Photo (L-R): Derrick Cameron (coach), Christopher Gallant, Emily Keen, Andrew Cameron, Emma Matheson, Peter Gallant (coach)
The Charlottetown rink of Christopher Gallant, Emily Keen, Andrew Cameron, and Emma Matheson, with coaches Derrick Cameron and Peter Gallant edged the Tyler Smith foursome from the Charlottetown, Maple Leaf, and Silver Fox clubs by an 8-7 score to capture the PEI Junior Mixed championship, for curlers age 20 and Under, this afternoon at the Cornwall Curling Club. The 15 and Under division was not held this year due to insufficient numbers. Other members of the runner-up Smith rink are Jenny McLean, Eric Pidgeon, and Emily Gray, with coach Peter Pidgeon.
The Smith team got by the Cody Dixon rink from the Montague Curling Club, also by an 8-7 score, in the semi-final, earlier this afternoon, to advance to the final game against the Gallant foursome.
The eight teams in the event played a round robin, with two four-team pools. Gallant, Smith, and Shawn Pitre and his host Cornwall team were tied at 2-1 after round robin play in the A pool. Gallant was awarded first place through draw to the button results, while Pitre and Smith played off in a tiebreaker for second place, with Smith coming from behind to score a triple in the seventh end and win 5-4. In the B pool, both Dixon, and Marshall Smallman and his Cornwall/Maple Leaf rink, finished round robin play with 2-1 records. Dixon was awarded first place by virtue of his 7-2 victory over Smallman in the round robin.
The teams then played a modifed Page playoff format, with Gallant scoring a four-ender and a triple in a 10-2 win over Dixon in the match between the two first place teams, and Smith stealing a triple in the seventh in another come-from behind win, 7-6 over Smallman.
Gallant, the winner of the 1st place vs 1st place Page game, advanced directly to the final, while Dixon and Smith played off in the semi, with the loser eliminated and the winner advancing to the championship game.
The other teams in the event were the Carolyn Rose rink from Cornwall and Montague, and the Spencer Pitre team from Cornwall and Charlottetown, who both finished with 1-2 win-loss records, and the Matthew MacLean rink from the Cornwall and Maple Leaf clubs who ended play at 0-3.