The Jennifer Scott rink from the Montague Curling Club and the Ted MacFadyen team from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside both stole the last end of their games Sunday night at the Cornwall Curling Club to win by a single point to become the new PEI Credit Unions Provincial Seniors champions, and advance to the Canadian Seniors, March 22-30 at the Yellowknife Curling Centre, the first time the Canadian Curling Association has ever held a national championship in the Northwest Territories.

The Scott team, a reunion of their 1988 PEI women’s championship rink, were facing five-time Seniors champ Shirley Berry, from the host Cornwall Club and the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside. Berry blanked the first end in the final to keep hammer, but was left with a difficult runback on the Scott shot stone in the second end, that didn’t quite work out, so Scott stole a single. Berry drew for one to tie the game in the third end. The fourth end proved disasterous for Berry, with Scott making a  double. Berry’s next shot went through the rings, and Scott drew for four to lead 5-1 at the half.

Berry narrowed the game to 5-3 in the fifth end. She was lying two with hammer, and drew for three, but bumped one of her rocks slightly and had to settle for two. Scott ran into difficulty in the sixth with Berry having three rocks behind cover. Scott tried a tap back, but was short, giving up three to trail 6-5. In the seventh, Scott bumped up one of her rocks to count two, Berry’s hit was a bit thin, but she cut Scott down for 1. Scott’s draw for a deuce came up short, so she ended with a single and a tie game coming home.

In the final end, Berry had one counter, but Scott tapped one of hers to the button to become shot rock. Berry’s third Sandy Hope flashed her attempted hit. Scott attempted a guard, but it didn’t make it to the hog line. Berry then drew for second stone. Scott’s next shot was wide, giving Berry the opportunity to draw past the Scott counter for the win. It was not to be however, with Berry’s shot stopping just short, and handing the win to Scott. Final score: Scott 7, Berry 6.

Photo: Berry’s final (red) rock comes up short of the (blue) Scott shot stone

Winning Scott rink (L-R):  Marc LeClair from PEI Credit Unions, Jennifer Scott, June Moyaert, Terri Thompson, Fran Whitlock, Curl PEI President George Koke

Runner-up Berry team (L-R): Shirley Berry, Sandy Hope, Shelley Ebbett, Arleen Harris, sponsor Marc LeClair.

Scott’s teammates are June Moyaert, Terry Thompson, and Fran Whitlock, while Berry’s team includes  Sandy Hope, Shelley Ebbett, and Arleen Harris, with coaches Butch McGee and Bill Hope.

The game between six-time Seniors winner MacFadyen, and defending champ Rod MacDonald from the Charlottetown Curling Complex was also close, and also won by a steal. MacFadyen and two other members of his team, Lou Nowlan and Earle Proude, are reigning Masters champs (for age 60 and over, while Seniors are 50 and over). Pat Aylward was added to the team for the Seniors. MacDonald, who said before the game that he was feeling under the weather, possibly from the flu, hit and stuck for one in the opening end. MacFadyen blanked the second end, and managed to get one with a hit into a mess of rocks in the third. In the fourth end, MacDonald hits and sticks for one, facing two, to lead 2-1 at half time.

Winning MacFadyen rink (L-R): sponsor Marc LeClair, Ted MacFadyen, Lou Nowlan, Pat Aylward, George Proude, George Koke from Curl PEI

Runner-up MacDonald rink (L-R): George Koke from Curl PEI, Mark Victor, Mark O’Rourke, Kevin Champion, sponsor Marc LeClair. Missing from photo: Rod MacDonald

In the fifth end, MacDonald was lying three. MacFadyen bumped up one of his rocks, but MacDonald ended up stealing three to lead 4-1. MacFadyen picked up a deuce in the sixth to trail 4-3. MacDonald blanked the seventh to have last rock advantage coming home, leading 4-3.

In the eighth end, MacFadyen had shot stone, and was lying another just inside the eight-foot, with a MacDonald rock also in the eight foot, about the same distance from the centre of the house. MacDonald drew with the last rock, which also ended up about the same distance from the centre (see photos – the shot stone has already been removed for the measure in the overhead sho)t, with MacFadyen’s blue rock and MacDonald’s two red rocks shown. MacDonald’s rock is 2nd from left. The measurement was done, with the lone blue rock emerging as shot stone, giving MacFadyen a 5-4 win.

Photo: MacDonald’s final shot is the top red one

Photo: overhead camera view of measurement following last shot of the game

Other members of the winning Ted MacFadyen rink are Lou Nowlan, Pat Aylward, and Earle Proude. Rounding out the runner-up MacDonald squad are Kevin Champion, Mark O’Rourke and Mark Victor.

Here are additional photos of the winning teams:

(L-R): MacFadyen, Nowlan, Aylward, Proude

(L-R): Scott, Moyaert, Thompson, Whitlock