The Curl PEI Provincial Under 18 Curling Championships at the Cornwall Curling Club wrapped up with the men’s final on Monday. The Tyler Smith rink from the Crapaud, Charlottetown, and Montague curling clubs beat the host club’s Donald DeWolfe team by a 9-2 score in the championship game, following a 4th end triple with a stolen deuce in five, and a stolen triple in the sixth to build up a big lead. It was handshake time when DeWolfe picked up only a single in the seventh. Tyler Smith and his rink of Alex MacFadyen, Matthew MacDonald, and Ryan Lowery, with coach Kevin Smith will now join the PEI U18 women’s champs, the Lauren Lenentine rink from Cornwall, at the Atlantic U18 Championships, March 25.27 at CFB Halifax. Lenentine beat the Danielle Collings team from the Charlottetown, Montague, and Crapaud clubs by a 6-2 score in the C final on Sunday, winning all three sections of the modified triple knockout draw, and making a championship round unnecessary. (Story below)

Photo (L-R): Ryan Lowery, Matthew MacDonald, Tyler Smith. Missing from photo: Alex MacFadyen, coach Kevin Smith

Smith played with only three players throughout the event, as MacFadyen was recovering from an operation. Other members of the runner-up DeWolfe squad are third Avery Wells, second stone Nick Johnston, and lead Parker MacFadyen, with coach Lori Robinson.

Runner-up photo (L-R):  Coach Lori Robinson, Parker MacFadyen, Nick Johnston, Avery Wells, Donald DeWolfe

Smith won the A and B sections of the modified triple knockout draw, beating DeWolfe 8-2 in the A, and defending Under 13 champ Mitchell Schut from Cornwall 9-3 in the B.  DeWolfe edged Schut 4-3 in the C semi, and beat Smith 5-2 in the C final on Sunday to advance to the Monday championship match.

During the women’s closing ceremonies on Sunday, the Fair Play sportsmanship awards, as voted on by the  curlers in the event were announced, with skips Emma Coffin and Alex Gallant taking the honours. The coaching award, as voted on by the coaches in the event, went to Don Vickerson.

Five U18 men’s and six U18 women’s teams took part in the championship.

The host Cornwall Curling Club rink of skip Lauren Lenentine, third Kaleigh Mackay, second stone Breanne Burgoyne, and lead Rachel O’Connor, with coach Pat Quilty, have won the Curl PEI Provincial Under 18 Women’s Curling Championships, winning all three sections in the modified triple knockout draw, making a championship round unnecessary. In this afternoon’s “C” final, which turned out to be the championship game, they beat the Danielle Collings team from the Charlottetown, Montague, and Crapaud clubs by a 6-2 score, scoring a triple in the fourth end, and stealing a deuce in the seventh before running the Collings team out of rocks in the final end. The Lenentine team now advance to the Atlantic U18 Championships, March 25.27 at CFB Halifax. Other members of the runner-up Collings team are Alyssa Wright, who throws 4th stones, along with second Kaleigh Peters, and lead Lauren Ferguson, with coach Jamie Newson. Collings beat Cornwall’s Emma Coffin 9-4, while Lenentine beat Cornwall clubmate Lauren Moerike 6-4 to advance to the C final. Lenentine edged Moerike 5-4 in the A final, and Collings 4-1 in the B.

U18 Women’s winners (L-R): Lauren Lenentine, Kaleigh Mackay, Breanne Burgoyne, Rachel O’Connor, coach Pat Quilty

U18 Runners-up (L-R): Danielle Collings, Alyssa Wright, Kaleigh Peters, Lauren Ferguson, coach Jamie Newson

During the closing ceremonies, the Fair Play sportsmanship awards, as voted on by the  curlers in the event were announced, with skips Emma Coffin and Alex Gallant taking the honours. The coaching award, as voted on by the coaches in the event, went to Don Vickerson.

Meanwhile, the U18 men’s title will be awarded on Monday, with Tyler Smith and his Crapaud, Montague,and Silver Fox rink taking on Cornwall’s Donald DeWolfe in a two game championship round at 11 am and, if necessary, 3 pm. Smith won the first two section finals in the modified triple knockout draw, over DeWolfe, and Cornwall’s young Mitchell Schut team respectively, but lost to DeWolfe, by a 5-2 score in today’s “C” final. By winning two sections, Smith has an advantage in the championship round, as he will take the championship if he takes either game, while DeWolfe would have to win both to be declared champion. In today’s game, a stolen deuce in end four, and another deuce, in the seventh end, gave DeWolfe the advantage. DeWolfe edged Mitchell Schut, who was last year’s Under 13 champion, 4-3 this morning to advance to the C final.

The winner of the championship round tomorrow between Smith and DeWolfe will join the Lenentine team at the Atlantics in March.

The Tyler Smith rink from the Crapaud, Montague, and Silver Fox rinks, and the Lauren Lenentine team from the host Cornwall Curling Club both captured their second of three section finals today, and could wrap up their respective Under 18 championships with a win in the “C” final Sunday at 3 pm. If they don’t win on Sunday, a win in either game of the two game championship round, scheduled for Monday, would give them the championship, while their respective opponents, the winners of the C flights in the modified triple knockout, would have to win both games.

Photo: Tyler Smith

Smith won his B final today by a 9-3 score against the Mitchell Schut rink, three members of which were last year’s Under 13 champions, while the other member is 14. The young Schut squad defeated their Cornwall clubmates the Donald DeWolfe foursome 8-5 to advance to the B final, leading 7-0 after three ends. In the B final, a pair of triples gave Smith a 6-1 lead after 3 ends, and single and double Smith steals in ends four and five put the game out of reach for Team Schut.

Smith now faces the winner of an 11 am Sunday rematch between Schut and DeWolfe, in the C final at 3 pm Sunday. DeWolfe advanced to the C semi against Schut with a 7-2 win over Alex Gallant and his Western Community Curling Club team on Saturday afternoon.

Photo: Lenentine rink

In the U18 women’s event, Cornwall’s Lenentine rink beat the Danielle Collings team from Charlottetown, Montague and the Silver Fox 4-1 in the Saturday evening B section final, stealing singles in ends four and five. Collings beat Emma Coffin of Cornwall 10-5 and Lauren Moerike 10-7 earlier on Saturday to advance to the section final. Collings fought back from a 5-1 deficit in the game against Moerike.

Moerike beat Maria Doyle from the Silver Fox 7-4, while Coffin beat clubmate Alexis Burris 8-3 in the Saturday evening draw. Lenentine takes on Moerike, while Collings faces Coffin in the “C” semi-finals at 11 am Sunday, with the winners playing in the 3 pm “C” final.

The eventual U18 men’s and women’s winners advance to the Atlantic Under 18 Curling Championships, from March 25-27, 2016 at CFB Halifax.

Opening day is in the books at the Curl PEI Provincial Under 18 curling championships at the Cornwall Curling Club, and the first men’s and women’s qualifying spots out of the modified triple knockout draw for the Monday championship round have been filled.

Opening Ceremonies Photo by Amy Duncan. Team Tyler Smith is the rightmost team, just to the left of piper Calum Brydon. The Lauren Lenentine rink is in pink.

Tyler Smith and his Crapaud, Montague and Silver Fox rink won the men’s “A” qualifier with an 8-2 victory over the host club’s Donald DeWolfe rink, which gives him a berth in the two game championship round on Monday. Smith, who is playing with just three curlers, as Alex MacFadyen is recovering from an operation, stole three ends in the game, which went seven ends. Smith now advances to the “B” final at 2 pm Saturday, against the winner of a 10 am game between DeWolfe and Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut, who beat his brother Devin 9-2 this evening.

The Lauren Lenentine and Lauren Moerike teams had a very close game, coming down to the last rock, with Lenentine drawing for a single, a 5-4 win, and a ticket to Monday’s championship round. Lenentine stole the first end, and a deuce in second, to led 3-0 after 2. Moerike stole singles in ends 6 and 7 to tied at 4-4, but Lenentine had last end hammer, and drew for the win. Lenentine and Moerike now await the winners of 10 am Saturday games between Alexis Burris from Cornwall and Maria Doyle from the Silver Fox, and between Danielle Collings and her Charlottetown, Montague, and Crapaud rink, and Emma Coffin of Cornwall, in matches at 2 pm Saturday, with the winners of  those games going to the 6 pm “B” finals.

The eventual winners will advance to the Atlantic Under 18 Curling Championships, from March 25-27, 2016 at CFB Halifax.