The Eddie MacKenzie rink has to win any one of the final three games against Charlottetown clubmate John Likely at the Labatt Tankard being played at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside in order to win the Labatt Tankard.  Likely, however didn’t let that happen in the first game, the C final of the triple-knockout PEI men’s championship, staying alive by downing MacKenzie 9-1 in a game that was all but over in the fourth end.  Likely, whose rink includes Kyle Stevenson, Mark Butler, and Doug MacGregor, had hammer in the first end, and scored a deuce. The second end was blanked. Likely stole a deuce in the third, and stole five points in the fourth end to build up an 8-0 lead. Each team picked up a point in the later ends and MacKenzie, and his rink of Mike Gaudet, Mike Dillon, and Alex MacFadyen called it quits after seven ends.

This sets up the two game championship round between A and B section winner MacKenzie, and C winner Likely, at 2 and 7 pm on Tuesday. A MacKenzie win in either game will give him the championship, while Likely would have to win both games. The Labatt Tankard winner will move on to play in the Tim Hortons Brier, March 5-13 in London Ont. 15 teams began play Thursday in the Labatt Tankard.