Saskatchewan’s Bruce Korte and Sherry Anderson are wearing gold medals after the finals of the 2019 Everest Canadian Seniors wrapped up on the ice of The Chilliwack Curling Club in Chilliwack, B.C. on Thursday.
Bruce Korte (Curling Canada/Glen Ursel photo)
Saskatoon’s Korte, along with his Nutana Curling Club team of third Darrell McKee, second Kory Kohuch and lead Rory Golanowski, took an early 3-0 lead against the reigning Canadian champs skipped by Bryan Cochrane from Russell, Ont. (third Ian MacAulay, second Morgan Currie and lead Ken Sullivan). In the third, Ontario scored one and stole another in the fourth to give themselves a glimmer of hope. That was quickly shut down when Korte rebounded with a three in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead. A single and another steal kept Ontario’s hopes alive, but with a two-point lead and last-rock advantage heading home, Korte had a wide-open hit for an 8-4 win over the defending champs.
“This is so incredible, we know how hard curling is and how hard you have to work at it,” said Korte after the game. “We feel that after all those years that we didn’t do better at the Brier, then coming here and winning it, we’re just so happy to be Team Canada and we will be so proud wearing (the Maple Leaf).”
“This is unbelievable. The four of us fit so well together, it’s hard to find four players who mesh so well. It just makes curling easier and I’m really proud of all my guys and this team, it’s just fantastic.”
Alberta’s Wade White and his team of third Barry Chwedoruk, second Dan Holowaychuk and lead George White from the Lac Le Biche Curling Club won the bronze medal after defeating Manitoba’s Dave Boehmer 10-3 in six ends. Boehmer, backed by his team of third Terry McRae, second Tom Want and lead George Hacking of the Petersfield Curling Club, kept up for the first three ends, but a steal of two by Alberta and game-deciding five in the sixth end led to handshakes and a bronze medal for Alberta.
In the women’s final, Saskatchewan’s Sherry Anderson battled to an 11-7 extra-end win over Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh in a game that saw the momentum shift back and forth throughout.
Sherry Anderson (Curling Canada/Glen Ursel photo)
After blanking the first two ends, Middaugh and her team of Karri-Lee Grant, second Christine Loube, lead Jane Hooper-Perroud and alternate Colleen Madonia of the Thornhill Club scored four in the third to take a comfortable lead, but Anderson and her Nutana Curling Club team of third Patty Hersikorn, second Brenda Goertzen and lead Anita Silvernagle bounced back with a score of three in the fourth.
In the eighth, Middaugh needed to hit and stick to score two for the win. Instead, her shooter rolled off, forcing the extra end. Anderson’s final open hit for four put the game away and earned her a third straight national seniors championship.
“Exhausted,” said Anderson right after the game. “That was THE most exhausting game I’ve ever played in. It went from highs and lows. I feel bad for Sherry and her team, but my girls battled back, they made a lot of great shots, and it was exciting I’m sure for the fans.”
In the women’s bronze medal game, Alberta’s Glenys Bakker (third Shannon Nimmo, second Lesley McEwan and lead Diana McNallie of the Garrison Curling Club) captured the bronze with a 8-3 win over Manitoba’s Terry Ursel (third Wanda Rainka, second Brenda Walker and lead Tracy Igonia of the Arden Curling Club). Bakker took a 5-0 lead after three ends and never looked back.
Korte and Anderson will represent Canada in the 2020 World Seniors, at a site and date to be announced by the World Curling Federation.
The World Seniors officially began in 2002. Canada has won a leading ten men’s and twelve women’s titles. Since 2005, the winners of the Canadian Seniors have represented Canada in the following year’s World Seniors. Thus, last year’s winners — Ontario’s Bryan Cochrane and Saskatchewan’s Sherry Anderson — will wear the Maple Leaf in the 2019 World Seniors, April 20-27 in Stavanger, Norway.
(Curling Canada/Jodi Birston photo)