The defending champion Eddie MacKenzie rink has earned a berth in the 7 pm Sunday final at the PEI Tankard Provincial Men’s Curling Championship in Montague, after edging the top-seeded Jamie Newson team 7-6 in an extra end this evening in the Page A vs B final between the first two qualifiers from the triple knockout round.

Photo: MacKenzie

MacKenzie fought back from a 4-0 deficit after five ends of play, taking deuces in ends six through eight to lead 6-4. Newson forced the extra with a deuce in ten, but the MacKenzie team hit everything in sight in the extra end, and picked up the 1 point win. The MacKenzie rink includes Anson Carmody, Tyler MacKenzie, and Sean Ledgerwood, with alternate player Phil Gorveatt, and coach Al Ledgerwood. Other members of the Newson rink are Andrew Robinson, Sean Clarey, and John Desrosiers, with alternate player Phillip McInnis, and coach Peter Gallant.

Photo: Jamie Newson

Newson gets a second chance to make the final, in the 2 pm Sunday semi-final, against Blair Jay, who won the “Battle of the Blairs” this evening, 6-5 over Blair Weeks in the Page game between qualifiers C and D. Jay was lying one  when Weeks’ last shot wrecked on a guard, and did not have to throw his final stone.

Photo: Blair Jay

Photo: Blair Weeks

All four rinks in tonight’s draw curl out of the Charlottetown Curling Complex. Jay normally curls out of the Silver Fox, but was a last minute replacement for Charlottetown’s John Likely, who is unable to curl due to an eye injury. Other members of the team are Mark Butler, Robbie Doherty, and Robbie Younker. Jay, who has been curling since 1972, says that his best finish in a Tankard to-date was third place, so he has already tied that record going into tomorrow’s semi.

The Tankard champion advances to the Tim Hortons Brier, March 1-9 at the Interior Savings Centre in Kamloops, BC.

End by end results from the PEI Tankard are available at PEICurling.com/tankard