Two Curl PEI provincial curling championships get underway at 2 pm today, with the Atelka Mixed at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton, and the Advantage Communications Under 16 at the Charlottetown Curling Complex (with the 2 pm opening draw taking place at the Cornwall Curling Club).
Nine teams, with players from five PEI curling clubs, are competing in the Mixed Fours this year.. The winning team will advance to the 2017 Canadian Mixed Curling Championship, Nov. 14-19, 2016, at the Mariners Centre in Yarmouth, NS. The Mixed Fours are the traditional 4 person competition, while the Mixed Doubles is the newer 2 person format, which has a separate championship.
Last year’s PEI Mixed Fours winners were the team of skip Eddie MacKenzie, third Chloé McCloskey, second Tyler MacKenzie, and lead stone Megan Wile from the Charlottetown Curling Complex. Three members of that team are back this year with Tyler MacKenzie skipping, McCloskey at third, Sean Clarey replacing Eddie MacKenzie and playing second stone, and Wile at lead.
The teams will play a modified triple knockout format, beginning at 2 pm today, qualifying the winners of the A, B, and C sections (a team can win multiple sections) for a two game championship round on Monday, February 29 at 3 pm and, if needed, Tuesday, March 1st at 6 pm. In the event that a team wins all three sections, the championship round will not be played. If a team wins any two sections, they will have a “double life” in the championship round, and will win the event if they take either game, while their opponent would have to win both.
Event website with draw, schedule, team rosters, live results: https://peicurling.com/mixed20152016/
The PEI Under 16 Curling Championships, sponsored by Advantage Communications, take place Friday through Sunday at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, with the opening draw, at 2 pm today, taking place at the Cornwall Curling Club. Admission is $2 at Charlottetown. There is free admission for the opening draw at Cornwall, but they will be conducting a 50X50 draw, with proceeds to help cover expenses for their Junior program’s closing party.
Only one boy’s team, the Mitchell Schut team from Cornwall, who were third place finishers at the recently completed Under 18 championship, entered the competition. They will be awarded the boys’ championship title by default at the closing ceremonies following the 2 pm Sunday final girls’ draw. Other members of the Schut foursome are third Colin MacKenzie, second stone Michael MacEwen, and lead Liam Kelly, with coach Nancy Yeo. Three members of the team are reigning U13 champs, with Schut and Kelly entered in that event again this year.
Third Sydney Howatt from Cornwall’s Alexis Burris rink delivers a rock as second Meghan Sherren follows it down the ice. Photo from the recent U18 Ch’ships, by David O’Connor.
Seven girl’s teams – four from Cornwall, one from the Silver Fox and Crapaud clubs, one from the host Charlottetown Curling Complex, and one from Montague are entered, and will play a round robin.
The first draw, at 2 pm Friday, will be played at the Cornwall Curling Club, with all others played at the Charlottetown Curling Complex. Closing ceremonies, with both the boy’s and girl’s winners and the girl’s runners-up, will take place on Sunday, following the 2 pm final round robin game.
Event website with draw, schedule, team rosters, live results: PEICurling.com/under1620152016
Last year’s boy’s winners were the Donald DeWolfe team from Cornwall, who repeated as champs in the three team boy’s division, and were runners-up in this year’s U18 competition, while the Maria Doyle rink from the Silver Fox club in Summerside was the winning girl’s rink last year in a four team field. Neither team is entered this year. Click for previous years.
Games are eight ends in length. Time clocks are not used. There is no championship round – winners will be determined by round robin wins/losses, head to head to head results, and last stone draw results.