There were two very close finals today at CFB Halifax, as the Propeller Brewing Company Atlantic Curling Tour men’s and the SKYY Vodka women’s cashspiels wrapped up.
In the men’s final, Chad Stevens and his Chester NS rink took a single point with hammer in the extra end to edge the Ian Fitzner-LeBlanc foursome from Halifax by a 5-4 score. Stevens stole the last two ends to get by the Tom Sullivan rink in this afternoon’s semi-final, while Fitzner-LeBlanc downed Brent MacDougall 7-1. PEI’s Jamie Newson rink went 2-2, while Blair Weeks was 1-3, and Eddie MacKenzie was 0-4 in the annual event.
The women’s final saw Christina Black of Halifax get off to a flying start, stealing four points in the first end. However, Jocelyn Nix of Kentville tied the match late in the game taking singles in ends 5 through 8. Black pulled out the win, by a 7-6 score, with hammer in the extra. Black edged Marg Cutcliffe 6-5 in an extra end in the semi-final, while Nix doubled Emily Dwyer 8-4. At the end of round robin play, PEI’s Kathy O’Rourke rink finished in a three-way tie for second in their pool at 3-2, but lost to the other teams, skipped by Cutcliffe and by Sara Spafford, in their round robin encounters, and did not advance to the money round. PEI natives Anne Dillon, at 2-3, and Marion MacAulay (0-5), both curling out of Nova Scotia, also finished out of the playoffs.