Two men’s and two women’s rinks qualified to be the PEI “Training Teams” for the 2015 Canada Games, following the Curl PEI Selection Trials this weekend at the Charlottetown Curling Complex. These teams will compete in best of three series in November to pick the men’s and women’s rinks that will represent PEI at the Games, in Prince George BC from February 13—March 1, 2015, with the men’s curling event taking place during Week 1 (Feb. 13-21) and the women’s event being held Week 2 (Feb. 21-Mar. 1).
The men’s training teams are the Alex MacFadyen rink from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside, along with the Montague team skipped by Tyler Smith, who skipped Team PEI Men at the 2011 Games. The women’s training teams are Kaleigh MacKay and her Montague/Crapaud team, and Lauren Moerike and her Charlottetown Curling Complex rink.
Photo: Alex MacFadyen
The MacFadyen men’s rink were the first to qualify this weekend, after going through round robin play with a perfect 5-0 record. Other members of the team are James Dalton, Matthew MacDonald, and Parker MacFadyen, with coach Dave MacFadyen. The second men’s spot was the last to be determined, in the 9 am Sunday draw, with the Smith foursome taking on the Leslie Noye rink from Alberton’s Western Community Curling Club in a tiebreaker. Both teams finished round robin play with identical 3-2 records. Although Noye beat Smith 8-6 in their round robin encounter Saturday evening, a tiebreaker was required because Curl PEI rules state that teams tied for a playoff position shall only be eliminated from the playoffs by playing a tie-breaker game.
Photo: Tyler Smith (left)
The tiebreaker was a see-saw battle, with Smith stealing the first end, but Noye coming back to lead 3-2 after four ends. Smith grabbed the lead with a triple in five, but Noye replied with his own three-pointer in six. The shootout continued with Smith taking another triple in the seventh end. Noye was kept to a single in eight, to trail 8-7. Smith picked up four points in the ninth to win the game 12-7, and grab the second men’s training spot. Other members of the Smith rink are Brooks Roche, Dylan Lowery, and Ryan Lowery. Tammy Dewar and Kevin Smith coach the team.
The other three rinks in the men’s event were from the Cornwall Curling Club, with the Cameron Jenkins and Donald DeWolfe rinks finishing play at 2-3, while the Devin ShSchut went 0-5.
File Photo: Lauren Moerike (top), Kaleigh MacKay (bottom) at the Future Scotties
On the women’s side, the two qualifiers were determined by Saturday evening, with one double round robin draw remaining, at 9 am Sunday. Kaleigh MacKay and her Montague/Crapaud team, and Lauren Moerike and her Charlottetown Curling Complex rink were sitting at 4-1, while Meghan Ching of Cornwall was in third place, at 2-3, and would not be able to tie either team. For the record, MacKay beat Moerike 10-6 in the final game, to qualify in first place, with a 5-1 record, while Moerike qualified second at 4-2. Ching went 3-3, while Karlie Lewis of the Western Community Club finished at 0-6. Ching won her last game 14-3 over Lewis.
Other members of the MacKay team are Danielle Collings, Alyssa Wright, and Kaleigh Peters, with coach A.J. Campbell, while Ashley Gallant, Annika Kelly, Tati Kelly, and coach Kevin Moerike round out the Moerike squad.
Six men’s and four women’s teams took part in the Trials, for curlers born on or since January 1, 1997. The coaches of the teams associated with the Training Teams must be NCCP Competition Introduction certified, in order to continue on the training process with the team. Each coach will have to complete the CCA Canada Winter Games Professional Development Module prior to the final competition.