Three draws are complete after opening day play at the Pepsi Provincial Junior Curling Championships at the Crapaud Community Curling Club, with three junior men’s and four junior women’s teams competing to represent PEI at the 2020 New Holland Canadian junior championships in Langley, BC from January 18-26.
Friday Afternoon “A” Finals
Lauren Ferguson
Defending champion skips Lauren Ferguson from the Cornwall Curling Club (all four junior women’s rinks are from that club) and Tyler Smith from the Montague Curling rink captured the “A” finals of the modified triple knockout draw. Ferguson, trailing 4-3 after 5 ends of play after 4 ends against clubmate Clara Jack 9-5, came on strong in the second half, with a four-point sixth end and a stolen single in the seventh. After exchanging singles in the next two ends, Jack ran out of rocks in the final frame. Final score: 9-5 for Ferguson.
Tyler Smith
On the junior men’s side, in a game that saw no more than two points scored in an end, Smith had a 4-2 lead after 5 ends and kept the Brayden Snow team from the Silver Fox and Charlottetown clubs to a single in six before taking control in the next three ends with a deuce, a stolen single, and a steal of two points to bring the game to handshakes with a 9-3 score after nine ends.
Friday Evening “B” Semi-finals
Team Ferguson punched their ticket to the 10 am Saturday “B” final with a 7-3 win in the evening draw over the Katie Shaw rink, which includes three members of Ferguson’s team from last year. Ferguson had a slim one-point lead after eight ends, but a triple steal in the ninth gave her the win. She’ll be taking on Rachel MacLean that “B” final. Team MacLean scored a trio of triples in their match against the Clara Jack foursome for a 12-3 victory in eight ends.
On the Junior Men’s side, Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut squad were firing on all cylinders in their Draw Three game against Team Snow, winning 13-2 in 7 ends, and are hoping to avenge their 8-1 opening game loss to Team Smith in the 10 am Saturday “B” final,
The junior women’s 3 pm Saturday “C” semi-finals will see Jack take on Ferguson, and Shaw play MacLean, with the winners advancing to the “C” finals at 9 am Sunday. On the junior men’s side, the loser of the 10 am Sat. “B” final takes on Snow in the 3 pm “C” semi-final, with the winner of that game playing Smith in the “C” final at 9 am Sunday.
The championship round, which won’t be necessary if a team wins all three modified triple-knockout sections, goes Sunday at 2, and if necessary, 7 pm.