The field has been finalized for the Sobeys Slam women’s cashspiel, Nov. 27-30 in New Glasgow, NS, and Cornwall’s Donna Butler rink, which includes Marie Molyneaux at 3rd, Melissa Andrews at second, and Carolyn Coulson at lead, with coach Kathie Gallant, has grabbed one of the final spots in this star-studded event, along with Nancy McConnery of Halifax, as a result of money earned in two qualifying cashspiels this season. McConnery secured her position by making the playoff round at the Lady Monctonian, while Butler’s solid 3-2 record in a very tough field at the Rodd Curling Classic in Charlottetown earned her a spot in the Slam. Suzanne Birt and her Charlottetown rink of Shelly Bradley, Leslie MacDougall, and Stefanie Clark, with coach Charlie Sullivan, had previously qualified for the event, as a result of their World Curling Tour rankings.
The road will not be any easy one for either McConnery or Butler at the Slam, as #31 seed McConnery will face World Champion Jennifer Jones in her first round match while #32 seed Butler takes on world #1 seed and former Canadian Olympic representative Shannon Kleibrink. Birt, meanwhile, will play Amber Holland in her opener.
In attendance, along with defending Canadian and World Champion Jennifer Jones, and World Championship finalist Bingyu Wang, will be defending Sobeys Slam Champion Sherry Middaugh, and Nova Scotia curling icon Colleen Jones, who will be skipping the 2007 World Champion rink of Kelly Scott.
Other names synonymous with curling on the world’s stage who will be in New Glasgow include Patti Lank, 1999 World Silver Medalist from New York, 2001 World Junior Champion Birt, World 2005 Junior Bronze Medalist Andrea Kelly from New Brunswick, 2004 World Junior Silver Medalist Jill Mouzar from Nova Scotia, and 2001 World Champion Mary-Anne Arsenault.
For more information on this event or to buy tickets online or by phone, visit: www.sobeysslam,ca.
IQALUIT, Nunavut, November 12 (CCA)…Saskatchewan finally suffered its first loss of the week at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, falling to New Brunswick, 9-4 in Draw 12 action at Arniatok Arena.
Skipped by Saskatoon’s Darrell McKee, Saskatchewan put its 7-0 record on the line against New Brunswick (Scott Jones of Moncton) Wednesday afternoon, but steals of a single in the eighth end and a deuce in the ninth sealed the deal for Jones, who improved to 4-4.
Saskatchewan is still on top with a 7-1 record. However, it now has a host of pursuers, including Manitoba (Sean Grassie of Winnipeg) at 6-1 and three teams at 6-2…Ontario (Wayne Tuck of Brantford), Northern Ontario (Ian Fisher of Sault Ste. Marie) and Nova Scotia (Mark Dacey of Halifax).
Nova Scotia continued to roll, defeating British Columbia (Greg Monkman of New Westminster), 10-4. Dacey, of course, won the 2004 Nokia Brier in Saskatoon before finishing third at the Ford Worlds in Gävle, Sweden. He also won the 2002 Canadian Mixed in Halifax. British Columbia is now at 3-5.
In other games, Prince Edward Island (Bill Hope of Charlottetown) took three in the 10th end to edge Quebec (Simon Hebert of Thetford Mines), 6-5. PEI improved to 3-4 while Quebec dropped to 2-6. Alberta (Tom Appelman of Edmonton) finally won its first game, 10-6 over Newfoundland and Labrador (Andrew Mercer of St. John’s). Alberta is 1-6 while Newfoundland and Labrador fell to 2-6.
Round robin play continues tonight with Draw 13 at 7:00 pm, in this 46th edition of the Canadian Mixed, which is being presented by First Air. Upon completion of the round robin on Friday morning, the first place team will advance directly to the final on Saturday, November 15, while the second and third place teams meet in a semi-final to determine the other finalist.
In addition to a Canadian title, two players from the winning team will also represent Canada at the 2009 World Mixed Doubles Championship, slated for April 17-25, 2009 in Cortina d’Ampezzo, Italy.
Alberta has won a leading nine Mixed titles since 1964. Saskatchewan is next with eight, while Manitoba has won seven.
IQALUIT, Nunavut, November 11 (CCA)…Saskatchewan, skipped by Darrell McKee of Saskatoon, kept its perfect record intact with a 16-2 demolishing of the Territories (George Lennie of Inuvik) Tuesday evening at the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship.
A seven-ender in the eighth end put the exclamation mark on a wide-open contest. The victory moved Saskatchewan to 7-0, one game ahead of idle Northern Ontario (Ian Fisher of Sault Ste. Marie), which is in second place with a 6-1 mark.
Manitoba (Sean Grassie of Winnipeg) improved to 5-1 with an 8-3 victory over winless Alberta (Tom Appelman of Edmonton). Ontario (Wayne Tuck of Brantford) is next at 5-2, while Nova Scotia (Mark Dacey of Halifax) is at 4-2.
In other Draw 10 matches at Arniatok Arena, Prince Edward Island (Bill Hope of Charlottetown) edged New Brunswick (Scott Jones of Moncton), 8-6, as both teams are now 2-4. And, in an extra end affair, Newfoundland and Labrador (Andrew Mercer of St. John’s) also moved to 2-4, defeating British Columbia (Greg Monkman of New Westminster), 8-7. British Columbia dropped to 3-4.
Round robin play continues on Wednesday with draws at 10:00 am, 2:30 pm and 7:00 pm. Upon completion of the round robin on Friday morning, the first place team will advance directly to the final on Saturday, November 15, while the second and third place teams meet in a semi-final to determine the other finalist.
Alberta has won a leading nine Mixed titles since the championship began in 1964 in Toronto, including last season, when Dean Ross of Calgary defeated Ontario’s Bob Turcotte in the final.
Saskatchewan’s last win, its eighth Canadian Mixed title, came in 1996 in Charlottetown, courtesy of skip Randy Bryden, while Northern Ontario, with three victories, last won the Mixed in 1997, by skip Chris Johnson in Kindersley, Saskatchewan.
This 46th edition of the Canadian Mixed, presented by First Air, marks the first time that a Canadian sport championship has been contested in Iqaluit, Nunavut.
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