Mission accomplished for Eddie MacKenzie rink (Guardian)

Charlottetown Curling Complex squad defends P.E.I. Tankard title

CORNWALL, P.E.I. – The Eddie MacKenzie rink is heading back to the Tim Hortons Brier after a 12-4 win over John Likely to earn the P.E.I. Tankard Sunday in Cornwall.

Guardian photo: Eddie MacKenzie, with Chris Gallant (left) and Josh Barry

The MacKenzie-skipped foursome defended their P.E.I. provincial men’s curling title with a solid performance that saw it jump out to a 6-1 lead through five ends then drop a five-spot in the ninth.

At that point, Likely conceded, the rinks shook hands and MacKenzie had skipped his fifth Tankard winner and moved on to the Brier, which takes place March 3-11 in Regina, Sask.

“We made enough shots to win, played pretty well. We practiced throughout the year and just kind of gelled (in Cornwall). These guys have a lot of experience,” MacKenzie said. “We had the hammer to start and we wanted to get a deuce on the even end and follow through.”

MacKenzie took advantage of some missed shots by the Likely rink to score five in the ninth and ice the championship.

Likely’s rink was even more unlikely to reach the final as its first games as a team were Thursday on the tournament’s opening day.

“This is a team that got together and ended up doing alright. Went in for a little fun,” Likely said. “We didn’t play good (Sunday), it’s pretty simple. We played good up until (Saturday).”

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