The Tyler Smith rink from the Montague and Crapaud curling clubs beat the Matthew MacLean foursome from the Cornwall and Maple Leaf curling clubs by an 11-3 score this morning to capture the Pepsi Provincial Men’s Curling Championship at the Charlottetown Curling Complex. Along with the women’s winners, the Veronica Smith (no relation) rink, they now advance to the  M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, January 24 – February 1, 2015 in Cornerbrook NL. It’s the second provincial juniors title for Tyler Smith, who, playing with a different team, also won the event in January 2013. This year’s rink are also competing in the Canada Games in Prince George BC in February.

Photo (L-R) Junior Men’s champs: Tyler Smith, Brooks Roche, Dylan Lowery, Ryan Lowery, coach Kevin Smith

Smith, who won two sections of the modified triple knockout round, had two chances to win the championship today against the MacLean foursome, who would have had to win both games, but the rink only needed the first game, getting on the scoreboard with a deuce in the first end, MacLean was kept to a single in the second, with Smith taking singles in the next two ends, and stealing a triple to take a commanding 7-1 lead after five ends. MacLean picked up a single in end six, and stole another in the seventh to make it 7-3, but a four-pointer from Smith in eight brought the game to handshakes.

Photo from Debra Smith: Smith rink with trophy

Other members of the Smith foursome are third Brooks Roche, second Dylan Lowery, and lead Ryan Lowery. They are coached by Tyler’s father, Kevin Smith. Rounding out the runner-up MacLean team are Alan and Jordan MacLean at third and second, respectively, and lead Noah O’Connor, with coach Glen MacLean.

Photo (L-R) Junior Men Runners-up: Coach Glen MacLean, Matthew MacLean, Alan MacLean, Noah O’Connor, Jordan MacLean

The winners of the Fair Play (sportsmanship) award as voted on by the players, and the Asham Coaching Award as voted on by the coaches, were announced at the closing ceremonies, with the men’s Fair Play award going to skip Leslie Noye from the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, and the Coaching award going to Roger Gavin, who coached the Noye rink (photos not available).

Six junior men’s rinks and an equal number of junior women’s teams took part in the Pepsi Juniors.

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