The Rod MacDonald rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside and the Charlottetown Curling Complex went undefeated in this year’s PEI Credit Unions Senior Men’s Curling Championship at the Montague Curling Club, sweeping all three modified triple knockout section finals, all against the Peter Gallant team from Charlottetown, to win the title without having to play a championship. The last game, the C final, took an extra end, with MacDonald scoring a single point for the 6-5 win.

MacDonald stole a deuce in the 1st end of the C final, but Gallant pulled ahead with a deuce and a stolen single. MacDonald responded with a deuce to lead 4-3 at the 4th end break. The fifth was blanked, and they traded singles in the next two ends to leave MacDonald one up coming home with hammer. gallant stole a single to force the extra, but couldn’t pull off another steal in the extra.

File photo: Rod MacDonald

Other members of the MacDonald squad are Kevin Champion, Blair Weeks, and Mark Victor, while John Likely, Mark O’Rourke, and Mark Butler round out the runner-up Gallant team. MacDonald was runner-up in the event last year.

The Rod MacDonald rink, along with the women’s winner, the Shirley Berry team from Cornwall and Charlottetown, who won by default as they were the only entry in the women’s event, will advance to the 2015 Canadian Senior Curling Championships, March 21-28, 2015, in Edmonton, AB. Berry’s teammates are Sandy Hope, Shelley Ebbett and Arleen Harris, with coaches Butch McGee and Bill Hope. Six teams took part in the Senior Men’s event.

The Rod MacDonald rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside and the Charlottetown Curling Complex are just one win away from winning the PEI Credit Unions Provincial Senior Men’s Curling Championship at the Montague Curling Club.  As they have in the A and B section finals of the modified triple knockout draw, the MacDonald rink will take on Charlottetown’s Peter Gallant foursome in the C final, at 2 this afternoon. If MacDonald wins, he will take the title, as he would have won all three sections, making a championship round unnecessary. If Gallant wins, the teams will advance to the two game championship round at 10 am, and, if needed, 2 pm on Wednesday. MacDonald would take the title if he won either game, while Gallant would have to win both.

Other members of the MacDonald squad are Kevin Champion, Blair Weeks, and Mark Victor, while John Likely, Mark O’Rourke, and Mark Butler round out the Gallant team.

Gallant advanced to the C final with a 9-3 win over Bill Hope of Charlottetown in today’s 10 am draw, leading 5-3 after six ends, and taking four points in the seventh.

The Senior men’s champions, along with the women’s winner, the Shirley Berry team from Cornwall and Charlottetown, who won by default as they were the only entry in the women’s event, will advance to the 2015 Canadian Senior Curling Championships, March 21-28, 2015, in Edmonton, AB.

End by end Curlcast results from the PEI Credit Unions Senior Men’s  at CurlAtlantic.com/scoreboard

The Rod MacDonald rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club and the Charlottetown Curling Complex have now captured both the A and the B section finals of the modified triple knockout PEI Credit Unions Provincial Senior Men’s championships in Montague, winning both games against the same team, Peter Gallant of Charlottetown, and by the same score — 6-5. This will give the MacDonald rink, who were runners-up in the event, for curlers age 50 and over, last year, a “double life” in the two game championship round on Wednesday, as they will play in both championship games, taking the title if they win either game, while their opponent would have to win both games. If the MacDonald rink also wins the “C” final on Tuesday at 2 pm, they will become the Senior Men’s champs, and the championship round will not be played.

File photo: Rod MacDonald directs a rock into the house at the 2014 Seniors

Gallant took points in the first two ends in today’s game, but MacDonald tied it up with a deuce in four. Gallant took a single in five to lead 3-2, but MacDonald scored a triple in six for the lead. Gallant came up with a tying deuce in seven, but MacDonald took the win with a single in eight. Gallant advanced to the B final with a 5-3 win this morning over the Mel Bernard rink from Summerside, which includes three members of last year’s winning team.

Blair Jay and his Summerside rink were eliminated this morning, thanks to a 9-2 win by Bill Hope of Charlottetown in just four ends, with Hope breaking a 2-2 tie with five points in the third end, and then stealing a deuce in the next end to bring the game to a quick close. Hope then knocked out the other Summerside rink in the six-team field, Bernard, with a 7-2 win in six ends in the afternoon draw, following a fourth end triple with single steals in ends five and six.

This leaves only MacDonald, Gallant and Hope in the competition going into Tuesday’s final two knockout round games, with Hope taking on Gallant at 10 am, and the winner facing MacDonald in the C final at 2 pm. The championship round, if required, goes Wednesday at 10 am and, if needed, 2 pm. The Senior men’s champions, along with the women’s winner, the Shirley Berry team from Cornwall and Charlottetown, who won by default as they were the only entry, will advance to the 2015 Canadian Senior Curling Championships, March 21-28, 2015, in Edmonton, AB.