Cornwall’s Berry, Hope teams start play Sat. in Everest Canadian Seniors. 2 Islanders on Ont. men’s team

The PEI men’s and women’s teams, skipped by Bill Hope and Shirley Berry from the Cornwall Curling Club. begin play Saturday morning at 9:30 Eastern, one at the RBC Arena, and the other at the Molson Arena, both part of the Stratford Ontario Rotary Complex, in the Everest Canadian Senior Championships, for curlers age 50 and over. The men’s and women’s divisions are both divided into two seven-team pools, and play a round-robin draw concluding Monday evening. At that point, the teams are split into championship and seeding pools for play on Tuesday and Wednesday, with the semi-finals and the medal games going on Thursday, March 29 at 10 am and 2 pm.

The Hope team, who beat the Phil Gorveatt foursome in the PEI Seniors Final, will also be representing PEI at the Canadian Masters Curling Championships (for curlers age 60 and over) in Surrey and White Rock, BC from April 1-8.

Photo (L-R): Bill Hope (skip), Craig Mackie (3rd), Peter Murdoch (2nd), David Murphy (lead)

The Shirley Berry team went undefeated in the women’s championship and, according to the rules, a championship round was not requred.

Photo (L-R): Shirley Berry (skip), Janice Murdoch (3rd), Arleen Harris (2nd), Kim Nicholson (lead)

Besides the Island rinks, there are two PEI-born players on the Ontario Men’s team out of the Russell Curling Club, skipped by Bryan Cochrane, with Souris native Ian MacAulay playing third, and Morgan Currie, from Summerside playing second.

(L-R): Skip: Bryan Cochrane, Third: Ian MacAulay, Second: Morgan Currie, Lead: Ken Sullivan

MacAulay, who began his career at the former Souris Curling Club, is now a professional icemaker in the Ottawa area, and provided assistance in getting curling going again on a part-time basis back in Souris, at the Eastern Kings Sports Centre. He was on Cochrane’s team when they won the 2016 Canadian Seniors, and went on to take the Silver medal at the Worlds. Click for CBC PEI story on MacAulay.

Currie, also living in the Ottawa area, made a special trip to the Island back in 2013 for the posthumous induction of his mother, Ann Currie into the PEI Curling Hall of Fame.

Morgan Currie unveiling Wayne Wright portrait of his mother, Ann

It will be the fourth Canadian seniors with title sponsorship from Everest, the first nationwide funeral planning and concierge service. For the first time, selected games from the 2018 Everest Canadian Seniors will be streamed live by CBC Sports. You can watch at cbcsports.ca or via the CBC Sports app for iOS and Android.