The Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum has announced its 2025 Inductee Class, a group which includes a dedicated curling volunteer, three accomplished athletes and three champion teams.

The announcement, made Tuesday evening, February 4th, at CurlManitoba’s Reunion of Champions Opening Banquet at the 2025 Viterra Championship, includes the rare father-daughter induction of Ron Westcott and his daughter Raunora.

Curlers Raunora Westcott, Dan Carey, and Dawn McEwen will be joined by Builder Darren Oryniak, as well as the champion teams of Ron Westcott (Canadian Masters (2015), Randy Neufeld (Canadian Seniors 2015), and the dominant Mike McEwen team of 2008 to 2018 which won Manitoba titles in 2016 & 2017.

The formal induction ceremony will take place at Winnipeg’s Victoria Inn on Saturday, May 3, 2025. Ticket information is currently being finalized. Those interested in attending, to support a specific inductee OR to celebrate the end of another great curling season and some of the greats in the game, are invited to contact the committee at mbcurlmuseum@gmail.com.

Media are invited to contact MCHoF&M President Peter Nicholls (204-391-5041) for more information and for inductee contact information.

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BUILDER: Darren Oryniak
<> Curling Canada Governor (2020-2024)
<> CurlManitoba Director (2014-2020), President (2018-19 & 2019-20)
<> Coach/Instructor, Certified NCCP Level III (beginning 2008)
<> Vice-Chair (Facilities) 2013 Roar of the Rings

CURLER: Dan Carey
<> Manitoba and Canadian Men’s Champion (1992)
<> World Championship Semi-finalist (1992)
<> Manitoba Men’s Champion (1993 & 1997)
** Previously inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame in 2005 as a member of the Vic Peters 1992 & 1993 team.

CURLER: Dawn McEwen
<> Olympic Gold Medalist (2014)
<> World Champion (2008 & 2018)
<> Canadian Women’s Champion (2008, 2009, 2010, 2015 & 2018)
<> Manitoba Women’s Champion (2008, 2012, 2013, 2015 & 2018)
** Previously inducted in to the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame as a member of the 2014 Olympic Gold Medal Jennifer Jones team

CURLER: Raunora Westcott
<> Manitoba Junior Women’s Champion (1996)
<> Manitoba Women’s Champion (2010, 2011 & 2017)
<> Canadian Women’s Finalist (2017)

TEAM: Mike McEwen – BJ Neufeld – Matt Wozniak – Denni Neufeld – Coach Chris Neufeld (Fort Rouge CC)
<> 11 consecutive years Manitoba Men’s Championship final four, 10 consecutive years CTRS top-7 ranking, CTRS #1 (2014-15)
<> Eight Manitoba Men’s final game appearances
<> Manitoba Men’s Champion (2016 & 2017), Canadian Men’s Bronze Medallist (2017)
<> Winner of seven Grand Slam events
** Coach Neufeld was previously inducted as a curler in 2020 and with the Vic Peters 1992 Canadian Champion team in 2005

TEAM: Randy Neufeld – Dean Moxham – Peter Nicholls – Dale Michie (LaSalle CC)
<> Five-time Manitoba Senior Men’s Champions (2015, 2016, 2021, 2022, 2024
<>  Canadian Senior Men’s Champion – 2015
<> World Senior Men’s Silver Medalist – 2016
<> Canadian Senior Men’s Finalist – 2016
** Nicholls was previously inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame as a Curler.

TEAM: Ron Westcott – Ken Dusablon – Bob Boughey – Howard Restall (Fort Rouge CC)
<>  Manitoba and Canadian Masters Champions – 2015
<>  Undefeated at the 2015 Canadian Championship
** Westcott and Boughey were previously inducted into the Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame – Boughey as a Curler-Builder in 2014, Westcott as a Curler in 2016.

(CurlManitoba Release) DAY 3 SUMMARY: CURLMANITOBA RME WOMEN OF THE RINGS PRESENTED BY CASE IH: Hailey McFarlane and her team from Neepawa are alone in first place in the standings after the first round of play in the championship round of the RME Women of the Rings Championship presented by Case IH.

McFarlane’s 9-8 win over Beth Peterson Friday evening in Pilot Mound gave her a 5W-1L record, a win ahead of the other five teams who share second place in the standings with 4W-2L records. The Kate Cameron and Kristy Watling teams came into the second round of play with 3W-2L records. Cameron defeated Darcy Robertson and Watling was victorious over Lisa McLeod to create the 5-team tie.

Three teams from each of the two pools advanced from the preliminary round into the championship round where they play three cross-over games against the teams from the other pool. Three teams will advance to the Sunday playoffs.

The top teams in the Asham Pool were Lisa McLeod (Pembina) and Hailey McFarlane (Neepawa), both with 4W-1L records. McLeod was awarded the #1 ranking in the group thanks to a win over McFarlane on the opening draw of the competition Wednesday morning. Top seed Kate Cameron (Heather) missed her chance at the top ranking with an 8-7 extra end loss Friday to McLeod.

The top teams in the Asham Ultra Force Pool were three-time former champion Darcy Robertson and #2 seed Beth Peterson (both Assiniboine Memorial) who also had 4W-1L records. Robertson got the #1 rank in the group because she beat Peterson on Wednesday evening in a game in which her team came back from four down twice. Third seed Kristy Watling (East St. Paul) finished third in the pool with a 3W-2L record.

The teams will play two games Saturday, at 10AM and 4PM, to determine the playoff positions. If necessary, one tiebreaker game will be played Saturday evening. The playoffs are scheduled for 9:30AM and 2:00PM Sunday.

(CurlManitoba Release) DAY 1 SUMMARY: CURLMANITOBA RME WOMEN OF THE RINGS PRESENTED BY CASE IH: Three of the top four seeds at CurlManitoba’s 2025 Women’s Championship, the RME Women of the Rings presented by Case IH, completed the opening day of the championship in Pilot Mound with a pair of victories.

#1 seed, Kate Cameron (Heather), put nine on the scoreboard in both of her team’s victories on opening day at the championship in Pilot Mound, winning 9-5 over Cheyenne Ehnes (Manitoba) and 9-2 over Sarah-Jane Sass (Granite)

#2 seed, Beth Peterson (Assiniboine Memorial), started the day Wednesday with a 5-4 win over Alyssa Calvert (Carberry) but gave up a steal coming home to lose 10-9 to three-time former champion Darcy Robertson on the late draw. Twice in the game, Robertson trailed by four but both times came back to tie, setting up the final end steal. Robertson also ended Day One with a pair of victories.

#3 seed, Kristy Watling (East St. Paul), needed an extra end to win her opener, a 7-6 extra end win over Cassidy Dundas (Heather) but then had a seven-end win over Alyssa Calvert on the late draw.

#4 seed Lisa McLeod (Pembina), with wins over Hailey McFarlane (Neepawa) and Cheyenn Ehnes (Manitou) also ended the opening day with a pair of victories.

Sarah-Jane Sass (Granite) and Hailey McFarlane (Neepawa), in the Asham pool, and Peterson and Cassidy Dundas (Heather), in the Asham Ultra Force Pool, ended the day with 1W-1L records.

The RME Women of the Rings presented by Case IH will continue Thursday in Pilot Mound with draws scheduled for 8:30AM, 12:15PM, 4:00PM, and 7:45PM. One game on each draw will be livestreamed on the CurlManitoba YouTube channel.

(UPDATE: 10PM,20-01-25) Ryan Hyde and his team accomplished three different things Monday evening at Assiniboine Memorial. They had already won the Viterra berth that they had set out to win – a chance to play at home in the 100th Manitoba Men’s championship event. So that’s not one of tonight’s three.

Pick whichever order you want as the more important of these three.

1) They won the Manitoba Open Bonspiel’s Asham event – the undefeated Bonspiel champion.

2) They avoided losing the final game to Scott Moncur’s team from Canmore, AB – and thereby avoided being beaten by what would have been the first bonspiel champion from Alberta in the history of the event which began in 1889.

3) They became only the third team from Portage to win the bonspiel championship in the 137-year history of the bonspiel.

So Ryan Hyde, Kenneth Keeler, Hartley Vanstone, Trevor Munro,and Eric Leduc join 1973 champion Jack Wolfe and his team (Ken Wolfe, Terry Owens, Don Thompson) and the 1989 Don Spriggs team (Kelly Collett, Garry Wright, Clarke Munro) as the only MCA/Manitoba Open bonspiel champions from Portage.

Check the CurlManitoba website for all of the event winners from the Manitoba Open, the Half Spiel,and the New Curlers Fun Spiel.

(UPDATE: 4PM, 20-01-25) HYDE, MAHON, DUNSTONE WIN THE VITERRA BERTHS: Ryan Hyde and his Portage team (Kenneth Keeler, Hartley Vanstone, Trevor Munro, Eric Leduc), Dean Dunstone – Granite (Greg Melnichuk, Al Purdy, Paul Janssen, Scott Kidd), and Mike Mahon – Granite (Blair Smith, Kyle Halford, and a player to be named later) have won the three Viterra berths available in the Manitoba Open bonspiel.

Hyde will play for the bonspiel championship in the Asham event final tonight at Fort Garry against Scott Moncur and a team from Canmore, Alberta. Of note is the fact that going back to the first bonspiel in 1889, there has never been a Grand Aggregate or (more recently) a bonspiel championship winner from Alberta.

Dunstone will also be on the ice at Fort Garry, playing the Tyler Drews Fort Rouge entry in the final of the Original 16 event.

Mahon, who played the entire bonspiel with three players, bowed out in the semis of the Nott Autocorp event but were the most advanced eligible team. They will add a fourth eligible player and the three must compete in Portage to maintain team eligibility.

There will be five event finals at Fort Garry and six at Assiniboine Memorial at 7PM Monday evening.

(11PM, 19-01-25) SO WHO WINS THE VITERRA BERTHS?? Please note: nothing here is OFFICIAL – it is just my best guesses.

The CurlManitoba website is updated to include all results except (obviously) the 9pm Sunday draw – on the ice at time of writing. Based on that ……..

ASHAM MAIN EVENT: Ryan Hyde and his Portage team appear to have won the ASHAM EVENT entry into the Viterra Championship, giving the Portage host committee a home team for their event. The Hyde foursome will play Scott Moncur and his Canmore, AB team for the bonspiel championship Monday evening. Since the Albertans are ineligible, I believe the Hyde team earns the berth, win or lose in the final.

In the other two berth events, the eight semi-finalists include (I believe) seven ineligible teams. Unless I am wrong on some of my assumptions – that means a berth playoff is going to be required.

ORIGINAL 16: Corey Chambers vs Tyler Drews and Jacques Gauthier vs Dean Dunstone. The Gauthier team is in the Viterra already, Chambers is on the Sean Grassie Viterra entry and the Drews team has 2 players already in the Viterra, so all three are ineligible. I believe the Dunstone line-up may include players who are members of different clubs and therefore ineligible (but I stress this is very unofficial, pending formal clarification of membership status).

NOTT AUTOCORP: Graham McFarlane vs Tim Friesen and Shawn Rojeski vs Mike Mahon. McFarlane is already in the Viterra so his team is ineligible and Rojeski is from Hibbing, MN so also ineligible. I believe the Friesen line-up may include players who are members of different clubs and therefore ineligible (again I stress this is very unofficial, pending formal clarification of membership status). The fourth team, Mike Mahon’s group have been playing with three all weekend but I believe they are eligible.

So what all this means (if my guesses on eligibility are correct) is that one berth winner for sure (Hyde) and one berth winner maybe (Mahon) have been identified. The third is probably going to come out of a playoff – but which teams that playoff will involve, I won’t even try to guess.

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FOLLOWING IS THE CURLMANITOBA BERTH ALLOCATION DOCUMENT FROM THE CURLMANITOBA WEBSITE

VITERRA CHAMPONSHIP BERTH ALLOCATION
MANITOBA OPEN
ASHAM EVENT: First Berth
<> The winner of the ASHAM event will be awarded one berth if eligible.
<> If the ASHAM winner is not eligible the berth will go to the Finalist.
<> In the ASHAM event there is no count back prior to the finals as all teams drop to either the Original 16 or Nott Autocorp Events.

ORIGINAL 16 and NOTT AUTOCORP EVENTS: Second and Third berths
If the Asham Event winner is awarded the berth there are 2 remaining berths for 3 teams.
<> Asham Finalist
<> Original 16 Winner
<> Nott Autocorp Winner
These 3 teams will playoff for 2 berths if all 3 teams are eligible.

1. If one of the teams, Asham finalist, Original 16 winner OR Nott Autocorp winner, are
   ineligible, the berths will be awarded to the remaining two teams.
2. If two of the teams, Asham finalist, Original 16 winner and the Nott Autocorp winner, are
   ineligible one berth will be awarded to the remaining team.
   <> The final berth will be determined on a countback and playoff game (s) within the Original
   16 and Nott Autocorp Events at the same level.
   <> The playoff game will be determined by CurlManitoba immediately and the teams will be
   contacted.

Sometime about 10 o’clock this morning (Tuesday, January 7, 2025), Clayton Dreger will sign off for the last time as Sports Director at Goldenwest Radio.

For exactly forty years, Clayton has been telling the local sports story for the listeners on the Goldenwest Manitoba network from his studio in the Altona radio station….and exactly 40 years, means EXACTLY 40 years. Dreger has chosen to end his broadcast career 40 years TO THE DAY from when he started his career at the same radio station.

He has stayed at Goldenwest for his entire career and became known (and respected) for putting local sports above the higher profile, professional sports. His listeners always knew they could count on him to tell the story of the local high school teams, the local community hockey-baseball-curling teams.

He might tell you what happened with the Jets or the Bombers but only if he didn’t run out of time talking about local sports.

And curling got more than its share of attention.  Local bonspiel results, local super-league results, provincial championships as far afield as Thompson but always first telling the story of how the local teams were doing. Occasionally the local curlers would reach the pinnacle and he had the opportunity to lead his sportscasts with those local success stories: Altona’s Harold Sawatzky and his team making their phenomenal run to the Manitoba Men’s curling championship final before losing to Vic Peters (another popular Goldenwest market area name), Altona’s Mackenzie Zacharias skipping her team to Manitoba, Canadian and World junior titles, and just this week Morden’s Nash Sugden winning the U-18 championship.

What could be more fitting in the retirement story of a dedicated community sports broadcaster than for his last curling championship interview to be conducted in a community curling club in the heart of his broadcast territory and for his last interview with a Manitoba champion to be with a youth curler from that very same region?

Best wishes to Clayton Dreger in a well-earned retirement – and THANK YOU from the Manitoba curling community!

Twenty-four teams, 12 Men & 12 Women, assembled at Fort Rouge CC this weekend to contest the Manitoba Curling Tour Championship.

Beth Peterson took on Sarah-Jane Sass in the Sunday afternoon Women’s final. Peterson (Kelsey Roque, Katherine Doerksen, Melissa Kurz) controlled the game but Sass (Katie Lukowich, Mackenzie Arbuckle, Julian Milan) stole on the sixth to make it interesting, down 6-4 with 2 to play.  The game ended after seven ends when Peterson put a three on the board for a 9-4 final score.

To reach the final, Peterson beat Lisa McLeod 7-0 in the semifinal while Sass needed an extra end to oust Holly Duncan (Woodstock, ON)

Braden Calvert (Corey Chambers, Kyle Kurz, Robbie Gordon-sparing for Brendan Bilawka)  won the Sunday afternoon Manitoba Curling Tour Championship Men’s final with a last rock draw to the button to score a pair for a 7-6 win over the Jordan Peters team (skipped by Adam Flatt with  Sean Flatt, Emerson Klimpke, and Ryan Wiebe subbing for Peters).

Calvert led 3-0 after 1 end and 5-1 after 3 but trailed 6-5 coming home after a deuce, a steal of two and a steal of 1 by the Flatt-skipped team. On the final end, Flatt had second shot in the four foot circle forcing the need for Calvert to be perfect on his last.

In the semifinals, Team Flatt/Peters defeated Brett Walter 5-4 with a steal coming home while Calvert beat Sean Grassie, tied 5-5 coming home.

All four semi finalist teams will be playing in the Viterra Championship in Portage in early February.

(UPDATED) The winners of the Viterra berths in regional playdowns across Manitoba provide an interesting combination of first time excitement and veteran experience – and that is just on the Mark Franklin entry from Granite.

Franklin played his first Manitoba men’s championship in 1974 when it was still called the British Consols. The team lead, Gary Gumprich, is the same age as Franklin but never qualified for the Consols. He never qualified for the Labatt Tankard either – or the Safeway Select – or the Safeway Championship. Correct! Past his 70th birthday, Gumprich will play in his first ever Manitoba Men’s as a Viterra Championship rookie in Portage in February. Robin Nelson skipped the team with Franklin throwing third and Denis Lavallee is the second.

The team willingly acknowledges they “may not be” contenders for the championship!

One Winnipeg berth winner which has the credentials to be a contender (and they played like it in the regional playoff) is the Jacques Gauthier (West St. Paul) team. A last minute regional entry, with Derek Samagalski and Tanner Lott, the Gauthier threesome played like a team wanting to prove something. Having now won the berth, the team will be recruiting a fourth to replace Ron Gauthier at lead. The elder Gauthier was an enthusiastic front row supporter with no intention of throwing a stone – but his experience might have him on the final roster as coach or alternate!

The other four Winnipeg berth winners were Thomas McGillivary (St. Vital), Devon Wiebe (Charleswood), Hayden Forrester (Ft Rouge), and Daniel Birchard (Pembina).

Across Manitoba, the regional berth winners were:
<> Justin Richter (Beausejour)
<> Cale Dunbar (Brandon)
<> Steve Irwin (Brandon)
<> Kelly Marnoch (Carberry)
<> Greg Todoruk (Dauphin)
<> Jeff Stewart  (Gladstone)
<> Travis Gregory (Hamiota)
<> Jeremy Sundell (Holland)
<> Ryan Thomson (Morden)
<> Marcus Titchkosky (Morden)
<> Sean Boyle (Neepawa)
<> Stefan Gudmundson (Steinbach)

Pre-qualified for the Viterra Championship in Portage, and therefore not needing to play in regionals were:
<> Jordon McDonald (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Brett Walter (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Riley Smith (Charleswood)
<> Brayden Calvert (Ft Rouge)
<> Jordan Peters (Ft Rouge)
<> Reid Carruthers (Granite)
<> Ryan Ostrowsky (Granite)
<> Sean Grassie (Deer Lodge)

The Northern Regional Berth was awarded to Grant Brown’s Biurntwood team. Yet to be determined are berth winners in the Virden MCT Spiel (1 berth), Brandon Men’s (1 berth), Manitoba Open (3 berths)

ONLY ONE RME WOMEN’S BERTH YET TO BE DETERMINED

Regional Playoffs added 5 teams to the list of teams qualified to play in the RME Women of the Rings Championship presented by Case IH. One regional berth winner is still to be determined. There will be no north region rep this year as there were no entries by deadline.

Winnipeg regional berths were won by:
<> Kristy Watling (East. St Paul)
<> Cassidy Dundas (Heather)
<> Rachel Kaatz (Assiniboine Memorial)

Rural regional berths were won by
<> Cheyenne Ehnes (Manitou)
<> Hailey McFarlane (Neepawa)

Pre-qualified teams for the championship in Pilot Mound include:
<> Kate Cameron
<> Darcy Robertson (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Beth Peterson (Assiniboine Memorial)
<> Lane Prokopowich (Granite)
<> Sarah-Jane Sass (Granite)
<> Lisa McLeod (Pembina)

The Manitoba Curling Hall of Fame & Museum’s major annual fund-raiser, a repeat of last year’s Manitoba Sports Tickets Raffle but with enhanced prizes, has been launched. Tickets can be purchased online at raffle.link/mbcurlmuseum

Main prizes in the draw include tickets for this season’s World Curling Championship in Moose Jaw, SK along with Winnipeg Jets, Winnipeg Blue Bombers, and Winnipeg Goldeyes tickets as well as four dinners and an evening of racing at Assiniboia Downs .

The raffle’s early bird draw date is December 17, 2024 with tickets for the 2025 RME Women of the Rings presented by Case IH (in Pilot Mound) and the 2025 Viterra Championship (in Portage la Prairie) available. Winner’s names will go back in the draw for the main prizes which will be drawn on March 2, 2025.

Early bird prize details:

• Two event passes Viterra Championship – Portage (four draws)
• Two event passes RME Women of the Rings – Pilot Mound (one draw)

Main draw prize details:

• Two full event passes World Curling Championship – Moose Jaw plus $500 (one draw)
• Two tickets Winnipeg Jets vs Vancouver Canucks – March 30, Canada Life Centre (one draw)
• Two tickets 2025 Winnipeg Blue Bombers first regular season home game (one draw)
• Four tickets 2025 Winnipeg Goldeyes any regular season home game (one draw)
• Race Day Dinner for Four Assiniboia Downs any 2025 race day (one draw)
• Two Manitoba Curling Championships 2025-26 All-events passes (two draws)

Tickets Sales are online only with tickets priced at 1 for $5.00, 3 for $10.00, 10 for $25.00, 40 for $50.00  (License #LGCA4051-RF-45738).

Purchase at  raffle.link/mbcurlmuseum – and THANK YOU! for your support.