Ryan and Justin Richter (Beausejour) lost a pair of games back-to-back to be eliminated after reaching the 8-team playoff round. Wiebe and Chambers both posted loss-win-loss records to be eliminated.
(CurlManitoba Release: Friday, February 10, 11:PM)CARRUTHERS, DUNSTONE, CALVERT LEFT IN VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP – Three teams remain undefeated at the 2023 Viterra Championship in Neepawa as the preliminary round ended and the first games of the eight-team playoff round began. The eight qualifiers all start fresh in a new double knock-out phase of the competition.
Top seed Matt Dunstone (Fort Rouge), #5 seed Braden Calvert (Fort Rouge), and Steve Irwin (Brandon) all qualified through the “A” Side of the 32-team preliminary round with three wins. They won their fourth games of the event on the evening draw Friday.
The fourth “A” qualifier, Ryan Wiebe (Fort Rouge),was beaten 7-4 Friday evening by #2 seed Reid Carruthers (Morris) who had lost in the “A” Q-game to Irwin.
On the 9:00AM draw Saturday, Irwin has a re-match with Carruthers and Calvert meets Dunstone. The winners will advance to the Championship Page Playoff round.
The elimination side of the Playoff Round draw includes #3 seed Wiebe; #4 seed Corey Chambers (Fort Garry), who lost 7-2 to Dunstone; Justin Richter (Beausejour), who lost 9-3 to Calvert; and JT Ryan (Assiniboine Memorial), who lost 9-2 to Irwin.
The elimination draw at 9:00AM has Richter playing Chambers and Ryan playing Wiebe. The final two Championship qualifiers will be determined on the 2:00PM draw.
Prior to the evening draw, CurlManitoba presented Justin Richter with the annual Pat Spiring Award. Selected by the competitors in the Viterra Championship, the award recognizes the competitor who best exemplifies on-ice ability, competitive spirit, love of the game, and respect for the traditions and spirit of curling.
(CurlManitoba Release: Thursday, February 9, 11:PM)FIRST VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP PLAYOFF QUALIFYING GAMES AT 8:30AM FRIDAY The original field of 32 teams from across Manitoba has been cut in half at the 2023 Viterra Championship in Neepawa after two days of play. By end of play Friday, the group will be halved again.
The first four teams into the 8-team payoff round will be identified on the 8:30AM Friday draw. The match-ups in those games are #1 seed Matt Dunstone-Fort Rouge vs Brett Walter-Assiniboine Memorial; #2 seed Reid Carruthers-Morris vs Steve Irwin-Brandon; #3 seed Ryan Wiebe-Fort Rouge vs Riley Smith-Thistle; and #4 seed Corey Chambers-Fort Garry vs #5 seed Braden Calvert-Fort Rouge.
Corey Chambers with sweeper Brendan Bilawka
The 12:15 draw “B” Side match-ups are Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge vs Justin Reynolds-Winnipeg Beach; Jeff Stewart-Gladstone vs JT Ryan-Assiniboine Memorial; Tanner Lott-Fort Rouge vs Steen Sigurdson-Assiniboine Memorial; and Jorden Peters-Fort Rouge vs Justin Richter-Beausejour.
The other four final-eight qualifiers will come from the “B” Side of the draw. The eight teams who go on the ice for the 12:15 draw will have to win two in a row to qualify.
The 8:30AM “A” Side game losers drop into the “B” qualifier games at 4:00PM. The eight team playoff round begins at 7:45PM Friday.
One game every draw, with commentary, is available on the CurlManitoba YouTube Channel.
BJ Neufeld throws with sweepers Colton Lott and Ryan Harnden
(CurlManitoba Release: Wednesday, February 8, 11:PM) TOP FIVE WIN OPENERS; FOUR TEAMS OUSTED FROM VITERRA CHAMPIONSHIP The first day of play at the Viterra Championship rolled out very much according to the form chart.
All of the top five seeds advanced through their opening games. Among the top five, Braden Calvert-Fort Rouge was the only one pushed past eight ends. Leading 6-4 playing the ninth end, Calvert used last rock to score a three in defeating Grant Shewfelt-Baldur.
Top seed Matt Dunstone-Fort Rouge (over Tuffy Seguin-Burntwood), #2 Reid Carruthers-Morris (over Rob Van Kommer-Carberry), #3 Ryan Wiebe-Fort Rouge (over Mark Franklin-Granite) and #4 Corey Chambers-Fort Garry (over Wayne Ewasko) all dominated their openers.
Reid Carruthers with sweeper Derek Samagalski
Wiebe, Chambers and Calvert all play their second game on the 8:30AM draw Thursday while Dunstone and Carruthers return to the ice at 12:15 PM Thursday. In the 32-team qualifying round, teams who win three consecutive games advance to the 8-team Playoff Round.
At the other end of the competition spectrum, four teams lost two games on opening day to be ousted from the double knockout event. Ryan Hyde-Portage, Rob Van Kommer-Carberry, Mark Franklin-Granite, and Steve Pauls-Pilot Mound are the four teams whose two loss day earns them an early exit.
Teams drop to the “B” Side of the draw as they lose a game on the “A” Side. Two more teams will be eliminated at 8:30AM, five at 4:00PM, and five at 7:45 Thursday, cutting the original 32 teams to 16 by the end of the second day of play.
Update (9:30PM) Jace Freeman’s Team Manitoba scored a 6 on the sixth end, trailing 5-1 at the time, and went on to win their first round playoff game . Team Freeman will play Alberta’s undefeated Zachary Davies at 8:30AM Friday morning (Ontario time).
Grace Beaudry’s Manitoba #2 team fell short in their playoff game, a 6-4 loss to the Newfoundland-Labrador team and have been eliminated.
(Thursday, February 9, 4PM)FREEMAN & BEAUDRY ADVANCE TO U-18 PLAYOFFS: Jace Freeman and his Team Manitoba have finished the preliminary round of play at the Canadian U-18 Championships in Timmins with a 4W-2L record, good enough to advance to the playoff round.
Team Beaudry- Curling Canada/Katelyn Malo photo
In the straight knock-out 12-team playoff, all teams start over. Freeman (Elias Huminicki, Jack Steski, Rylan Graham, Coach Graham Freeman) will play Raphael Tremblay-Quebec in their first game with the winner advancing against Alberta’s Zachary Davies. Tremblay had a 4W-2L record while Davies was undefeated in the preliminary round.
Ronan Peterson’s Manitoba #2 team finished out of the playoffs with a 3W-3L record.
On the U-18 Women’s side of the event, Grace Beaudry’s Manitoba #2 team (Cassidy Dundas, Lauren Evason, Tessa Terrick, Coach Guy Beaudry) also finished with a 4W-2L record. They have advanced to the playoffs as well.
The opening game for the Beaudry foursome in the straight knockout playoff will be against Cailey Locke-Newfoundland/Labrador with the winner advancing against Anne-Sophie Gionest-Quebec.
Locke’s record was 3W-3L and Gionest was 5W-1L in the preliminary round.
Dayna Wahl’s Team Manitoba finished with a 1W-4L record and out of the playoffs.
Ryan Hyde and his Portage team ( Kenneth Keeler, Hartley Vanstone, Ryan Brooks) have won the Access Credit Union Super League playoffs, completing a three game sweep through the playoff round with a 6-4 victory over David Hamblin’s Morris team.
Access Credit Union League Champions: (l-r) Ryan Hyde, Kenneth Keeler, Hartley Vanstone, Ryan Brooks)
Traditionally, the league’s playoff round is scheduled in the period ahead of the Viterra Championship to provide ‘tune-up’ competition for teams which may be competing.
Saturday’s playoff round in Morris provided three competitive games for the Hamblin team and two for the Hyde team who will both be in Neepawa next week.
To reach the final game, Hamblin defeated Dean North (Carman) and Randy Neufeld (LaSalle), who is looking forward to both Senior and Masters provincials. Neufeld had earned the first place bye after round-robin play.
Hyde’s team had earned the second place bye so only had to win one game to reach the final game.
The champion’s cheque of $2,500 and the finalist cheque of $1,500 will help pay expenses for the teams as they compete in Neepawa.
Hyde starts the Viterra Championship at 8:30AM Wednesday against Sean Grassie while Hamblin has a 12:15 draw against Steen Sigurdson.
A total of nine teams, seven from Winnipeg along with teams from the Morden and Plum Coulee Fire Departments, contested the Manitoba Firefighters Championship this weekend at Fort Rouge.
Winnipeg firefighter Dan Michalchuk became a three time winner of the Manitoba Firefighters Championship when his team won the final game tonight. Michalchuk , the 2014 and 2017 champion skip, was accompanied by Kris Rosolowich (2015 Manitoba and Canadian Champion), Jeff Phillips, and Ryan Smithson.
2023 Champions: Dan Michalchuk, Kris Rosolowich, Jeff Phillips Ryan Smithson, Director Shayne Cormier (Bob Poole Photo)
They went undefeated through the championship, winning three round-robin games, the Page 1-1 game and the final over the Ken Dusablon team. The Dusablon team was skipped by retired Winnipeg firefighter Gord Cole, with Dusablon absent due to covid.
In the Page 1-1 game, the Michalchuk foursome defeated Mike Mikulik’s team. The Mikulik foursome had also been unbeaten in their three round-robin games. They lost the semi-final to the Dusablon/Cole team who had advanced from the Page 2-2 game. In that game, they had defeated Len Krisko, the defending champion who had also won the title in 2016.
For a complete history of the Manitoba Firefighters Championship, visit mffca.ca
For a complete history of the Canadian Firefighters Championship, visit cffca.ca
Since the Canadian Championship began in 1960, Manitoba has won five times. With thanks to the CFFCA and the association’s website, those winners are:
2015: Winnipeg Fire Department – CFFCA Director – Guy Senecal, Lead – Kris Rosolowich, Second – Jamie Pachkowsky, Third – Daryl Bjornson, Skip – Ryan Lalonde
2006: Winnipeg Fire Department – Skip – Glenn Hobson, (sitting); Lead – Ward Hobson, 5th/Asst. Director – Ken MacLeod, Second/CFFCA Director – Bob (S.R.) Poole, Third – Ken Dusablon
2002: Benito Fire Department. – Skip – Rick Kinaschuk, Third – Byron Zbirun, Second – Bev Stewart, Lead – Pat Bartok (top left Manitoba CFFCA Director Gord Cole)
1889: Winnipeg Fire Department – CFFCA Director – Reyn Klassen, Third – Ken Sim, Skip – Ernie Kovacs, Lead – Brian McGuire, Second – Bob Porter
1964: Winnipeg Fire Department – Presenter – Aubrey Neff Skip – John McCorrister, Third – Gary Fenske, Second – Al Schultz, Lead – Earl Kummerfield
(CurlManitoba Release) The five top-ranked Manitoba men’s curling teams on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) have been seeded into the top five positions in the draw for CurlManitoba’s Viterra Championship which will be played in Neepawa, February 7-12.
In his return to Manitoba championship competition, Matt Dunstone’s Fort Rouge team, currently #2 on the CTRS ranking, has been awarded the top seed.
#1 Seed: (Fort Rouge) Team Dunstone includes the former Manitoba and Canadian junior champion skip along with B.J. Neufeld, Colton Lott, and Ryan Harnden. They earned their CTRS #2 ranking, and a 2022-23 CTRS entry into the Viterra Championship, competing in nine events so far this season. They qualified for the playoff round in eight of those events, with a win in Red Deer and three other finalist finishes. This marks a return to Manitoba championship play for Dunstone after several years of competing at the Brier for Saskatchewan.
#2 Seed: (Morris) Reid Carruthers and Derek Samagalski represent the reigning Manitoba champion team. After line-up shuffles for the new quadrennial, former Manitoba junior and mixed champion skip Reid Carruthers moved back to the tee. Another recent line-up shuffle has Samagalski playing third with Connor Njegovan and Matt Lorenz on the front end. The team earned their CTRS #5 ranking, and a 2022-23 CTRS entry into the Viterra Championship, competing in ten events so far this season. They qualified for the playoff round in five of those events, with a win in Fredericton and two other finalist finishes.
#3 Seed: (Fort Rouge) Ryan Wiebe, Ty Dilello, Sean Flatt, and Adam Flatt were the semi-finalists at the Viterra Championship a year ago in Selkirk. The young team has earned their CTRS #10 ranking, and a 2022-23 CTRS entry into the Viterra Championship, competing in eight events so far this season. They qualified for the playoff round in six of those events, with a win at the Granite Curling Club and two other finalist finishes.
#4 Seed: (Fort Garry) Corey Chambers, Daley Peters, Julien Leduc, Brendan Bilawka, and Michael Martin played a lesser, and mostly local schedule, compared with the three teams ranked above them, They still managed to earn a CTRS #24 ranking. They have played five events and qualified in all five, with a win at Thistle and one other finalist finish to earn a Manitoba Curling Tour berth into the Viterra. A year ago in Selkirk, Chambers and Leduc advanced to the Page Playoff final round before being knocked out. Chambers will enjoy returning to Neepawa where he played third for Sean Grassie in a 2013 championship final game loss to Jeff Stoughton.
#5 Seed: (Fort Rouge) Braden Calvert, Kyle Kurz, Ian McMillan, and Rob Gordon earned this year’s Viterra Championship berth as a result of a high end-of-last-season CTRS ranking. This year, playing a reduced schedule of six events, the team has a #35 CTRS rank. They have played six events and qualified in three but have yet to reach a final. A year ago in Selkirk, the same line-up advanced to the playoff round but did not qualify for the Page Playoff final round.
CurlManitoba’s YouTube Channel will feature the game played on every draw in the centre (Sheet C) of Neepawa’s Yellowhead Community Rec Centre. Given the nature of the Viterra Championship draw, with winners advancing to play winners, it is not possible beyond the opening draws, to identify match-ups. However, curling fans can be assured of great championship curling entertainment each time they tune in.
Neepawa has hosted the Manitoba Men’s Championship three times previously, in 2000, 2002 and 2013. In 2002, Mark Lukowich skipped the winning team. In 2000 and 2013, the championship was won by a Jeff Stoughton team. This year’s #2 seed skip Reid Carruthers was the second on the 2013 champion team which defeated Grassie in the final.
OPENING GAMES: 8:30AM WEDNESDAY Joey Witherspoon, AMCC VS Daniel Birchard, Pembina Reid Carruthers, Morrisw VS Rob Van Kommer, Carberry Justin Reynolds, Winnipeg Beach VS Steve Irwin, Brandon Sean Grassie, Deer Lodge VS Ryan Hyde, Portage Cale Dunbar, Brandon VS JT Ryan, AMCC
OPENING GAMES: 12:15PM WEDNESDAY Riley Smith, Thistle VS Steve Pauls, Pilot Mound Mark Franklin, Granite VS Ryan Wiebe, Fort Rouge Kelly Marnoch, Carberry VS Jeff Stewart, Gladstone David Hamblin, Morris VS Steen Sigurdson, AMCC Corey Chambers, Fort Garry VS Wayne Ewasko, Beausejour
OPENING GAMES: 4:00PM WEDNESDAY Grant Shewfelt, Baldur VS Braden Calvert, Fort Rouge Tanner Lott, Fort Rouge VS Richard Muntain, Granite Justin Richter, Beausejour VS Hayden Forrester, Fort Rouge Matt Dunstone, Fort Rouge VS Tuffy Seguin, Burntwood Jace Freeman, Virden VS Brett Walter, AMCC
OPENING GAME: 8:00PM WEDNESDAY Jay Kinnaird, Virden VS Jordan Peters, Fort ROuge
(CurlManitoba Release) Jennifer Jones has won her ninth Manitoba Women’s Championship and the defending champion team of Mackenzie Zacharias, Karlee Burgess, Emily Zacharias, and Lauren Lenentine have become the first repeat winner of the Manitoba title since Jones did it with her 2012 and 2013 team.
(l-r) Jennifer Jones, Karlee Burgess, Mackenzie Zacharias, Emily Zacharias, Lauren Lenentine with Coach Sheldon Zacharias
The Zacharias team, augmented with the addition of Jennifer Jones as their skip, won the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Rocky Mountain Equipment Sunday in East St. Paul.
The team, which curls representing St. Vital and Altona and which identifies as having two leads (Emily Zacharias, and Lauren Lenentine) who alternate game to game, went undefeated through the three rounds of play in the championship. A 5W-0L in the preliminary round robin and three more wins in the championship round earned Team Jones a bye to the Sunday afternoon final.
While most anticipated a re-match of the final championship round game, in which the Jones team defeated former teammate Kaitlyn Lawes and her Fort Rouge team, the final game opponent was Team Abby Ackland, skipped by Meghan Walter, representing the host East St. Paul Curling Club.
The East St. Paul team won three games Saturday, including an evening tiebreaker win over Beth Peterson and her Assiniboine Memorial team, to advance to the Sunday morning semi-final against Lawes. In the semi-final Team Ackland, led 6-5 after eight ends. They forced Lawes to draw facing a pair and her last stone draw was about a foot heavy in the four foot circle, allowing a steal of one. Up two coming home, Team Ackland kept the pressure on, forcing Lawes to a desperation double kill attempt which jammed giving up another point in an 8-5 Ackland win.
In the final, it was the Jones team which kept continual pressure on the Ackland team. They scored three deuces through the first five ends and then stole two more on the sixth end, en route to an eight end victory.
The champion Jones team will wear the Team Manitoba colours at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Kamloops in mid-February. Kerri Einarson’s Gimli team will be in Kamloops as Team Canada. Team Einarson is #1 on the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS) while Team Jones is CTRS #3.
CurlManitoba awaits confirmation that Kaitlyn Lawes (CTRS #4) and Team Ackland (CTRS #7) will receive wildcard Scotties berths based on other results across the country as the national Scotties field was finalized this weekend.
Paul Scinocca’s Charleswood team (Ed Barr, Paul Armstrong, Joel Newbury) has won Brandon’s Neil Andrews Classic, a senior men’s bonspiel which serves to identify the final qualifier for the Strathcona Senior Men’s provincial championship.
(l-r) Corey Lawson presenting to Joel Newbury, Paul Armstrong, Ed Barr, and Paul Scinocca
As well as identifying the final provincial qualifier, the bonspiel serves as a competition event for teams already qualified for the provincials in Dauphin in late March.
Scinocca beat Mark Anderson (Brandon) in the championship final by a 10-3 score Sunday after advancing to the final game with a 5-3 victory over reigning Manitoba Masters champions Murray Warren and his Brandon team in the semi-final. As Scinocca had previously qualified for the provincial seniors, Anderson earns the final berth.
In the other semi-final, Anderson had defeated a team skipped by Butch Mouck, who had also previously qualified, also in a tight game – by a 5-4 score.
In effect, Anderson earned the provincial berth when his team reached the final four, as the other three teams had also qualified to complete in Dauphin.
COMPLETE LISTING OF TEAMS QUALIFIED TO COMPETE IN DAUPHIN: Sam Antila – Thompson Kevin Paramor – Arden Murray Warren – Brandon Rob Van Kommer – Carberry Butch Mouck – Gilbert Plains Allan Gitzel – Altona Dave Boehmer – Petersfield Lawrie Hogg – Stonewall Mike Mahon – Granite Richard Muntain – Granite Cory Anderson – Thistle Neil Okumura – Pembina Dean North – Carman Paul Scinocca – Charleswood Randy Neufeld – La Salle Mark ANdersin – Brandon
The much anticipated final round meeting between Jennifer Jones and Kaitlyn Lawes lived up to the expectations of curling fans in the arena and tuning in for the game on CurlManitoba’s YouTube Channel.
The Abby Ackland team, skipped by Meghan Walter, lived up tot heir own expectations, winning a pair of game Saturday to force a late tiebreaker draw and then winning the tiebreaker to earn a spot in today’s 3-team playoff.
Rocks in play!!
The Jones team earned the bye to the Sunday 2PM final game but it wasn’t easy. On the opening end, with a routine draw for two as the easy choice, Kaitlyn Lawes elected to play a tough but makeable double kill for a possible four. A 2, a 3, or a 4 ender were all possible outcomes from curling ‘not quite enough’ or from curling ‘just a little too much’. The result was in-between and the Lawes thrown stone rolled across the top of the second stone without touching it – scoring just a single point.
From there, the teams traded deuces until Lawes was forced to a single on the eight, scored only because she called and made a big weight double between two centre lines guards which contacted both and continued through to remove a Jones stone on the four foot.
Always rocks in play!!
Jones and her St. Vital/Altona foursome finally jumped ahead with a deuce on the ninth and had Lawes apparently beaten coming home when Lawes tried one more highlight reel shot. Her attempted double raise double kill for two and a tie was “oh so close” – as her promoted stone sailed between the two Jones stones on either side of the button in the four foot circle.
It left curling fans wanting more but the only way they get more is if the Lawes Fort Rouge team wins the Sunday 9:30AM semi-final against the Walter/Ackland foursome.
Saturday began with Team Ackland facing the daunting task of winning three games – and two would be against Beth Peterson’s Assiniboine Memorial team – if Peterson lost her opening match to Jennifer Jones.
The Ackland team, who give the East St. Paul organizers a team representing their own club in the playoffs, built momentum throughout the day. They defeated Darcy Robertson while Peterson was challenging Jones in a game which went to the final end. The disappointing loss set the stage for a tough day for Peterson’s team. Team Ackland was on a roll, leading 6-5 after seven ends, they stole the eight and ninth for a victory and then dominated the late tiebreaker game against the same Peterson team.
No matter today’s results, Jennifer Jones and Kaitlyn Lawes and their teams will be going to the national Scotties, either as Manitoba champions or wildcard entries. Ranked #3 & #4 respectively on the Canadian Team Ranking they’ll be at the nationals in Kamloops. Team Ackland, who formal name by that time will be Team Walter, still have a very good chance of being there as well.
As #7 on CTRS, they can go as Manitoba champions if they beat Lawes and then Jones to day. If not, a wildcard invitaiton appears to be as simple as Rachel Homan winning the Ontario final today.
The current CTRS rankings are: #1 – Kerri Einarson (Team Canada) #2 – Rachel Homan #3 – Jennifer Jones #4 – Kaitlyn Lawes #5 – Clancy Grandy (BC Champion) #6 – Casey Scheidegger (Alberta Finalist – she’ll get a wildcard entry) #7 – Abby Ackland
With three wildcard spots available, the formula appears simple. Einarson & Grandy don’t need one and Scheidegger will have one – leaving two for four teams. Assuming a Jones-Lawes final, then one will be provincial champion and the other will get a wild card invitation – leaving one for two teams, either Homan or Ackland.
So Team Ackland will be cheering for Homan – but when the day begins at East St. Paul they can also just focus on the task of beating Lawes and then Jones, an accomplishment which would earn them the champions’ berth at Kamloops and create a legendary finish to be talked about for years.
FYI: Homan in Ontario, like Jones in Manitoba, has advanced to the final and awaits the semi-final winner (Hollie Duncan vs Danielle Inglis)
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