The PEI Sports Hall of Fame has announced its class of inductees for 2020. Allan Andrews (hockey, builder), Harry Poulton (harness racing, trainer/builder), Peter Gallant (curling, athlete/coach) and Louie Murphy (baseball, athlete) will all get the nod to join the Hall of Fame, once permission is given to hold its annual inductions.

“We are delighted to welcome Allan, Harry, Peter and Louie to the Hall” said chair Paul H. Schurman. “All of them have made outstanding contributions in their different ways to their sport, and we look forward to celebrating their successes publicly when things settle down and we get back to normal.”

Peter Gallant

Charlottetown’s Peter Gallant gets the nod for Hall induction for an outstanding curling career, both as player and coach. In an illustrious playing career, Gallant has won nine provincial men’s championships, four provincial mixed, a senior provincial title, and a Canadian mixed championship, won on home ice in 1987 in Summerside, where he skipped the team of Kathie Gallant, Phillip Gorveatt and Simone MacKenzie to a national title.

In recent years he has become one of the most sought after coaches in world curling, guiding numerous teams including working with the likes of Brad Gushue, Suzanne Birt and his son Brett’s rink when they were dominant on the junior stage. Arguably one of his finest achievements was guiding the Eun Jung Kim team of South Korea to a silver medal at their home 2018 Winter Olympic Games.

Allan Andrews

Cornwall’s Allan Andrews is one of the most well-known faces in hockey circles. A firm believer in the life-long benefits of sport, learning and physical education, Andrews holds some of the highest coaching certifications available, and in 1979 he started his first hockey school. 

In more than 40 years, the Andrews Hockey Growth Program has become one of the most revered and respected in the hockey world. It was a pioneer in the development of women’s hockey, with many graduates of the school going on to play at the national and Olympic levels. His modern thinking on skating techniques in hockey have been adopted world-wide, and some of the game’s greatest players, including Brad Richards and Sidney Crosby, are all graduates of the school. The program has developed satellites throughout Atlantic Canada and the North, and the School has conducted camps in Europe. Students come from across the world each year to enroll in the programs.

In 2018 Andrews was recognized with the Member Insignia of the Order of Canada.

Harry Poulton

Forty years of outstanding success in training horses has earned Harry Poulton the call to the Hall. Moving out west when 18 years old, Poulton has the distinction of training not just one, but two World Champion horses.

Teaming up with owners Gordon and Illa Rumpel, Poulton turned On the Road Again (bought for $10,000) into a horse that earned over $3 million in three years, twice winning Canada’s Horse of the Year in 1984 and 1985, in addition to being named both Three Year Old Pacing Colt of the Year, and Aged Pacing Colt of the Year. Notable race wins included both the Meadowlands Pace and the Canadian Pacing Derby.

Remarkably, Poulton trained another world champion in Matt’s Scooter,  who won more than $3 million and was another two time Canadian Horse of the Year. Poulton’s tremendous achievements have seen him win the Canadian Trotting Horseman of the Year in 1988, and Glen Garnsey North American Trainer of the Year award in 1989. That year also saw Poulton train and drive Stargaze Hanover to victory in the Gold Cup and Saucer. 

Louie Murphy

The rubber-arm of Morell’s Louie Murphy has seen him star on baseball diamonds for an incredible seven decades. A legend in King’s County baseball for Morell, Murphy pitched his first game at age 17 in 1963 and was the workhorse as the Morell Meteors and Beavers dominated PEI and Maritime baseball circles for two decades, and then for the Morell Chevies during their successful stretch with the Nova Scotia Senior Baseball League.

Wildly popular, and a star on the mound with excellent mechanics and command, Murphy went on to enjoy many years in old-timers baseball, where he continued to be a dominant pitcher. In 2012, at age 70, he pitched in the National Old-timers tournament held in Morell. His career saw him pitch in more than 550 competitive games.

Sportswriter and Hall of Famer Bill Ledwell called Louie Murphy a “shoo-in” to enter the Hall of Fame, and this prophecy will be realized when he takes his place as part of the induction class of 2020.

The PEI Sports Hall of Fame thanks all who made nominations this year, and recognizes the continued support of the City of Summerside, the Provincial Government Department of Health and Wellness, and the PEI Mutual Insurance Company.

For more information contact Executive Director Nick Murray at 902-393-5474.

Organizers of the Bogside Cashspiel in Montague have made the following announcement, following Dr.  Morrison’s announcement this afternoon about two additional cases of COVID-19 on PEI, including one case involving a student from Charlottetown Rural High School:

“After the announcement today from Dr. Morrison, we have decided to cancel the rest of the games.”

(HALIFAX, N.S.) Atlantic University Sport has announced that it will not proceed with conference-sanctioned regular seasons or postseasons for the remainder of the 2020-21 season and will not host any conference championships. The winter sports on the AUS calendar are hockey, basketball, volleyball, swimming, and curling.

The Dalhousie curling club swept the men’s and women’s titles at the 2020?Subway AUS Curling?Championships, presented by Keep It Social, which was hosted by the Saint Mary’s Huskies at the CFB Halifax Curling Club. Photo by Nick Pearce.

However, AUS will allow member-driven competition for the upcoming winter semester.

The decision means schools will be permitted to engage in competition at a level they are comfortable with, and would likely see the teams involved face opponents they are in closer proximity to geographically.

Each of the AUS’s 11 individual member universities will determine its own level of participation in accordance with the most up-to-date public health directives.

“We had hoped to be able to get to a place where we could see some semblance of a regular season and postseason take place for our winter sport student-athletes,” said AUS executive director Phil Currie. “Unfortunately given the current realities in many of our regions, and evolving public health directives, this won’t be possible.”

“What we are encouraged by is the decision of our board of directors to continue to allow member-driven competition in the new year if public health guidelines allow. The safety of our student-athletes, campuses and surrounding communities is the top priority. But we are also in the business of delivering sport opportunities to young people. And our member universities intend to provide those opportunities so long as the experts deem it safe to do so at that time.”

Last month, AUS announced the formation of a new committee dedicated to exploring possible return-to-play options for January 2021 and beyond.

The Return-to-Play Committee was comprised of an athletic director from each of the four Atlantic provinces, along with two representatives from the AUS conference office. Its mandate was to develop a framework which would allow for a safe and viable return to conference-sanctioned competition this season.

“With guidance and input from public health and building on a lot of the groundwork already laid regarding safe practices on our respective campuses, we were able to create a very thorough plan in a short window of time,” said UNB director of athletics and AUS president John Richard, who served as chair of the AUS Return-to-Play Committee.

The committee developed a comprehensive framework which includes guidelines for participants and facilities, travel considerations, risk mitigation strategies and contingency plans and possible approaches to sport programming.

The framework was first submitted to public health in the four Atlantic provinces for feedback, and was then deliberated on by the AUS board of directors, which is comprised of the presidents of each of its member universities.

“As a group that is extremely passionate about sport, we are disappointed for our student-athletes and stakeholders that regular seasons and championships won’t be possible this winter. But we acknowledge and respect the current realities and the steps being taken by those in leadership positions to keep everyone safe,” said Richard.

“We’re still hopeful there will be a pathway for meaningful competition for many of our student-athletes this winter and we’re grateful the board has afforded us that opportunity.”

“The Board was extremely impressed with the detailed framework developed by the Return-to-Play Committee,” said Dr. Peter Ricketts, chair of the AUS board of directors and president of Acadia University. “But, given the state of the pandemic in our region and having the health and safety of our student-athletes first and foremost in our minds, we could not see our way to endorsing a return to conference competition play at this time or in the near future.”

AUS member schools intend to utilize the content developed in the return-to-play document as they determine their respective paths forward next semester.

Fundamental to the framework is the principle that the most current public health directives will always determine the approach and that any and all planned competition may be altered or cancelled in the event of a new or worsening outbreak of the COVID-19 virus in any relevant region.

Click to read at the AUS website.

PEI’s Brett Gallant, a KidSport Ambassador, along with his fiancé Jocelyn Peterman, have announced that sales of the “Curling Cares Calendar” bought using their promo code “JoceBrett2021” will save you $5 off the purchase price and also jointly support their charities KidSport PEI and the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation. 

Gallant and Peterman are among the 18 participants who are making their second appearance in the fundraising calendar. The others are Korey Dropkin (Men, 2020), Eve Muirhead, who is appearing for a third time, following appearances in 2017 and 2012, while Kirk Muyres now equals Muirhead’s record with his third appearance since 2018.

KidSport is a movement of dedicated people who are passionate about strengthening Canada’s culture of sport and seeing ALL kids succeed. 

Click for KidSport PEI website where you can get more information, apply for a grant, or donate to KidSport.

The Smiles Thru Lindsey Endowment Fund was created in 2015 in Red Deer AB after Lindsey Kathleen More tragically took her life at the age of 22. Prior to her sudden passing and after a string of suicides at community high schools, Lindsey wanted to help those who were suffering in silence, as she did. Honouring her wishes, and to help keep Lindsey’s legacy of love and laughter alive, the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation was formed.

Calendars are now available for purchase by visiting www.curlingcalendar2021.com for $34.95 (tax and shipping inclusive) CAD (before discount) and must be ordered by Dec. 10 (in Canada) for guaranteed delivery by Christmas.

Grateful to be a part of the Curling Cares Calendar with @jpete93 Proceeds from our sales will support both @KidSportPEI and the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation. Use our promo code: JoceBrett2021 to save $5 and support our charities! https://t.co/FyJhrsnes0

— Brett Gallant (@bpgallant) October 6, 2020

I’m excited to raise funds for both the Smiles Thru Lindsey Foundation and @KidSportPEI with our participation in the upcoming Curling Cares Calendar! Get it here https://t.co/XSkqGhWWPx promo code JoceBrett2021 to save $5 and support our charities #curlingcarescalendar

— Jocelyn Peterman (@jpete93) October 6, 2020

Gallant and Peterman, on Instagram, as they announced their engagement recently

Curling Canada story:

Unprecedented times call for an unprecedented calendar. Both men and women of curling’s past and present, siblings, curling couples, mixed doubles partners and a recreational curler will all grace the pages of the 2021 Curling Cares calendar in an upcoming special edition. The project supports numerous charitable initiatives, including the philanthropic youth curling programs developed by Curling Canada. 

“We are so appreciative to be a major benefactor of this annual fundraising initiative by TheCommunityFundraiser.com and are thankful for the positive impacts it makes possible for young curlers across the country,” said Brodie Bazinet, Curling Canada Foundation manager. “The curling community eagerly awaits the calendar launch each year, not only to see another side of their curling favourites but also to make a meaningful contribution to the sport they love!”

Instead of featuring an exclusive gender like previous editions, the 2021 Curling Cares calendar highlights a collection of curlers varying from grassroots to high-performance. Charitable organizations worldwide feel the calendar’s impact because each month’s featured athlete models raise money for a charity close to their hearts. Proceeds from each calendar also support Curling Canada’s youth development programs. Those calendar sales, including individual athlete model efforts, have raised more than $100,000 for the Curling Canada Foundation since 2015.

Siblings Karsten and Selena Sturmay, recipients of For the Love of Curling scholarships in 2015 and 2018, respectively, know first-hand the positive impacts this scholarship can have in balancing curling and school. It’s why they have chosen to use their presence in the calendar to raise additional funds for the 2021 scholarship program. 

The Sturmay siblings own a combined six U SPORTS/Curling Canada medals earned at national university championships, including golds for both Karsten and Selena in 2018 – leading to appearances as the men’s and women’s teams representing Canada at the 2019 Universiade Games – and gold for Selena at the 2020 university championships this past March. Karsten’s men’s team was one win away from representing Alberta at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier. Selena is emerging from juniors with an enviable junior resume, including a 2019 Canadian junior women’s gold medal and a silver medal at the world juniors for Team Canada as skip. The duo also plays mixed doubles and represented Alberta at the 2018 national championship.

“Receiving the For the Love of Curling Scholarship was a privilege and an honour. Knowing that the curling community was recognizing and supporting my efforts, academically and athletically, gave me a source of pride that I will never forget,” said Selena. “It’s an honour for Karsten and myself to be in this year’s calendar, supporting the scholarship program that made such positive impacts in our lives and featured alongside so many incredible curlers.”  

The new look and feel of the calendar are representative of coming together during the COVID-19 pandemic. Other notable inclusions in this year’s calendar include Matt Dunstone (2020 Tim Hortons Brier bronze-medallist) and Erin Pincott (British Columbia third, 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts), and Jocelyn Peterman and Brett Gallant, two-time Canadian mixed doubles champions and world silver-medallists. 

A complete list of Canadians included in the calendar is Glenn Howard, Kirk Muyres, Sarah Potts, Stu Sankey (regional curling sponsor and recreational curler) and Jeff Stoughton. International participants include Korey Dropkin and Sarah Anderson (American mixed doubles team), Chinami and Yurika Yoshida (Sisters from Japan’s Team Satsuki Fujisawa), T.J. and Susana Cole (Nigerian mixed doubles team), and Eve Muirhead of Scotland. 

Calendars are now available for purchase by visiting www.curlingcalendar2021.com for $34.95 (tax and shipping inclusive) CAD and must be ordered by Dec. 10 (in Canada) for guaranteed delivery by Christmas.

Click to read this story at Curling Canada

 

Sport PEI presents three “She Leads” events. Cost for each event is a $20 donation.

Curler Kathy O’Rourke is among the panelists at the kickoff event at the Confederation Centre.

For more information or to register for any of these events, email lboudreau@sportpei.pe.ca

Tuesday November 24
Confederation Centre of the Arts
Homburg Theatre- Corner of Queen & Grafton Charlottetown
Building Women Around You
Panelist  –  Heather Moyse,  Kathy O’Rourke, Kailea Switzer, Karolyn Godfrey with Janet Clarke 6:45 to 7:10 pm registration
7:15 pm to 8:45 pm Panel Discussion with Q & A

Thursday November 26
Online Interactive session on Zoom
What makes a Leader People want to follow?
Speaker & Leader – Jill Sadler
7:30 to 9:00 pm
Jill will walk attendees through some exercises that provoke us to think about leaders

Saturday November 28 
Benevolent Irish Society -583 North River Rd
Leaders of Today and Tomorrow
Mother-Daughter Event

Guest: Heather Moyse, Alana Taylor,  Louise Martin, Tammy Roche, Tracey Gairns
8:45 to 9:10 am registration
9:15 to 11:45 am event

The annual Masters Plus Bonspiel wrapped up recently at the Cornwall Curling Club, with the David McCullum rink from the Sussex/Thistle St Andrews clubs in New Brunswick emerging as the top point-getter, making eight different winners in the event’s eight-year history. The Masters Plus format is for teams with three players age 60 and over, and one player who is at least 55. Here are the top five rinks this year:

After listening to Dr. Heather Morrison during Tuesday’s regular update and her recommendation to not travel off PEI, the Cornwall Under 18 team skipped by Mitchell Schut announced that they have decided to withdraw from this weekend’s Junior Fall Spiel at Curl Moncton. Team Easter from the Silver Fox has made a similar announcement, and we have been informed that Cornwall’s Dalton and Ella Lenentine teams have withdrawn as well