Suzanne Gaudet goes undefeated to win PEI Scotties
(Jan. 21) Defending champion Suzanne Gaudet captured her 4th Provincial Women's Curling Championship Sunday night, going undefeated with a 7-0 win-loss record to win all three Scotties Tournament of Hearts section finals, all against Meaghan Hughes, at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton. She edged Charlottetown clubmate Hughes by a 4-3 score in the conservatively-played C final - the lowest-scoring game of the triple-knockout, nine-team event. Gaudet had opening hammer, and blanked the first, sixth, and ninth ends, with the two teams trading singles in the other ends to give Gaudet the one-point victory, making the two-game championship round unnecessary.
Photo: Stefanie Clark, Carol Webb, Robyn MacPhee, Suzanne Gaudet
Gaudet, reunited this season with three members of her 2001 World Junior Championship rink - Robyn MacPhee at third, Carol Webb at second, and Stefanie (Richard) Clark in the lead position, defeated Charlottetown clubmate Lori Robinson 7-3 Sunday afternoon to advance to the C final, while the Hughes rink, in their first season out of the Junior ranks, advanced with a 6-5 win over three-time PEI women's champ Shelly Bradley. Hughes is playing with Sinead Dolan and Michala Robinson from her championship Junior team, and Dolan's mother Kim, who has won the women's title five times at skip, and three at third, and is calling the game from the lead position.
Gaudet and Hughes also met in the A and B finals, with five-time PEI junior champ Gaudet beating four-time junior champion Hughes 8-3 in the A final, and 8-2 in the B. The winning Gaudet rink will now advance to the Canadian Scotties Feb. 17-25 in Lethbridge AB.
Gaudet rink sweeps A & B sections
(Jan. 20) The Suzanne Gaudet rink are in the driver's seat to repeat as provincial women's champion, having captured both the A and B sections in the triple-knockout Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton. After taking the A section with an 8-3 win over Charlottetown clubmate Meaghan Hughes on Friday night, Gaudet, and her new team consisting of 4/5 of her 2001 World Junior championship rink, with Robyn MacPhee at third, Carol Webb at second, and Stefanie Clark in the lead position, won her B semi-final, 8-6 over Shelly Bradley, to advance to the Saturday night B final, also against Hughes. Gaudet took the rematch by an 8-2 score, stealing a triple in the second end after Hughes blanked the first, to take an early lead.
Four-time Junior champ Hughes defeated Rebecca Jean MacPhee by a 7-4 score on Saturday afternoon to advance to the B final. Four-time women's champion MacPhee was eliminated from further play in the evening draw, losing 9-2 to Charlottetown clubmate Lori Robinson, who had eliminated Cornwall's Donna Butler with an 11-5 win in the 2 pm draw. Besides Gaudet, Hughes, and Robinson, the other team still in contention is three-time champion Bradley, who remained in contention with a win over Cornwall's Karen Currie, also by an 11-5 score.
On Sunday at 2, Gaudet takes on Robinson, and Hughes plays Bradley, with the winners advancing to the C final at 7 pm. If Gaudet is in that final and wins it, she will repeat as PEI women's champ. If not, she will have two more chances to win - Monday at 2 and 7 pm. As she is currently undefeated, she would take the title by winning either game, while the opposing team would have to win both.
Nine teams began play in the PEI Scotties. The winning rink will advance to the Canadian Scotties Feb. 17-25 in Lethbridge AB.
Gaudet takes "A" section
(Jan. 19) Defending provincial women's champion Suzanne Gaudet defeated Meaghan Hughes by an 8-3 score Friday night to win the A final at the 2007 PEI Scotties Tournament of Hearts being played at the Western Community Curling Club in Alberton. Both teams are former junior champions - Hughes winning the last four PEI titles, and Gaudet taking the five before that, along with two Canadian titles and a World Junior championship. Gaudet has also won three out of the past four provincial women's championships. Tonight's game was tied at three-all after five ends, but Gaudet kept Hughes scoreless in the second half, taking a deuce, and stealing a single and another deuce to bring the game to an early end. This year's Gaudet team includes 4/5 of her 2001 World Junior champion team, with Robyn MacPhee at third, Carol Webb at second, and Stefanie Clark in the lead position. Hughes is playing with Sinead Dolan and Michala Robinson from her former Junior team, and Dolan's mother Kim, who has won the women's title five times at skip, and three at third, playing lead.
At 2 pm on Saturday, Hughes will take on four-time women's champ Rebecca Jean MacPhee, while Gaudet takes on three-time champ Shelly Bradley. All four teams are from the Charlottetown Curling Club. The winners of these games will advance to the 7 pm B section final. MacPhee beat Lori Robinson of Charlottetown 12-5 tonight, taking 5 points in the ninth end, while Bradley defeated Donna Butler of Cornwall 8-2 in the afternoon draw. Butler plays Robinson in the other 2 pm Saturday encounter.
Karen Currie of Cornwall eliminated Krista Cameron of the Silver Fox 8-2 this evening, and takes on the loser of the Bradley/Gaudet game Saturday at 7, with the loser facing elimination.
The C division final of this triple-knockout event goes Sunday at 7 pm. If the same team wins all three sections, they will be declared the winner without a championship round, scheduled for 2 and 7 pm Monday.
Nine teams are taking part in the PEI Scotties. The winning rink will advance to the Canadian Scotties Feb. 17-25 in Lethbridge AB.
