MacFadyen and Gallant to play off in B final
The Mel Bernard rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht have advanced to the men’s championship game at the Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Seniors Curling Championships, which wrap up on Monday at the Cornwall Curling Club. Sunday afternoon, Bernard, who won the event in 2007, took the A section final of the double-knockout tournament, doubling Charlottetown’s Peter Gallant 8-4. A seventh-end triple was the main difference in a very close game. Other members of the Bernard rink are Blair Jay, Douglas Simmons and Earle Proude. Playing with Gallant, who is the two-time defending Labatt Tankard Provincial Men’s champion, and is competing in his first Seniors, are Peter MacDonald, Tom Fetterly, and Rod MacDonald.
Bernard was not successful in earning a berth in the B final, losing his Sunday afternoon playoff game 9-5 to Charlottetown’s Ted MacFadyen rink, which includes Craig Mackie at third, Bill Hope at second, filling in for Sandy Foy, who is on the injury list, and Mike Coady in the lead position. MacFadyen, a six-time Senior men’s champ, stole three ends en route to the victory. The other B qualifier was between the Gallant rink, and Charlottetown’s Matt Smith foursome, with Gallant coming out on top by an 8-2 score, following up a third-end deuce with a stolen single, and a sixth end pair with a stolen deuce in the seventh to put the game out of reach. MacFadyen and Gallant square off in the B final, Monday at 10 am, with the winner facing Bernard in the 3 pm final. Fifteen men’s rinks took part in the PEI championship.
Shirley Berry rink advances to Senior Women’s final
Dolan and Moyaert to play off in Semi
Meanwhile, the Shirley Berry rink have earned a berth in the Senior Women’s final, also scheduled for 3 pm Monday. Berry, who is from the host Cornwall Curling Club club, and won the event in 2002 and 2004, edged Charlottetown’s Kim Dolan foursome 6-5 Sunday afternoon in the A vs B Page playoff game to advance directly to the final. Other members of the Berry team are Arleen Harris, Danielle Girard and Carole Sweetapple, with coach Butch McGee. Playing with Dolan, who is competing in her first Seniors, are Karen A. and Karen E. MacDonald, and Yvonne Campbell.
In the final, Berry, who beat Charlottetown’s Sandy Hope 11-2 on Saturday to win the B section of the triple knockout competition which preceeded the Page championship round, will face the winner of the semi-final, scheduled for 10 am Monday, between A section winner Dolan, and June Moyaert of Montague. With the Page playoff system, Dolan, as the loser of the A vs B game, gets a second chance in the semi, while Moyaert got there by winning the Page playoff game between the two C division winning teams, eliminating defending champion Barb Currie of Summerside by a 9-5 score. Dolan advanced to the Page round with a 12-4 win over Sandy Hope in the A section final on Friday, while Moyaert, whose team includes Kathy Clarey, Marj Campbell, and Cheryl Dickie, edged Diane MacKay of Cornwall 8-7 in the C1 final, and Currie beat Hope 8-2 in the C2.
Eight teams took part in the Senior Women’s portion of the event.
Meanwhile, organizers are monitoring the weather conditions in advance of Monday’s 10 am and 3 pm draws, and will make a decision by 7 am if any draw time adjustments are needed.
The winning Senior Men’s and Women’s rinks will advance to the Canadian Seniors, March 21-28 at the Silver Fox.