Recap: Cornwall’s Schut and Ferguson teams lead best of 5 series 2-1 going into Sunday play at Canada Games Finals

Three games have been completed in the best of five Canada Games Finals here in Cornwall for both the girls’ and boys’ divisions, with Cornwall’s Lauren Ferguson rink leading the girl’s series two games to one over their clubmates, the Sydney Howatt squad, and Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut team leading the boy’s series, also two games to one, over Charlottetown’s Chase MacMillan foursome. This means that a win in either game on Sunday, at 10 am and 3:30 pm, would send the Ferguson or Schut teams to the Canada Games in Red Deer, while Howatt and MacMillan would have to win both of their games.

(L-R) Lexie Murray, Lauren Ferguson, and Alexis Burris

(L-R): Liam Barbrick, Chase MacMillan, Davis Nicholson

In Draw Two on Saturday morning, Team Ferguson moved to 2-0 on the girls’ side with a 4-3 win over Team Howatt while teams MacMillan and Schut were tied at a game apiece on the boy’s side following an 8-4 win by the Chase MacMillan team.

Both games came down to exciting finishes in Draw Three on Saturday afternoon.

Photo (L-R): Meghan Sherren, Sydney Howatt, and Madelyn Cantwell from Team Howatt

The Sydney Howatt team, with Howatt throwing final stones, and Sierra Clyke calling the game, was tied 5-5 after eight ends, with last rock advantage in the final end going to the Lauren Ferguson rink, who had a 2-0 lead in the series and would have advanced to the Canada Games in Red Deer with a win. However, Howatt stole the end, for a 6-5 final score forcing game four on Sunday morning.

Photo (L-R): Mitchell Schut, Liam Kelly, Colin MacKenzie

The boys’ game, with the series tied 1-all, was also close, with the Chase MacMillan team, hot off a morning win over the Schut squad, leading 3-2 after six ends. Schut blanked the seventh to have hammer coming home, and took the win with a three-point eighth end and a 5-3 final score.

Friday Evening:

The two teams who finished the PEI Canada Games Trials #1 in first place have won their openers at the Canada Games Qualifier Finals at the Cornwall Curling Club, with Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut rink beating Charlottetown’s Chase MacMillan team 6-2 in the first game of the boys’ best of five series, and the Lauren Ferguson team beating their Cornwall clubmates the Sydney Howatt rink by a 3-1 score in the girls’. Game two in each series goes at 10 am Saturday, with Game three going at 2 pm. Games four and five, if necessary, go Sunday at 10 am and, if needed, 3:30 pm. The winning teams advance to the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer Alberta, February 15 until March 3, 2019.

(Skip-lead L-R): Mitchell Schut, Nick Johnston, Liam Kelly, Colin MacKenzie, Coach Lori Robinson

(Skip-lead L-R): David MacFadyen (coach), Chase MacMillan, Jack MacFadyen, Liam Barbrick, Davis Nicholson

Team Schut got off to a fast start in their game, using last-rock advantage to score four points in the first end, and then stealing a single in the second. MacMillan took singles in the next two ends to narrow the gap to 5-2 at the fourth end break. Schut was kept to a single in the fifth, with MacMillan blanking the next two ends to keep last rock advantage, but running out of rocks in the eighth.

(Skip-lead L-R): Lauren Ferguson, Katie Shaw, Alexis Burris, Lexie Murray
Back Row: David Murphy (coach)

(L-R): Sierra Clyke (calls the game, throws third), Sydney Howatt (throws fourth), Meghan Sherren (second), Madelyn Cantwell (lead), A.J. Campbell (coach)

The Howatt rink had opening hammer, blanking the first two ends, but Ferguson stole the third and fourth ends to lead 2-0 at the half. The teams traded singles in the fifth and sixth, and blanked the seventh, but Ferguson, leading 3-1 coming home, did not have to throw her final rock.

Here is a photo gallery from the Saturday morning draw. Click on a photo to enlarge, and use arrows to go ahead and back.