After 11 ends of closely contested curling, and a championhip round delayed for two days due to a weekend storm, it all came down to one shot. Eddie MacKenzie and his rink didn’t have the benefit of last rock advantage in the extra end of tonight’s PEI Tankard final at the Crapaud Community Curling Club, but, after their final stone, they were lying two in the eight foot, with a rock from the opposing team, skipped by Charlottetown Curling Complex clubmate Rod MacDonald, to the right, partially blocking the way to the four foot circle and a possible winning point for MacDonald.
The MacDonald rink looked at two possibilities – play a double hit on the two red rocks (they didn’t have to save the shooter, as they had another rock biting the rings and they only needed one to win), or draw the four foot between the MacKenzie stones and the MacDonald guard just outside the rings. They called a timeout, discussing the situation with coach Peter MacDonald.
Rod elected to try the hit. He removed one of the two opposing rocks, and attempted to roll the shooter in for shot, but the rock didn’t make it to the four foot, and MacKenzie stole the end, for a 7-6 final score and the trip to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 2-10 in Edmonton,
MacKenzie, who has won two Tankards before, will be joined this time by third Anson Carmody, second Alex MacFadyen, and lead Sean Ledgerwood. Other members of the Rod MacDonald foursome are third Kevin Champion, second Mark O’Rourke, and lead Andrew Robinson.
Tonight’s game was low-scoring and close from start to finish, with MacKenzie stealing the first end, MacDonald taking a single in the second, MacKenzie blanking the third but allowing MacDonald a steal of one in the fourth when, facing three, with last rock, MacKenzie rolls too far on a hit on a MacDonald stone. The fifth was blanked, with MacKenzie having the chance for at least a deuce in the sixth, but put his last rock through the house, settling for a single point. MacDonald then drew or a deuce in the seventh, to tie the game at 4-all. The teams then trade deuces in nine and ten to bring the game to the extra end.
MacKenzie went through the event undefeated, beating MacDonald 6-5 in an extra end in the A qualifier of the triple knockout draw. MacDonald won the B qualifier, 11-8 over defending champion Mike Gaudet. MacKenzie and MacDonald met again in the Page 1-2 game, with MacKenzie winning 7-2 and earning a bye to the final. MacDonald defeated clubmate Jamie Newson 8-2 in semi-final to advance to the final, and his third encounter with MacKenzie. Ten teams took part in this year’s PEI Tankard.
