Tankard Final Eight set

The last four of the eight qualifiers for the Labatt Tankard Final Eight, Feb. 9-14 at the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O'Leary, have now been determined. On Tuesday evening, three rinks from the host Charlottetown Curling Club, and one from the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, took the final qualifiers in the triple-knockout playdowns. Kyle Stevenson edged Crapaud's five-time Tankard-winning Ted MacFadyen rink by a 7-5 score, while Robert Campbell, a six-time Tankard-winning skip, edged Mel Bernard of Summerside 7-6.  Western's Kevin Ellsworth, who earlier knocked defending champion Mike Gaudet out of further contention, got by Charlottetown's Matt Smith by a 6-5 score. Top-seeded John Likely of Charlottetown had struggled earlier in the playdowns, but grabbed the final qualifier, scoring doubles in ends five through seven to defeat Summerside's Grant Somers rink by a 7-1 score. Likely had won the Tankard in 2002 with Robert Campbell at third stone, while Somers, with Mel Bernard playing third, was a 1986 winner.

Here are the rinks who will compete in the round-robin Final Eight round, with the winner advancing to the Tim Horton's Brier, March 5-13, in Edmonton, Alberta:

Two very close games took place on Monday evening, as the third and fourth qualifying teams for the Labatt Tankard Final Eight were decided. The rink of Robert Shaw, Sandy MacPhee, Robbie Younker, and Derryl McCarville from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club beat out Tankard veteran Robert Campbell from the host Charlottetown Curling Club 8-6, after scoring a triple in end seven, and stealing the next end, to grab qualifying position number four, while the third spot went to Rod MacDonald, playing with Campbell's 2003 Tankard-winning rink of Kevin Champion, Phillip Gorveatt, and Mike Dillon. The Summerside native, playing out of the Charlottetown club, scored a triple in the eighth, and a deuce in the last end to edge clubmate Kyle Stevenson 8-7.

Both Campbell and Stevenson have one more shot, Tuesday at 5:30 pm, at winning a qualifying game. Stevenson takes on five-time Tankard champion Ted MacFadyen from the Crapaud Community Curling Club in Qualifier #5, while Campbell meets Summerside's Mel Bernard in Qualifier #6. Charlottetown's Matt Smith, who lost to Campbell 12-8 Monday afternoon, and Kevin Ellsworth, from the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, who defeated Jeff MacCallum from the Silver Fox 7-2 on Sunday night, face off in Qualifier #7. 2002 Tankard champion and frequent Mixed champion John Likely, playing on home ice, and seeded first going into the event, lost to clubmates Mark Kinney and Rod MacDonald, and now meets Summerside's Grant Somers rink in the final qualifying game. Charlottetown's Mark Kinney and Andrew Robinson qualified on Saturday. Defending champion Mike Gaudet from the Silver Fox was out earlier in the competition.

The eight qualifiers from this triple knockout event will meet in the round robin Final Eight championship, Feb. 9-14 at the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O'Leary. The eventual winner of this year's Labatt Tankard will advance to the Tim Horton's Brier, March 5-13, in Edmonton, Alberta.

First two of eight qualifiers chosen. Gaudet out.

The first two of the eight teams to advance to the Final Eight round in O'Leary were determined in the 5 pm Saturday draw at the Labatt Tankard Open Playdowns at the Charlottetown Curling Club. Mark Kinney of the host club doubled Robert Shaw of the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club 6-3 to take the first qualifier, while Andrew Robinson defeated Charlottetown clubmate Kyle Stevenson 9-1 for the second of eight slots.

Defending champion Mike Gaudet from the Silver Fox is out of the competition, after losing 6-4 Saturday evening to Kevin Ellsworth of the Western club. Gaudet won his first game in the triple knockout, but then lost to clubmates Robert Shaw and Grant Somers, before being eliminated with the third loss.

The remaining qualifiers will be determined in a 7 PM draw on Monday and the final draw at 5:30 PM on Tuesday.