Twelve teams from four Island curling clubs are competing in the 2012 PEI Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling Championship, which gets underway Thursday afternoon at the newly-renovated Cornwall Curling Club. In last season’s final, Charlottetown’s Eddie MacKenzie, and his rink of third Mike Gaudet, second Mike Dillon, and lead Alex MacFadyen, with coach Blair Weeks, beat their clubmates, the John Likely foursome, by an 8-6 score. Likely is back this year with his team intact, while MacKenzie is playing third on the Brett Gallant rink, with MacFadyen at lead, and Anson Carmody at second,. Mike Gaudet is skipping a new team, which includes Tyler MacKenzie, Tyler Harris, and Sean Clarey.
Six other teams are entered from the Charlottetown club, skipped by Robert Campbell, an eight time PEI Tankard winner, Bill Hope, defending PEI Seniors champ, who is also a member of the host club, two brothers, Peter and Rod MacDonald, who have won 9 Tankards, either together or separately, dating back to Peter’s first win as second back in 1976, and as skip with Rod at third back in 1978, Jamie Newson, and former Seniors and Legion champ Charlie Wilkinson. The Rob Young rink is entered from the host Cornwall club, Blair Jay skips the lone entry from the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside, while the Donald Clarey foursome, who competed in The Dominion Curling Club Championship in Richmond BC this year, and curl out of the Montague Curling Club, round out the entries.
The teams will play a triple knockout format, with four Qualifiers advancing to a “Page” playoff round, where the first two Qualifiers will face off in the “1-2” game, with the winner advancing directly to the championship match. The other two Qualifiers will play off in the “3-4” game, with the loser eliminated, and the winner facing the loser of the “1-2” game in the semi-final. The winner of the semi then takes on the “1-2” winner in the championship game, Monday January 30 at 6:30 pm.
Eight teams were seeded in the draw, based on cashspiel earnings this season: #1 Brett Gallant, #2 Rod MacDonald, #3 Mike Gaudet, #4 Robert Campbell, #5 Peter MacDonald, #6 Donald Clarey, #7 Jamie Newson, and #8 Bill Hope. Triple knockout draws go Thursday at 1:30 and 6:30 pm, Friday and Saturday at 9 am, and 130 and 6:30 pm, and Sunday at 1:30 pm. The Page games take place Sunday evening at 6:30, with the semi-final Monday at 1:30, and the final at 6:30 pm.
Admission for the event is $2 a draw, or $20 for a full event pass. Event passes are available at the bar in advance of the event. Tickets, and event passes, subject to availability, will be available at the door during the event.
The 2012 PEI Tankard winner will advance to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 3-11 in Saskatoon.
Here are the opening draws:
Thursday Jan. 26 at 1:30 pm:
Ice 1 Jamie Newson vs Blair Jay
Ice 2: Bill Hope vs John Likely
Ice 3: Charlie Wilkinson vs Peter MacDonald
Ice 4: Donald Clarey vs Rob Young
Thursday January 26 at 6:30 pm:
Ice 1: Robert Campbell vs winner Wilkinson/Peter MacDonald from first draw
Ice 2: Brett Gallant vs winner Hope/Likely from first draw
Ice 3: Mike Gaudet vs winner Clarey/Young from first draw
Ice 4: Rod MacDonald vs winner Newson/Jay from first draw
Full draw is available at PEICurling.com/tankard, with live end-by-end results at LiveCurling.com.
Here are the team rosters (skip to lead, coach/alternate-club):
Robert Campbell, Philip Gorveatt, Eric Brodersen, Mike Dillon- Charlottetown Curling Club
Donald Clarey, Larry Richards, David Rice, Steven MacLeod-Montague Curling Club
Brett Gallant, Eddie MacKenzie, Anson Carmody, Alex MacFadyen, Al Ledgerwood (coach)- Charlottetown Curling Club
Mike Gaudet, Tyler MacKenzie, Tyler Harris, Sean Clarey-Charlottetown Curling Club
Bill Hope, Craig Mackie, Matt Smith, David Murphy-Charlottetown & Cornwall curling clubs
Blair Jay, Kevin Ellsworth, Mike Trudeau, Roland Richard-Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club (Summerside)
John Likely, Kyle Stevenson, Mark Butler, Doug MacGregor-Charlottetown Curling Club
Peter MacDonald (throws 1st), Robert Shaw (throws 4th), Dennis Watts (throws 3rd), Robbie Younker (throws 2nd)- Charlottetown Curling Club
Rod MacDonald, Kevin Champion, Mark O’Rourke, Andrew Robinson-Charlottetown Curling Club
Jamie Newson, Pat Lynch, Jeff Gallant, John Desrosiers, Rob Warren (alternate)- Charlottetown Curling Club
Charlie Wilkinson, Nick Fraser. Paul Gaudet, Jeff Brine-Charlottetown Curling Club
Rob Young, Mark MacDonald, Brad Gardiner, Steve DeWolfe-Cornwall Curling Club