The Credit Unions of PEI Provincial Senior Women’s Curling Championship, for curlers age 50 and over, gets underway Friday morning at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, with the winning team joining the men’s winners, the Charlie Wilkinson rink from the Charlottetown Curling Club, at the Canadian Seniors, March 17-25 in Abbotsford BC.
Eight teams from five Island curling clubs are taking part, including the defending champion June Moyaert rink from the Montague Curling Club, and the Shirley Berry foursome from Cornwall and Charlottetown, who won the previous two Seniors championships, and recently won the PEI Masters title. Also entered are the Sharon Horne team from the host club, Cornwall’s Karen Currie and Debbie Rhodenizer rinks, Paula Baglole and Nola Murphy and their teams from the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside, and the Karen MacDonald foursome from the Charlottetown Curling Club.
The teams will play a triple knockout format with Friday and Saturday draws at 9 am and 2 and 7 pm, Sunday play at 11 am and 4 pm, and the triple knockout concluding with the 10 am draw on Monday (Islander Day). The A, B, and C section winners will then advance to the two game championship round, Monday at 3 pm, and Tuesday at 2 pm. If a team wins all three triple knockout sections, the championship round will not be required. If a team wins two sections, they will play in both championship games, and take the title if they win either game.
The event website is at PEICurling.com/seniors, with end-by-end results at LiveCurling.com.
Here are the opening draws:Friday, Feb. 17 at 9 am
Ice 1: Sharon Horne (Western) vs Nola Murphy (Silver Fox)
Ice 2: Karen Currie (Cornwall) vs Paula Baglole (Silver Fox)
Friday, February 17 at 2 pm
Ice 1: June Moyaert (Montague) vs Karen MacDonald (Charlottetown)
Ice 2: Debbie Rhodenizer (Cornwall) vs Shirley Berry (Ch’town/Cornwall)
Ice 3: Loser Horne/Murphy from morning draw
Opening draw is Friday afternoon at 2 for the Provincial age 17 & Under Curling Championships, sponsored by O’Connor Glass and taking place at the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside, with the winning men’s and women’s rinks advancing to the Atlantic Under 18 Curling Championships, April 6-8 at the Bluenose Curling Club in New Glasgow NS.
Four men’s and six women’s teams have signed up for this year’s event, with the 17 & Under men playing a double round robin with the top two teams advancing to a sudden death final, and the women playing a single round robin with the top two teams advancing to a best two out of three final. If one men’s team goes through the double round robin undefeated, they will be declared the champions without playing the championship game.
Last year’s provincial and Atlantic men’s champions, the Alex Matters rink from Charlottetown are this year’s Pepsi Junior (age 20 & Under) Men’s champions, and cannot compete as a team in this year’s event. Last year’s winning 17 and Under women’s rink, the Amanda MacLean foursome from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary, were runners-up in this year’s Pepsi Juniors. Aleya Quilty from that team is on the Jenny McLean rink this year out of the Silver Fox, while Youth Olympics bronze medallist Emily Gray is not participating in this event, and MacLean and third Kassinda Butler are out of the age category.
The men’s entries are the Alex MacFadyen rink out of the host Silver Fox club, the Matthew MacLean foursome from the Maple Leaf Curling Club in O’Leary, and two entries from the Montague Curling Club, skipped by Tony Nabuurs, with Parker O’Connor throwing 4th stones, and by Brooks Roche, with Dylan Lowery throwing final stones.
Thee women’s teams are the Emily Hennessey team from the Charlottetown Curling Club, the Emily Keen rink out of the Charlottetown and Crapaud clubs, the Rachel O’Connor team from the Cornwall Curling Club, with Meghan Ching throwing fourth stones, along with the Veronica Smith rink, also from Cornwall Curling Club, the Carolyn Rose foursome from the Montague Curling Club, and the Jenny McLean team from the host Silver Fox club.
Draw times are Friday at 2 and 7 pm, with opening ceremonies at 5 pm, Saturday and Sunday at 10 am, and 2:30 and 7 pm, and Monday at 10 and 2:30. The men’s final is in the 10 am Monday draw, with the first women’s final going Sunday at 10 am if no tiebreakers, the second taking place Monday at 10, and the third, if needed, going Monday at 2:30 pm.
Here is the opening round robin draw:
Friday, February 17 at 2 pm:
Sheet 1: Emily Keen (Charlottetown/Crapaud) vs Carolyn Rose (Montague)
Sheet 2: Rachel O’Connor (Cornwall) vs Emily Hennessey (Charlottetown)
Sheet 3: Veronica Smith (Cornwall) vs Jenny McLean (Silver Fox)
Sheet 4: Tony Nabuurs (Montague) vs Brooks Roche (Montague)
Sheet 6: Alex MacFadyen vs Matthew MacLean (Maple Leaf)
Complete round robin draw is available at PEICurling.com/17andunder.
End-by-end results will be available at LiveCurling.com.