With one round robin game remaining, PEI’s Kathy O’Rourke team have an even 2-2 win-loss record at the 30 team Sandra Schmirler Charity Curling Classic at the Caledonia Curling Club in Regina. They lost their opener 8-2 to the Jill Thurston rink of Winnipeg, but stole three points in the seventh end to edge the Heather Burnett foursome of Saskatchewan 6-5 in their second game. The PEI team, which includes Erin Carmody throwing final rocks, Geri-Lynn Ramsay at third, O’Rourke throwing second but calling the game, and Tricia Affleck at lead stone, then faced the Erika Brown rink from Madison Wisconsin, losing 7-5 when Brown rallied with a triple in the final end. The Island rink then edged Saskatchewan’s Trish Paulsen team 6-5 in an extra end, stealing a single in the third and a deuce in the 4th to lead 4-2 after four ends. After trading singles in ends five through seven, the Paulsen rink forced the extra end with a steal in the eighth, but the PEI team used hammer in the extra to win the game. PEI’s final round robin game goes Sunday at 8:30 am Mountain time against Crystal Webster of Calgary.
The quarter-finals go Monday at 9:30 am MT, with the semis at 1:30, and the final at 4:30 pm. The event has a total purse of $47,000, with $12,000 going to the winning team, $8000 to the runner-up, $5000 for third and fourth place, and $3500 going to the remaining quarter-finalists. There is also a $3000 payout to the winners of the final round robin games. Defending champion is Amber Holland of Kronau Sask.
