(by Charles Reid)

Two out of three ain’t bad.

Tyler Smith can attest after skipping his rink to its second Pepsi provincial junior men’s curling championship in three years with an 11-3 victory over the Matthew MacLean foursome on Wednesday in Charlottetown.

Guardian photo: Coach Kevin Smith, Tyler Smith, Brooks Roche, Dylan Lowery, Ryan Lowery

Smith led 4-1 in a close contest after four ends at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, but his crew stole a three-spot in the fifth end and never looked back.

Smith, 16, said his squad took advantage of conditions and a missed shot by MacLean.

“The ice was really straight. We put a few in there and put up some corners guards . . . and that was that. Unfortunate (for Matthew) I hated to see him miss that shot,” Smith said. “(Overall) we curled really good.”

Smith, third Brooks Roche, second Dylan Lowery and lead Ryan Lowery head to the nationals Jan. 24 to Feb. 1 in Cornerbrook, N.L. The foursome are a combo from the Montague and Crapaud curling clubs.

Click for full Guardian story, including comments from Women’s winner the Veronica Smith rink, and more photos

It’ll be the Braden Calvert team taking on the Cole Peters rink, which includes Stratford PEI native Chris Gallant, in semi-final play at 2:15 PEI time, with the winner taking on Matt Dunstone in the men’s final of the Canola Manitoba Provincial Junior Men’s Curling Championship, at 6 pm PEI time.

Dunstone edged Calvert 7-6  to advance to the final, while Peters beat Hayden Forrester 7-5 in the Page playoffs.

Photo: Team Peters

The women’s semifinal and men’s final will be livestreamed at 2:15 and 6 PM PEI time at: http://www.ustream.tv/channel/curl-manitoba

Follow Team Peters on Twitter at @TeamPeters2014

At the awards ceremony for the Pepsi Provincial Junior Women’s Curling Championship following tonight’s draw, the Women’s Coaching and Fairplay awards were presented. Butch McGee, coach of Cornwall’s Jenny McLean team, won the Asham Coaching Award, as voted on by all the coaches (photo not available), while Emily Keen, third on the McLean rink, won the Fair Play sportsmanship award, as voted on by the curlers in the event.

Photo (L-R): Emily Keen, Fair Play award winner, Phillip McInnis, President, Charlottetown Curling Complex

The 7 pm “C” event finals are set at the Pepsi Provincial Junior Curling Championships, following Tuesday afternoon play at the Charlottetown Curling Complex.

Photo: Jane DiCarlo delivers a rock

Playing in the  women’s “C” event final are Cornwall’s Veronica Smith rink, who are the two-time defending champions, and have already won the A and B sections of the modified triple knockout, and Charlottetown’s Jane DiCarlo team, who came from behind with stolen triples in the eighth and ninth end this afternoon to defeat the Jenny McLean rink from Cornwall by a 9-4 score. A win by Smith in tonight’s game would give her the championship, and the two game women’s championship round at 9 am and 2 pm on Wednesday would not be needed. If DiCarlo wins, she have to win both championship round games on Wednesday, while Smith would take the championship if she wins either game.

Photo (L-R): Alex MacFadyen, Matthew MacDonald, Parker MacFadyen

Alex MacFadyen and his team from Summerside’s Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club stole a pair of deuces in ends seven and eight in a 9-4 win over the Matthew MacLean rink from the Cornwall and Maple Leaf curling clubs this afternoon, to advance to the 7 pm C event final against Tyler Smith from the Crapaud and Montague curling clubs. Smith won the B event on Monday, while MacLean took the A event on Sunday.

If Smith wins tonight, he would play in both championship games on Wednesday, and win the event if he takes either game, while his opponent, MacLean, would have to win both games. If MacFadyen wins tonight, he would play MacLean in the morning game, with the winner facing Smith at 2 pm (the rules specify that the team who played in the most section qualifier games would have the bye to the second game, and Smith was in all three qualifiers).

The men’s and women’s winners advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, January 24 – February 1, 2015 in Cornerbrook NL.

Live results from the Pepsi Juniors are at http://curlcast.ca/stats/organizations/1252C_dzWjU/competitions/1339-pepsi-junior-curling-championships-pei/scoreboard

(by Amanda Hamel)

In just under 45 days, nearly 2,400 athletes representing 13 provinces and territories will descend on Prince George, B.C., during a two-week period to compete in 19 different sports. In some cases, men’s and women’s teams will compete in the same sport during different weeks. Curling is one of those sports.

Men’s curling

(L-R): Tyler Smith, Brooks Roche, Dylan Lowery, Ryan Lowery. Missing from photo is coach Kevin Smith

Team P.E.I. curlers are excited for the chance to compete against the other provincial representatives at the Prince George Golf and Curling Club. The men’s team competes during the first week and is made up of lead Ryan Lowery, second Dylan Lowery, third Brooks Roche and skip Tyler Smith. The team’s coach is Kevin Smith.

Both Tyler and Kevin are returning to the Games for the second time, as they held the same roles with the 2011 curling team. The 2015 team was developed specifically for the Games, as some members were playing with teams not eligible for the Games due to the age restriction.

Women’s curling

Curl PEI Photo (L-R): Kaleigh Mackay, Danielle Collings, Alyssa Wright, Kaleigh Peters, coach A.J. Campbell

Team P.E.I.’s women’s curlers will compete during Week 2 of the Games. This team of talented women hailing from the Crapaud and Montague curling clubs includes lead Kaleigh Peters, second Alyssa Wright, third Danielle Collings, skip Kaleigh Mackay and coach A.J. Campbell.

The women’s team has been preparing for the opportunity to represent Prince Edward Island for more than a year now, taking advantage of preparation programs, mentorship, training and competitions along the way.

Click for full story in The Guardian.

The B qualifiers have now been determined following Monday evening play at the Pepsi Provincial Junior Curling Championships at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, with two-time defending champ Veronica Smith from the Cornwall Curling Club winning the women’s B event, and Tyler Smith (no relation) and his Crapaud and Montague rink winning the men’s.

Veronica Smith stole four points in the sixth end on the way to an 8-6 win over Charlottetown’s Jane DiCarlo rink in the women’s B qualifier. Smith had previously won the A section of the modified triple knockout, and is now just one win away from taking the championship. If Smith also wins the C qualifier at 7 pm Tuesday, she would immediately be declared the champion and the Wednesday championship round would not be needed. If she doesn’t win that game, she will take the championship if she wins either game on Wednesday, while the winner of the C event would have to win both games.

Photo (L-R): Katie Fullerton, Veronica Smith, Sabrina Smith

Tyler Smith won the men’s B event with a 7-5 come-from-behind win over Matthew MacLean and his rink from the Cornwall and Maple Leaf clubs. Smith was trailing 5-4 after eight ends, after MacLean stole singles in ends three through five, but stole a deuce in the 9th and a single in the final end for the win. MacLean had previously won the A event.

Photo: Tyler Smith delivers a rock

Two more teams were eliminated from play this evening, with Alex MacFadyen from the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside knocking out Cornwall’s Donald DeWolfe rink with an 11-5 victory, in a game that ended early when MacFadyen picked up five points in the eighth end. On the women’s side, Cornwall’s Jenny McLean stayed alive with a 9-1 win over Charlottetown’s Lauren Moerike rink in six ends.

In Tuesday “C” semi-final play at 2 pm, Matthew MacLean takes on Alex MacFadyen, and Jenny McLean faces Jane DiCarlo, with the winners playing Tyler and Veronica Smith, respectively, in the C qualifier game at 7 pm.

The two game championship round is scheduled for Wednesday at 9 am and 2 pm.

The men’s and women’s winners advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, January 24 – February 1, 2015 in Cornerbrook NL.

Live results from the Pepsi Juniors at http://curlcast.ca/stats/organizations/1252C_dzWjU/competitions/1339-pepsi-junior-curling-championships-pei/scoreboard

There were some close games in the Sunday evening draw at the Pepsi Provincial Junior Curling Championships at the Charlottetown Curling Complex. Earlier in the day, the first of three qualifying spots for Wednesday’s championship round was determined, with Matthew MacLean and his Cornwall/Maple Leaf rink winning the Men’s A qualifier, and two-time defending Veronica Smith taking the Women’s.

Photo: Donald DeWolfe at right

On Sunday evening in B section play, Cornwall’s Donald DeWolfe rink was leading 4-3 coming home without last rock advantage in his game against Alex MacFadyen from the Silver Fox, but pulled off a steal of five points in the last end for a 9-3 win to advance to the B semi-final against A qualifier runner-up Tyler Smith from Crapaud and Montague. The winner of that game, at 2 pm Monday, faces Matthew MacLean in the B qualifier game at 7 pm Monday.

Photo: Lauren Moerike delivers a rock

In the women’s B section, Lauren Moerike from the host club stole 4 in the last end to defeat Lauren Lenentine 11-7 to go to the B semi at 2 pm Monday against clubmate Jane DiCarlo, who was runner-up to Veronica Smith in the A qualifier. The winner of the B semi takes on Smith at 7 pm Monday in the B qualifier.

Two teams have now been eliminated from play in the “must-win” C flight, after suffering their third loss, with Cornwall’s Devin Schut losing 11-5 to Alberton’s Leslie Noye, and Kaleigh Mackay and her Crapaud and Montague team losing 7-6 in an extra end to Cornwall’s Jenny McLean. McLean takes on Lenentine, while Noye faces MacFadyen at 2 pm on Monday, with the losers going home and the winners advancing to the 7 pm draw. The C semi goes Tuesday at 2 pm with the C qualifier following at 7 pm.

The two game championship round goes Wednesday at 9 am and, if needed, 2 pm. If either Matthew MacLean of Veronica Smith wins all three sections of the modified triple knockout, their championship round won’t be required.

6 men’s and 6 women’s teams are in the Pepsi Juniors. The winning men’s and women’s rinks advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, January 24 – February 1, 2015 in Cornerbrook NL.

Pepsi Juniors website: https://peicurling.com/juniors20142015/

Results site: http://curlcast.ca/stats/organizations/1252C_dzWjU/competitions/1339-pepsi-junior-curling-championships-pei/scoreboard