The top teams from last season’s Atlantic Canada provincial men’s and women’s championships will be competing next month at the first annual Curl Atlantic Championship, September 23-26, on arena ice at the Tantramar Veterans Civic Centre in Sackville, New Brunswick. This event was created to better prepare the Atlantic provinces’ high performance curling teams to compete on the national and international stage. The winning men’s team will have the opportunity to participate in the Perth Masters from January 5-8, 2012 in Perth, Scotland, while the women’s winner will earn the right to compete in the International Bernese Ladies Cup from January 13-15, 2012 in Berne, Switzerland.

 

Three men’s and three women’s teams were to be chosen from each of the four Atlantic Provinces, although, due to team lineup changes, only two men’s and two women’s teams are entered from PEI, and just one men’s and one women’s teams are competing from Newfoundland and Labrador. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick rinks will round out the rosters.

 

The PEI Men’s rinks are skipped by reigning PEI mixed and six-time PEI junior champion and world junior silver medallist Brett Gallant, along with two-time Canadian mixed and eight-time PEI Tankard champion Robert Campbell. The Gallant rink also includes last year’s men’s Tankard-winning skip Eddie MacKenzie at third, along with Gallant’s former junior teammates Anson Carmody and Alex MacFadyen at second and lead, respectively. The Campbell foursome includes Philip Gorveatt, Eric Brodersen, and Mike Dillon.

 

Reigning PEI Scotties and former world junior champ Suzanne Birt, along with eight time PEI Scotties winner Kim Dolan are the PEI women’s skips. Other members of the Birt rink are Shelly Bradley, Robyn MacPhee, and Leslie MacDougall, while Rebecca Jean MacDonald, Sinead Dolan, and Nancy Cameron, with alternate Michala Robison round out the Dolan foursome.
 

Other PEI connections include Robbie Doherty, who was on Campbell’s most recent Canadian Mixed team, and is playing second on the Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc foursome from Nova Scotia, along with Spencer Wicks, lead on the Colin Thomas team from Newfoundland and Labrador and the grandson of Gordon and Wilna Yeo of Summerside.

 

Rosters for all teams are below.

 

Both the men’s and women’s divisions will have two pools of six teams, and play a round robin format, with five games guaranteed. Eight end round robin games go Sept. 23-25, with draws at 8 am, 12 noon, and 4 and 8 pm.

 

Crossover semi-final games take place on Monday Sept. 26 at 9 am, followed by the finals at 2 pm. Monday’s games are 10 ends.

 

Head CCA Ice Technician Jamie Bourassa will be installing and maintaining the ice throughout the event, and the Nova Scotia Curling Association high performance rocks will be used. The championship is open to any team not receiving financial funding from Sport Canada, the Canadian Curling Association or Own The Podium. A point system (30 points for 1st, 20 for 2nd, 10 for 3rd, 5 for participating) based on provincial championship results will be used this season to determine next year’s entries.

 

Website: CurlAtlantic.com