Suzanne Birt, playing with a new team this year, has greatly increased her chances to repeat as PEI Scotties champion, after winning the B section final of the modified triple knockout draw this evening at the Montague Curling Rink. If she wins the 7 pm Sunday C final as well, she will take the championship without needing to play the two game Monday championship round. If she doesn’t win the C, she will have a “double life” in the Monday round, taking the title if she wins either game, while her opponent would have to win both.

Curl PEI photo: Team Birt

Tonight’s B final was against 10 time PEI women’s champ Kim Dolan, who Birt also beat in the A final. The game was tied 2-2 after four, but Birt scored a triple to lead 5-2 at the fifth end break. Dolan took singles in six and seven, but Birt scored a deuce in eight, and then recorded a triple in end nine for a 10-4 victory.

Birt now takes on Lisa Jackson, while Dolan plays Shelly Bradley in the C semi-final, Sunday at 2 pm, with the winners advancing to the C final at 7.

Jackson eliminated the host club’s Tammy Dewar rink with a 9-4 win this evening, picking up five points in the sixth end, while Bradley, trailing 6-5 coming home with hammer, scored three points in the final end to eliminate Sarah Fullerton with an 8-6 win.

In the Future Scotties developmental event for female curlers under age 21, the Alexis Burris rink defeated their Cornwall clubmates the Emma Coffin team by an 11-3 score this evening.

Curl PEI file photo: Team Burris

Burris, at 2-0, and Charlottetown’s Katelyn Shaw at 1-0, are both undefeated in the round robin series, where each team plays 3 games. Shaw plays Lauren Ferguson, while Burris takes on Rachel MacLean at 10 am Sunday. The event wraps up with the 2 pm Sunday draw, with Shaw playing Coffin, and MacLean taking on Ferguson.

Live end by end results from both events at PEICurling.com