It was a repeat win for both the Robyn MacPhee team, who won the PEI  Scotties Tournament of Hearts provincial women’s curling championships, and their Charlottetown Curling clubmates the Eddie MacKenzie foursome, who are once again PEI Tankard provincial men’s champions, following the first of two possible championship games for each, this afternoon at the Cornwall Curling Club. Team MacPhee now advances to the national Scotties Tournament of  Hearts, January 27 to February 4 in Penticton BC, while the MacKenzie rink will play in the Tim Hortons Brier, March 3-11 in Regina SK.

Photo (L-R): Robyn MacPhee, Sarah Fullerton, Meaghan Hughes, Michelle McQuaid, coach Mitch O’Shea

Photo (L-R): Eddie MacKenzie, Josh Barry, Chris Gallant, Sean Ledgerwood, coach Phil Gorveatt

MacPhee, with teammates Sarah Fullerton, Meaghan Hughes, and Michelle McQuaid, defeated PEI’s two-time reigning provincial Junior champions, the Lauren Lenentine rink from the host Cornwall club by a 6-2 score in nine ends, while MacKenzie, playing with Josh Barry, Chris Gallant, and Sean Ledgerwood  beat Cornwall and Charlottetown’s John LIkely team, also in nine ends, by a 12-4 score, after MacKenzie scored five points in the ninth.

Women’s finalists (R-L): Lauren Lenentine, Kristie Rogers, Breanne Burgoyne, Rachel O’Connor, with coach Pat Quilty, and Sandy Matheson, representing Curl PEI.

Photo (R-L): Men’s finalists John Likely, Robert Campbell, Matthew Nabuurs, Robbie Doherty

Both MacPhee and MacKenzie had two chances to defend their respective championships today, by virtue of having won two sections of their modified triple knockout draws, but won on the first try. Lenentine and Likely, who won one section, would have had to have won both games to take their respective titles. The Lenentine foursome will be participating in the 2018 New Holland Canadian Junior Curling Championships, Jan. 13 – 21 in Shawinigan Quebec. 

Five women’s and five men’s teams took part in this year’s PEI Scotties and Tankard.