Photo by The Canadian Press
P.E.I. skip Eddie MacKenzie calls to the sweepers at the Brier. Canadian Press photo
By Ed Klajman
Special to The Guardian
LONDON, Ont. — It was the opportunity of a lifetime for skip Eddie MacKenzie and his Charlottetown Curling Club team.
They may have lost their first four games at this year’s Brier — putting them realistically out of contention after just two days of competition — but a win in Monday afternoon’s game would have more than made up for that disappointment.
That’s because their opposition was the mighty Alberta team, led by the legendary Kevin Martin, who is seeking to become the first curler ever to win five Brier titles as a skip.
The defending Olympic champions entered the matchup against the Prince Edward Islanders on a 29-game Brier winning streak. Their last loss at the event was in 2007.
MacKenzie and his rinkmates of third Mike Gaudet, second Mike Dillon and lead Alex MacFayden got off to a great start, with MacKenzie outdrawing the ultra-consistent Martin on a throw to the button to claim last-rock advantage to start the game.
Unfortunately for the P.E.I. team, that was about the only mistake made by Martin and his Edmonton rink, as they cruised to a 9-2 win over the MacKenzie foursome in seven ends.
“Apparently that was the first time they were ever outdrawn for hammer — we felt good before we got on the ice, I guess,” chuckled P.E.I.’s 38-year-old skip, who last played in the Brier in 1994, when he threw third stones for Mike Gaudet. “We’re just a little off. Some of the games we’re the wrong side on the foot not just the wrong side on the inch. It’s disappointing and frustrating so far for sure. But we’re keeping our spirits up. We’re playing better progressively every game but it’s not really showing up on the scoreboard yet.”
The MacKenzie rink will try to notch their first win this morning when they face New Brunswick’s James Gratton.