January 9-13, 2019, Western Community Curling Club, Alberton
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John Likely and Co. are P.E.I. Tankard champions (Journal)
ALBERTON — John Likely will be skipping a P.E.I. Tankard champion team at the Tim Hortons Brier for the first time since 2002.
Steve Burgess, left, and Robbie Doherty look down ice to their skip, John Likely, for instructions on whether to sweep a rock thrown by their mate, Anson Carmody. – Eric McCarthy
Likely, who filled out his team with mate Anson Carmody, second stone Steve Burgess, lead Robbie Doherty and alternate Matthew Nabuurs, fought back from a 4-2 deficit at the fifth end break to tie his game against two-time defending champion Eddie MacKenzie 5-5 in the eighth end. MacKenzie blanked the ninth to maintain the hammer heading home, but his hammer attempt at running back one of his own guards over-curled and Likely stole the end for a 6-5 win.
Likely lost last year’s final to MacKenzie. “I owed him one,” Likely commented.
Doherty and Nabuurs were with MacKenzie when he won the 2017 title.
Going into Sunday’s playoff game at the Western Community Curling Club with just one loss, Likely knew MacKenzie would need to beat him twice to keep the title and he admitted after the game it was looking different times like there’d be a 2 o’clock winner-take-all final.
Likely made an attempt at a difficult in-off in the fifth which would have given him four points if he made it, but his rock sailed through the house without contact, allowing MacKenzie a steal for a 4-2 lead.
In the tenth of the Tankard final, MacKenzie’s lead, Sean Ledgerwood put a rock on the back of the button. Burgess and Carmody would later freeze on top of it while leaving the MacKenzie stone as shot rock. A Tyler MacKenzie attempt to corner freeze onto the Likely stones after a pair of double peels didn’t work, went heavy and set up beside their own shot rock. Likely seized the opportunity to blast them both although he did leave a MacKenzie stone at the back of the house.
“To be honest with you, I wasn’t even watching. I just asked Anson, ‘How’s it look?’ and he said, ‘It looks good,’ and then it must’ve curled a little bit,” Likely said of the game’s ultimate outcome.
Click for the full story in the Journal Pioneer.
John Likely wins Tankard PEI men’s title
There’s no need for a 2 pm game in the PEI Tankard, as John Likely and his team from Charlottetown and the host Western Community curling club in Alberton were able to steal a 10th end single to edge defending champion Eddie MacKenzie and his Charlottetown team by a 6-5 score this morning to win the provincial men’s championship. As Likely had won two of the three modified-knockout draw sections, a win in either game today would have given him the title, while MacKenzie would have needed to win both. The Likely squad, who were runners-up last year, includes third Anson Carmody, second Steve Burgess and lead Robbie Doherty, with alternate Matthew Nabuurs. Third Tyler MacKenzie, second Christopher Gallant, and lead Sean Ledgerwood round out the Eddie MacKenzie finalist team, which is coached by Philip Gorveatt.
Tankard-Winning John Likely rink
Photo (L-R): Curl PEI Treasurer Bill Smith, John Likely, Anson Carmody, Steve Burgess, Robbie Doherty, Matthew Nabuurs
Tankard finalist Eddie MacKenzie rink
Photo (L-R): Eddie MacKenzie, Tyler MacKenzie, Christopher Gallant, Sean Ledgerwood.
Meanwhile, Charlottetown’s Suzanne Birt will get a chance to compete for her 10th PEI Scotties women’s title, as she takes on Cornwall’s Veronica Smith, who is seeking her first Scotties trophy, in the provincial women’s final at 2 pm. Smith who won the A section of the modified triple knockout round, earned a bye to the final by virtue of playing in all three section qualifiers, while the other section winners, Birt, and Sarah Fullerton from the Charlottetown and Silver Fox clubs, squared off in this morning’s semi-final, with Birt winning 7-6, aided by a 5th end triple.
Tankard winner Likely and his team will now advance to the Tim Hortons Brier in Brandon MB:
Operated by Curling Canada
Mar. 2-10, 2019
Westoba Place, Brandon, Man.
The winning women’s team will advance to the national Scotties in Sydney NS:
Likely one win away from Tankard title, Smith to face either Birt or Fullerton in Scotties final (Journal)
ALBERTON — John Likely and his Charlottetown and Western Community curling clubs team of Anson Carmody, Steve Burgess, Robbie Doherty, and alternate Matthew Nabuurs is one win away from claiming the 2019 P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship.
Standing in his way is defending champion Eddie MacKenzie from the Charlottetown Curling Complex.
John Likely’s mate, Anson Carmody calls a shot while Tim Hockin, middle and Darren Higgins look on during P.E.I. Tankard action. – Eric McCarthy
The P.E.I. Scotties provincial women’s championship in Alberton will definitely go the distance.
Suzanne Birt won the women’s ‘C’ Qualifier 9-7 over Veronica Smith. Birt (4-2) and Smith (5-2), join Sarah Fullerton (4-2) in Sunday’s playoff round with Fullerton playing Birt at 9 a.m. and the winner going up against Smith at 2 p.m. Smith gets the bye to the final because she appeared in all three of the women’s Qualifiers.
Likely defeated the Darren Higgins rink from the Silver Fox Curling Club in the event’s ‘C’ Qualifier Saturday night.
Scotties and Tankard Playoff Rounds set
There will be three teams competing in the PEI Scotties women’s championship round on Sunday at 9 am, and 2 pm at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, and two rinks in the Men’s round at the same time.
The Veronica Smith team from Cornwall, who won the A Qualifying game of the modified triple knockout draw, has earned a bye to the 2 pm final game of the Scotties, having played in the A, B. and C Qualifying games, The B Qualifier winner, Sarah Fullerton and her team from the Charlottetown Curling Complex and the Silver Fox Curling Club in Summerside, along with the C winner, Suzanne Birt of Charlottetown, who beat Smith 9-7 in the Saturday evening C Qualifier, will square off in the 9 am game, with the winner advancing to the 2 pm final against Smith.
On the men’s side, last year’s runner-up John Likely, who lists Charlottetown and Western as his team’s curling clubs, will play in both playoff games, having two chances to win the Tankard, as, having won the A and the C Qualifiers, he can win the event if he takes either game, while his opponent, B section winner and defending champion Eddie MacKenzie, has to win both. Likely only needed six ends to dispose of Summerside’s Darren Higgins rink and capture the “C” Qualifier on Saturday evening.
The winning women’s team will advance to the national Scotties in Sydney NS:
Likely to play Higgins in 7 p.m. men’s Tankard ‘C’ Qualifier (Journal)
Alberton-Saturday evening’s P.E.I. Tankard ‘C’ Qualifier will feature a rematch of a provincial men’s curling championship opening draw game.
John Likely, who won the events ‘A’ qualifier on Thursday will meet Darren Higgins Saturday at 7 p.m. at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton. Higgins, who lost his first two games of the modified triple knock-out championship, including a 6-4 setback to Likely on Wednesday, has now won two in a row. He eliminated P.E.I junior champion Tyler Smith from the competition Saturday morning with an 8-2 win. Smith stole a single in the first end, but, after blanking the second, Higgins scored three in the third and was up 6-1 at the midway break after steals in the fourth and fifth. Smith scored a single in the sixth but he conceded the game after Higgins scored singles in each of the next two ends.
Jonathan Greenan, lead on the Darren Higgins rink from the Silver Fox, intently follows his rock during P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship action in Alberton. After losing his first two games, Higgins has stitched together a pair of wins to advance to this evening’s ‘C’ Qualifier. – Eric McCarthy
Likely advanced to the ‘C’ Qualifier with a 5-4 win over ‘B’ Qualifier winner and defending Tankard champion Eddie MacKenzie Saturday morning. A three in the fifth was key to the win, giving Likely a 4-1 lead at the break. MacKenzie reduced the lead to 403 with a deuce in the eighth after two blank ends. Likely made it 503 in the ninth and MacKenzie had to settle for a single point in the tenth when a deuce was needed to force an extra end.
Click for the full story in the Journal Pioneer
ALBERTON — The field still in the running for the P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship has been trimmed to four teams. Two rinks from the Silver Fox, skipped by Steve van Ouwerkeerk and Jamie Newson, were eliminated in Friday’s afternoon draw.
Mike Spencer, second stone for Darren Higgins Silver Fox rink, appears fenced in with curling brooms as he releases a rock during P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship action at the Western Community Curling Club. Higgins won an elimination game 10-4 over clubmate Jamie Newson Friday. He plays Tyler Smith in Saturday’s 9 a.m. draw. – Eric McCarthy
Van Ouwerkerk fell 8-6 to John Likely despite scoring in six of the game’s 10 ends, and Newson lost 10-4 to Darren Higgins, the only Silver Fox rink still in the hunt.
Also still very much in the running for the championship and the right to represent P.E.I. at the Tim Hortons Brier in Brandon, Manitoba, March 2 to 10, are P.E.I. junior champion Tyler Smith and defending Tankard champion Eddie MacKenzie. Those teams met in the ‘B’ Qualifier Friday afternoon with MacKenzie prevailing 6-3.
The defending PEI men’s champion Eddie MacKenzie rink doubled their Charlottetown clubmates, the Tyler Smith squad, who are PEI’s Junior men’s champs, by a 6-3 score this afternoon at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton to capture the “B” qualifier in the modified triple knockout PEI Tankard. The John Likely rink who list Charlottetown and Western as their clubs, won the “A” qualifier on Monday. In this afternoon’s match, MacKenzie opened with a deuce and had a 3-0 lead after 4 ends. Smith rebounded with singles in the next three ends to tie the game at 3-all after seven ends. Mackenzie took a single in eight and stole a deuce in the 10th end for the win.
File photo by Michael Burns for Curling Canada: Eddie MacKenzie at last year’s Tim Hortons Brier
In other games, the Darren Higgins rink staved off elimination with a 10-4 win over Silver Fox clubmate Jamie Newson with a convincing 10-4 win in eight ends, but play has ended for Newson and also for their clubmate Steve vanOuwerkerk after picking up his third loss, 8-6 to A qualifier Likely.
The “C” semi-finals take place at 9 am on Saturday, with Higgins taking on Tyler Smith, and Likely battling MacKenzie in a rematch of last year’s final. The “C” Qualifier final goes at 7 pm Saturday, with the championship round set for Sunday at 9 am and, if needed, 2 pm.
Defending champ MacKenzie, Junior champ Smith advancing to Tankard ‘B’ qualifier (Journal)
ALBERTON-Defending P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling champion, Eddie MacKenzie, answered back in all-CAPS Thursday night at the Western Community Curling Club.
Eddie MacKenzie, skip of the defending champion team in the 2019 P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship. MacKenzie scored a big win Thursday night over Team Jamie Newson, the team that handed him an opening draw loss the previous day. – Eric McCarthy
After losing his opening draw of the 2019 men’s championship to Jamie Newson on Wednesday, MacKenzie was a man on a mission for the rematch, defeating Newson 9-1 in a game that lasted just four ends. MacKenzie scored four in the first end with hammer, stole another point in the second and then four more in the third to go up 9-0. Newson conceded the game after taking a single point in the fourth.
The win sends MacKenzie into the ‘B’ qualifier of the six-team modified triple knock-out championship Friday at 2 p.m. against P.E.I. Junior champion Tyler Smith who outscored ‘A’ Qualifier winner John Likely 7-1 in eight ends.
All six men’s teams are in the 2 p.m draw on Friday and, for two of them, it could be their final draw. Newson plays Summerside’s Darren Higgins and only the winner moves forward. Likely plays Steve van Ouwerkerk from the Silver Fox with van Ouwerkerk needing a win to remain in contention.
Likely only undefeated team at P.E.I. Tankard, outlasts Newson in ‘A’ Qualifier (Journal)
ALBERTON-John Likely scored his only deuce of the game Thursday at the Western Community Curling Club and it couldn’t have come at a better time. He entered the final end of the P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship’s ‘A’ qualifier trailing Jamie Newson by one point but with the all-important last rock advantage. It was then that Likely and his team of Anson Carmody, mate, Steve Burgess, second and Matthew Nabuurs, lead, scored their deuce for a 6-5 victory.
Anson Carmody, mate on the John Likely rink, prepares to sweep a Steve Burgess stone during the P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton. Likely, whose team also consists of Matthew Nabuurs (alternate) and Robbie Doherty, is the only undefeated team in the modified triple knock-out competition. – Eric McCarthy
The Likely rink, which lists the Charlottetown Curling Complex and the host Western club as their home club, now drops into the ‘B’ qualifier semi-final where they will play PE.I. Junior champion Tyler Smith in this evening’s 7 p.m. draw. Smith scored one with hammer in the last end for an 8-6 win over Darren Higgins Thursday morning, pushing the Silver Fox rink to the brink of elimination sporting a 0-2 record in the modified tripe knock-out competition.
Defending men’s champ Eddie MacKenzie from the Charlottetown Curling Complex put another Summerside rink on notice; his 8-4 win over Steve van Ouwerkerk drops van Ouwerkerk to 0-2. The 0-2 teams don’t return to action until Friday’s 2 p.m. draw.
Today’s other ‘B’ Qualifier will feature a rematch of one of the games from the opening men’s draw with Newson facing MacKenzie. Newson won the opener 8-7 in an extra end.
Click for the full story in the Journal Pioneer
Little rest for undefeated P.E.I. men’s Tankard teams; Newson, Likely to meet in “A” Qualifier (Journal)
ALBERTON — It’s going to be a short sleep for the Jamie Newson and John Likely rinks. They got off the ice at the Western Community Curling Club just before midnight Wednesday; they go back out at 10 a.m. to face each other in the “A” qualifier of the P.E.I. Tankard provincial men’s curling championship.
Patrick Ramsay, second stone for the Jamie Newson rink from the Silver Fox Curling Club, slides through traffic after releasing his stone during the P.E.I. Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling championship at the Western Community Curling Club. – Eric McCarthy
Newson and his Silver Fox Curling Club rink of Corey Miller, Patrick Ramsay and Adam Arsenault, and the Likely foursome of Likely, Anson Carmody, Steve Burgess and Matthew Nabuurs from the Charlottetown and Western clubs both picked up two wins on Wednesday. Likely started off with a 6-4 win over Darren Higgins from the Silver Fox and finished up with a 7-4 victory over another Silver Fox rink, skipped by Steve van Ouwerkerk.
Newson scored an 8-7 extra-end win over defending champion Eddie MacKenzie in the evening draw and doubled P.E.I junior champion Tyler Smith 6-3 in the late draw.
ALBERTON — It took an extra end to accomplish it, but Jamie Newson and his Silver Fox Curling Club rink hammered out a tight 8-7 win over defending champion Eddie MacKenzie in the opening draw of the P.E.I. Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling Championship Wednesday evening at the Western Community Curling Club. Newson had opened up a 7-3 lead over MacKenzie after eight ends, but MacKenzie forced the extra end with a triple in the ninth and a stolen single in the tenth.
Skip Jamie Newson from the Silver Fox, keeps his eyes trained on the target broom as he releases a shot during his men’s Tankard game against defending champion Eddie MacKenzie. – Eric McCarthy
The John Likely rink from the Charlottetown Curling Club and the host Western Community Curling Club also scored a tight victory in their first game. Likely scored his team’s only steal of the game in the tenth end, and it gave them a 6-4 win over Darren Higgins and company from the Silver Fox.
The win sent Likely and his team right back out in the 9 o’clock draw against another Summerside rink, skipped by Steve van Ouwerkerk.
Scotties and Tankard Draw and schedule
Update: We have decided to move ahead with draw 2 at 5pm, draw 3 at 9pm and draw 4 at 10am Thursday morning.
| Date | Time | Draw | Ice 1 | Ice 2 | Ice 3 |
| Wed. 09 Jan | 9 AM | 1 | 2 | 3 | 1 |
| 5 PM | 2 | A | B | 5 | |
| Opening Ceremonies Cancelled | |||||
| 9 PM | 3 | D | 4 | C | |
| Thur 10Jan | 10 AM | 4 | G | E | F |
| 2 PM | 5 | 8 | 7 | 6 | |
| 7 PM | 6 | 9 | H | I | |
| Fri 11 Jan | 9 AM | 7 | 10 | 12 | 11 |
| 2 PM | 8 | K | J | L | |
| 7 PM | 9 | 14 | 13 | 15 | |
| Sat 12 Jan | 9 AM | 10 | N | M | |
| 2 PM | 11 | 17 | 16 | ||
| 7 PM | 12 | 18 | O | ||
| Sun 13 Jan | 9 AM | 13 | WA | MA | |
| 2 PM | 14 | WB | MB | ||
Explanation for WA/WB & MA/MB:
*Qualifying games are in yellow on the schedule
1. One team wins all three qualifiers: Championship Round is not required.
2. One team wins two qualifiers. They play in both X and Z (and win the event if they win either game), the other winner plays in Y (and has to win both games).
3. Three separate winners: the team that played in the most qualifying games* plays in Z and the other winners play off in X and Y. If there is a tie in number of qualifying games played, then the team that qualified earliest goes to Z and the other two teams play off in X and Y.
* Qualifying games have yellow game number background.
Note: Four teams have been seeded in both the men’s and women’s based on earnings, while the other 2 men’s and 3 women’s teams were placed in position based on a draw from a hat.
Men’s Seedings: 1. vanOuwerkerk 2. T.Smith 3. MacKenzie 4. Higgins
Women’s Seedings: 1. Birt 2. V.Smith 3. Fullerton 4. Morrow
Team Rosters
M – Team Higgins
Silver Fox Curling Club
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| Higgins, Darren | Fourth |
| Hockin, Tim | Third |
| Spencer, Mike | Second |
| Greenan, Jonathan | Lead |
M – Team Likely
Ch’town and Western Community Curling Clubs
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| Likely, John | Fourth |
| Carmody, Anson | Third |
| Burgess, Steve | Second |
| Doherty, Robbie | Lead |
| Nabuurs, Matthew | Alternate |
M – Team MacKenzie
Ch’town Curling Complex
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| MacKenzie, Eddie | Fourth |
| MacKenzie, Tyler | Third |
| Gallant, Christopher | Second |
| Ledgerwood, Sean | Lead |
| Philip Gorveatt | Coach |
M – Team Newson
Silver Fox Curling Club
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| Newson, Jamie | Fourth |
| Miller, Corey | Third |
| Ramsay, Patrick | Second |
| Arsenault, Adam | Lead |
M – Team T.Smith
Ch’town Curling Complex
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| Smith, Tyler | Fourth |
| Abraham, Ryan | Third |
| MacFadyen, Alex | Second |
| Lowery, Ryan | Lead |
| Kevin Smith | Coach |
M – Team van Ouwerkerk
Silver Fox Curling Club
| Athlete | Position |
|---|---|
| vanOuwerkerk, Steve | Fourth |
| Ramsay, Sam | Third |
| Juurlink, Ian | Second |
| vanOuwerkerk, Nick | Lead |
| Gerry van Ouwerkerk | Coach |