Matters edges Ramsay 7-6 in an extra end in 1st Pepsi Junior Men's final

Dec. 31-The host club rink of skip Alex Matters, who calls the game but throws third stones, Chris Gallant, who throws fourth stones,  second Kyle Holland, and lead Andrew Cameron, with coaches Peter Gallant and Derrick Cameron, edged their clubmates, the Sam Ramsay rink by a 7-6 extra end score this afternoon in the first game of the best of three final between the two teams in the Pepsi Provincial Junior Men's Curling Championships at the Charlottetown Curling Club. Other members of the Ramsay rink are Matthew Nabuurs, Connor MacPhee, and Shawn Pitre, with coach Rob Roberts.

Photo (L-R): Chris Gallant, Andrew Cameron, Kyle Holland from the Alex Matters rink

The second men's final, along with the sudden death junior women's final between Sarah Fullerton of the Charlottetown and Cornwall clubs, and Amanda MacLean of  the Cornwall and Maple Leaf clubs, go Monday at 10 am, with the third men's final, if needed, going Monday at 2:30 pm. The winning teams will advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, February 4-12, 2012, in Napanee Ontario.

Ramsay vs Matters, Fullerton vs MacLean for Pepsi Junior titles

 Dec. 31-The teams have now been determined for the Pepsi Provincial Junior Women’s sudden death final game, scheduled for 10 am on Monday at the Charlottetown Curling Club, following the completion of double round play this morning, with the top two teams advancing to the final. The Amanda MacLean rink, who curl out of the Cornwall and Maple Leaf clubs, defeated the Emily Keen team from Charlottetown to finish the round robin in second place, with a 4-2 win-loss record, while the two-time defending champion Sarah Fullerton rink from Charlottetown and Cornwall stole a triple in the extra end in an exciting 8-5 come-from-behind victory over Cornwall’s Veronica Smith rink, to grab first place with a 5-1 record.

Photo (L-R) Hillary Thompson, Sarah Fullerton, Sara MacRae

The Smith rink, which includes Fullerton’s sister Katie at third, had beaten the Fullerton foursome earlier in the competition, and led this game 5-3 after eight ends of play. Fullerton took a single in the 9th, and forced the extra by stealing a point in ten.

The winner of Monday’s final between Fullerton and MacLean will advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, February 4-12, 2012, in Napanee Ontario.

The best-of-three Pepsi Jr. Men’s final begins at 2:30 this afternoon, and continues on Monday at 10 am and, if necessary, 2:30 pm at the Charlottetown Curling Club. The Sam Ramsay rink from the host club were awarded first place in the round robin, and advanced on Friday night.

Photo: Alex Matters

The Alex Matters foursome, also from Charlottetown, are the other finalists, after beating O’Leary’s Matthew MacLean foursome 12-5 this morning, aided by a steal of three in the second end, and a four point fifth end. All three teams finished the round robin with 4-1 win-loss records.

The junior men’s and women’s champions will advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, February 4-12, 2012, in Napanee Ontario.

Ramsay, Matters, Matthew MacLean, Fullerton all 4-1 at Pepsi Juniors. Ramsay in final.

Dec. 30-Round robin play wrapped up this evening in the junior men's section of the Pepsi Provincial Juniors at the Charlottetown Curling Club, with three teams, skipped by Sam Ramsay and Alex Matters of the host club, and Matthew MacLean of O'Leary's Maple Leaf Curling Club all finishing with 4-1 win-loss records. Ramsay was awarded first place after tiebreaking rules were used, while Matters and MacLean will face off in a 10 am Saturday tiebreaker to determine second place. Ramsay and the winner of the tiebreaker will then play a best of three championship round, with the first game Saturday at 2:30 pm, game two on Monday at Jan. 2 at 10 am, and game three, if needed, following at 2:30 pm Monday.

In the Friday evening draw, Matters downed Alex MacFadyen (0-5) of the Silver Fox in Summerside by a 14-2 score in only six ends, getting off to a flying start with a six point opening end. MacLean also needed only six ends to score an 8-3 victory over Cornwall's Jeffery Taylor (2-3), while Ramsay beat Cody Dixon (1-4) of Montague 8-5.

Photo (L-R): Kassinda Bulger, Amanda MacLean, Emily Gray

One draw remains, at 10 am Saturday, in the junior women's double-round robin. Two- time defending champion Sarah Fullerton of the Charlottetown and Cornwall clubs is in the lead with a 4-1 win-loss record, with Amanda MacLean of the Cornwall and Maple Leaf clubs and Veronica Smith of Cornwall both at 3-2. Emily Keen from Charlottetown is 0-5.

In action tonight, Fullerton beat MacLean 11-3, scoring a six-ender (the third one scored at the event today) in the process. The two teams also met in the morning draw, with an identical 11-3 result. The Smith team blanked the Keen rink 12-0 in only six ends.

In the final double round robin draw tomorrow at 10 am, the Fullerton foursome will face the Smith team, the only one to beat them in the competition, while MacLean takes on Keen.

The top two junior women’s teams from the double round robin will play in a sudden death final, Monday January 2 at 10 am.

Complete draw and live end-by-end results are available at peicurling.com/juniors and at livecurling.com.

The junior men’s and women’s champions will advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, February 4-12, 2012, in Napanee Ontario.

Five teams at 3-1 in Pepsi Juniors

No undefeated teams remain, going into the Friday evening draw at the Pepsi Provincial Junior Curling Championships being played at the Charlottetown Curling Club. Three junior men’s rinks, captained by Alex Matters, Matthew MacLean and Sam Ramsay, and two junior women’s teams, directed by Amanda MacLean and Sarah Fullerton, all have 3-1 win-loss records.

Two-time defending champion Fullerton, who curls out of Charlottetown and Cornwall, beat the Amanda MacLean rink from Cornwall and the Maple Leaf club in O’Leary, by an 11-3 score this morning. MacLean will square off against Fullerton again tonight at 7 in the women’s double round-robin draw. Veronica Smith of Cornwall (2-2) plays Emily Keen of Charlottetown (0-4) in the other junior womens contest.

In action this afternoon, Fullerton downed Keen 8-1, and MacLean edged Smith 7-6.

The final double-round women’s draw goes Saturday at 10 am with Keen taking on MacLean, and Fullerton playing Smith, the only team that she has lost to in the event.

On the junior men’s side, it came down to the last rock in the battle of the two undefeated teams, skipped by Alex Matters of Charlottetown, and Matthew MacLean of the Maple Leaf club this morning. MacLean scored one in the 9th to tie the game, but gave up hammer for the final frame. Chris Gallant, who throws final stones for Matters, hit and stuck for the 5-4 win.

Photo: Sam Ramsay rink (top to bottom): Sam Ramsay, Matthew Nabuurs, Shawn Pitre, Connor MacPhee

Sam Ramsay, whose host club team includes two members of last years’ championship rink, tripled Alex MacFadyen of the Silver Fox 12-4, taking a four point fifth end, and winding the game up early with five points in the 9th. Jeff Taylor of Cornwall had a 6-2 win over Montague’s Cody Dixon in the other morning game.

Ramsay pulled into the three way tie for first in the afternoon draw, with an 8-3 win over Matters, blanking the first three ends, and scoring a deuce in four. Matters responded with a dpair of his own in end five to tie the game 2-all at the half. Another blank was followed by a rare six point end for Ramsay in the seventh. Matters scored a single in the eighth, but couldn’t recover, and it was handshake time.

The other afternoon junior men’s games saw Matthew MacLean double Dixon 8-4, and Taylor beat MacFadyen 9-4. Taylor currently sits at 2-2, with Dixon 1-3 and MacFadyen 0-4. The junior men’s round robin wraps up with tonight’s 7 pm draw, where MacLean faces Taylor, Matters plays MacFadyen, and Ramsay takes on Dixon.

The top two teams from the junior men’s round robin, following any tiebreakers, will advance to a best of three final round. The top two junior women’s teams from the double round robin will play in a sudden death final. In the event that one team goes through the double round robin undefeated, they will be declared the winner, without playing the one-game final.

The junior women’s championship game, if required, goes Monday January 2 at 10 am, while the first junior men’s final goes Saturday at 10 am or 2:30 pm, or Sunday at 1 pm, depending on tiebreakers. The second junior men’s best of three game goes Monday at 10 am, with the third, if needed, taking place at 2:30 pm Monday.

Complete draw and live end-by-end results are available at peicurling.com/juniors and at livecurling.com.

Click to view event photos.

The junior men’s and women’s champions will advance to the M&M Meat Shops Canadian Juniors, February 4-12, 2012, in Napanee Ontario.