Here is the draw and schedule for Saturday’s Mixed Doubles Cashspiel, with curlers from Cornwall, Charlottetown and Crapaud taking part.

The Cornwall Curling Club’s sixth annual Mixed Doubles Cashspiel takes place Saturday November 3rd. Curlers from all PEI clubs are welcome. Last year’s overall winners were the team of Angus Kennedy and Myrna Sanderson.

Cost: $40 per 2 person mixed team guarantees 3 six-end games and includes lunch. Payout of $80 for winning team of each 4 team section. 1 reverse draw for $40 for 1 winning curler. Please note that we do not use the Powerplay option for this six-end event.

The Prince Edward Island Curling Hall of Fame is proud to offer four bursaries annually to female and male junior curlers pursuing their post-secondary education.

Bursaries

Bursaries for the 2018/19 academic year will be offered as follows:

• Two $1,000 bursaries, awarded to one female and one male junior curler
• Two $500 bursaries, awarded to one female and one male junior curler

 Eligibility

To apply for a bursary, an applicant must:

• Be a resident of Prince Edward Island
• Be enrolled as a full-time student at a university or college in the 2018/19 academic year
• Be eligible to participate in the 2018/19 Prince Edward Island provincial junior playoffs
• Demonstrate a genuine financial need

Criteria and Conditions

• Applicants will be selected based on their:
  • curling achievements and development
  • passion for the game
  • community involvement
  • financial need
• Only one bursary can be awarded to any individual applicant
• All information provided will be kept private and confidential

How to Apply

Please complete and submit the attached application form and supporting documents to peicurlinghalloffame@gmail.com

Applications may also be mailed to:

Jerry Muzika, Chair

Prince Edward Island Curling Hall of Fame

46 Eagles Path Lane,

York PE C0A 1P0

Application deadline: midnight (Atlantic time) on October 31^th, 2018. Incomplete applications will not be reviewed. Successful applicants will be notified no later than November 30, 2018.

Click to download the application in Adobe PDF format.

Click to download the application in MS Word format.

(by Jonathan Brazeau) 

TRURO, N.S. — John Epping has claimed all four majors in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.

Epping captured the elusive Canadian Beef Masters with a 7-4 victory over Calgary’s Kevin Koe in Sunday’s men’s final at Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

John Epping shoots a stone during the Canadian Beef Masters semifinals on Oct. 28, 2018, in Truro, N.S. (Anil Mungal)

It’s the second title for third Mat Camm while second Brent Laing claimed No. 16 and lead Craig Savill picked up his 13th. The front-end dynamic duo captured 12 together during their days with Glenn Howard and now also a record seven Masters title victories.

“It feels awesome,” Epping said. “We played pretty solid all week and I finally really started to get a hot hand today. I was able to play pretty good. The boys have played great all week and it was my time to show up today.”

“These events are so hard to win and even just to make a final or the semifinals are hard,” he added. “It’s the best teams in the world and every chance you get to win one, if you don’t you feel disappointed. It’s just nice to finish this one off.”

Laing left Team Howard to join Koe during the previous quadrennial winning the 2016 Brier and world championships and representing Canada at the 2018 Winter Olympics. Savill, who stepped from the sport in 2015 to battle Hodgkin’s lymphoma, was ready to return full-time after being declared cancer-free and reunited with his longtime friend this season.

“It’s just great to build on,” Epping said. “It feels like it’s coming together pretty easy for us and we know we still have lots of work to do and still tons of work for this team. It’s just nice to play well today as a team in big games, which is huge.”

Team Epping collected $30,000 of the $250,000 total purse plus a berth in the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup and 12 points towards the Pinty’s Cup, which is awarded to the season champion following the conclusion of April’s Players’ Championship.

“It’s huge for us,” Epping said. “We want to play in every Slam that we can and to qualify for that one, make sure we’re in all seven now probably this year, is awesome. Also, the Pinty’s Cup too to get some points and get ourselves in the mix for that. It’s great.”

Koe, who entered the final undefeated winning six consecutive games, held the hammer to start but was unable to capitalize scoring just a single in the first frame. Epping made an open tap for two in the second to pull ahead and didn’t relinquish the lead.

The five-time GSOC title winner Koe struggled with his draw shots rolling through the rings and out the back in the fourth to give up a point, and he conceded two more in the fifth when he was light.

You can never count out Koe though and got his deuce in the sixth to close within two. Epping fell into a bit of trouble in the seventh and conceded a steal of one that cut the deficit down to 5-4, which wasn’t too bad for him considering it meant retaining the hammer coming home for the final end.

It was a bad break for Koe though as his last in the eighth picked something and veered off target. Epping fired one of his typical angle raises to kick out the counter, tack two more points on the board and secure the championship.

“We played a good scoreboard today and stayed in control pretty much the entire game,” Epping said. “It was a little scary late there but I’m happy that I had that one to win.”

“Time’s were intense but I think that’s part of being in the zone today,” he added. “I felt really confident there, especially with that shot there that I had to throw. I felt really good the last few ends.”

Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan is playing Team Anna Hasselborg of Sweden in the women’s final, which got underway at 5 p.m. AT on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or Yare(international).

The Canadian Beef Masters is the second event and the first major of the 2018-19 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season.

Click to read this story at the Grand Slam of Curling website.

(by Jonathan Brazeau)

TRURO, N.S. — Three-time Canadian Beef Masters champion Rachel Homan will have the chance to add to her haul at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event.

Rachel Homan shoots a stone during the Canadian Beef Masters semifinals on Oct. 28, 2018, in Truro, N.S. (Anil Mungal)

Homan and her Ottawa-based club earned a championship opportunity after bouncing Edmonton’s Team Chelsea Carey 6-4 in Sunday morning’s semifinals at Rath Eastlink Community Centre.

Team Homan takes on reigning Olympic gold medallists Team Anna Hasselborg. The Swedish side, who earned their first GSOC title at last month’s Princess Auto Elite 10, ousted Team Casey Scheidegger of Lethbridge, Alta., 8-4.

Homan, a winner of seven GSOC titles, captured her third Masters right here in this very rink in 2015.

Watch the women’s final live at 6 p.m. AT (5 p.m. ET) on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or Yare (international).

Canadian Beef Masters: Tickets | Scores | Playoffs | Schedule | Broadcast Schedule

Meanwhile, Toronto’s Team John Epping collides with Calgary’s Team Kevin Koe for the men’s title.

Watch live at 2 p.m. AT (1 p.m. ET) on CBC and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or Yare (international).

Team Epping charged through world champions Team Niklas Edin of Sweden 8-3. Epping is a three-time GSOC winner and just needs a Masters title to complete the career Grand Slam (i.e. win all four majors).

Koe, who has five GSOC titles to his name, completed the comeback to defeat Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat 6-5. Down by two and with only three seconds left on the clock, Koe fired a double to score three and punch his team’s ticket.

Click to read at the Grand Slam website

Curling siblings Peter MacDonald and Kathy O’Rourke, who are being inducted into the PEI Sports Hall of Fame on Nov. 9, are special guests of Paul M. Schurman on Sports Roundup at 9 am on C102.1 FM. Listen also online at http://spud.fm  

The inductions are sponsored by the P.E.I. Mutual Insurance Company.

TRURO, N.S. (by Jonathan Brazeau) — Kaitlyn Jones and her young Halifax team [which include’s PEI’s Lauren Lenentine at third stone] are through to the Canadian Beef Masters quarterfinals in their own backyard.

The reigning world junior champions, who earned the sponsor’s exemption spot for the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event, finished round-robin play with a 3-1 record after upsetting Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan 6-5 Friday to advance.

Kaitlyn Jones shoots a stone during the 11th round-robin draw of the Canadian Beef Masters on Oct. 26, 2018, in Truro, N.S. (Anil Mungal)

Jones’s team includes cousins Karlee and Lindsey Burgess at second and lead, respectively, who are from the Truro area and are feeding off of the positive vibes from the crowd.

“It’s pretty cool,” Karlee Burgess said. “We’re just super excited to have the hometown crowd here. We’re kind of playing off them, they’re really loud for us and it’s been a lot of fun so far and we’re super excited to make the playoffs.”

Jones pulled off a nose double takeout to score two in the final frame to lift her team into the playoffs.

“Going into the last shot of the game, I was like let’s just keep it close throughout the whole game,” Karlee Burgess said. “We knew we had that open shot there and Kaits was a little nervous going into the hack but I trust Kait very much. It was a good shot and I’m proud of her for making that shot for us.”

Homan, who has won seven Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles, gave up a steal in the second and bounced back into the lead with a deuce in three followed by a steal in four to go up 3-1. Jones replied with a three-ender in five to hold a 4-3 advantage and Homan took two in six to leapfrog back ahead. Jones blanked the seventh to retain the hammer for the dramatic final frame.

Team Homan had already qualified and finished preliminary play at 3-1, too.

Canadian Beef Masters: Tickets | Scores | Standings | Schedule | Broadcast Schedule

In men’s action, American Team John Shuster doubled up on the defending champs Team Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., 8-4 to move onto the playoffs. It was the first time Shuster (3-1) had beaten Gushue (2-1) since 2009.

Gushue, who has won 11 GSOC titles, said earlier he’s feeling foggy having arrived at the Canadian Beef Masters straight from playing in China.

“Actually, this is the first time I’ve beaten Brad since 2008, I believe,” Team Shuster second Matt Hamilton said. “Jamie Korab was still on his team so it’s quite a different squad. It’s nice to get a win against those guys. They’re such a good team and jet-lagged or not, we’ll take it.”

The teams traded deuces to start with Shuster drawing for two in the first and Gushue hammering away for his pair of points in the second. Shuster had to draw his last in the third through a port and just rubbed his own guard and spilled through the house to cough up a steal.

The reigning Olympic gold medallist rebounded to count another couple in four and swiped a point of his own in five to extend his lead 5-3. Shuster forced Gushue to a single in six and put the game to bed with a three count in seven.

“We went into this game knowing that they’re obviously a really great team and we needed to have a really good draw shot to really give ourselves a chance at a playoff and a win to guarantee ourselves a qualifying,” Hamilton said. “We kinda knew that we just had to go out, play loose, play our game and we’d have a good time and things might go our way. It worked out this time.”

Toronto’s Team John Epping got back on track to qualify for the playoffs brushing aside Sweden’s Team Niklas Edin 6-1.

“That was big, we needed that one,” Epping said. “I didn’t want to be playing tomorrow morning in a tiebreaker. That was one of our best performances of the year. It nice to play well when you need to.”

Team Epping stole one to kick things off in the first end and that proved to be the harbinger of the game. Epping reclaimed a 2-1 lead in the third and then rode the steal train swiping a point in the fourth, one more in the fifth plus two in the sixth for handshakes.

“We put a lot of pressure on Nik and his level of difficulty was high out there,” Epping said.

Both teams are through to the playoffs at 3-1.

Halifax’s Team Jamie Murphy is still in it at 2-2 after crushing Norway’s Team Steffen Walstad 9-2 in only five ends. Murphy scored a deuce in one, a four-ender in three and ended things early with a trey in five. Walstad was limited to singles in the even ends and has been eliminated with a 0-3 record.

Team Matt Dunstone of Regina dusted Winnipeg’s Team Reid Carruthers 6-1 with both teams hanging around at 2-2 and awaiting the tiebreaker scenario.

The Canadian Beef Masters is the second event and first major of the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season with 15 of the top men’s teams and 15 of the top women’s teams from around the world. Divisions are split into three pools for round-robin play with the top eight overall qualifying for Saturday’s quarterfinals. The semifinals and finals are set for Sunday.

Round-robin action continues Friday at 3:30 p.m. AT (2:30 p.m. ET) on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare(international).

NOTES: Winners take home $30,000 of the $250,000 total purse plus berths to the season-ending Humpty’s Champions Cup in April. … Points are also on the line for the Pinty’s Cup, which is awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the Players’ Championship.

Click to read at the Grand Slam of Curling Website.

The PEI curling season is kicking into high gear, with the ice in at PEI’s four largest clubs – Cornwall, the Silver Fox, Charlottetown, and Montague.