The Gordon MacFadyen rink from the Summerside Fire Department beat the Kelly Salmon rink from Saskatchewan’s Aberdeen, Wakaw, Saskatoon and Regina fire  departments by a 9-5 score in the opening draw of the 53rd Canadian Firefighters Curling Championships, this afternoon at the Truro Curling Club. The Island rink, which includes third Leo Stewart, second Dwayne MacNeil, and lead Jim Arsenault, trailed 5-4 after six, but a deuce in seven, a steal of one in the eighth and a stolen deuce in the ninth gave them a four point lead going into the final end, where they ran the Westerners out of rocks.

 Other winners in draw one were New Brunswick, represented by the Joe Vautour rink from the Saint John FD, with an 11-6 victory over the host Nova Scotia team from the Truro FD, skipped by David Williams, Manitoba, 10-2 over the Northwest Territories, Southern Ontario, with a 6-4 win over Alberta, and Northern Ontario, 7-4 over Quebec. BC had the bye in the first round, and Newfoundland and Labrador are not competing this year.

Round robin play continues through Thursday with draws at 10 am, and 3 pm. PEI plays New Brunswick and Alberta on Sunday. The Page playoffs go Friday, with the 1st and 2nd place teams after the round facing off in the Page 1-2 game with the winner advancing to the final, and the loser playing the winner of the Page 3-4 game between the 3rd and 4th place teams, in the 9 am Saturday semi-final, and the winner of that game advancing to the 1 pm Saturday final.

Photo (L-R): Gordon MacFadyen (skip), Leo Stewart (third), Dwayne MacNeil (second) Jim Arsenault (lead). Provincial Director Brian Burke is seated