Nail-Biters Monday Morning in PEI

It was an interesting morning at the 2013 Canadian Senior Men’s Curling Championship at the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club in Summerside, PEI. Five of the six games went down to the wire with the most prominent game to local fans was the larceny delivered by Manitoba’s Bob Sigurdson against the host province’s Rod MacDonald. The PEI foursome led 6-5 playing the last end of a well played game to that point. Manitoba worked at protecting a stone on the button while PEI were just missing the run-back double including MacDonald’s final attempt which missed by mere centimetres allowing the steal of one, tying the game at six apiece.  In the extra end, Sigurdson made a nice in-turn draw to the top of the four foot. PEI tried the run-back using their own stone with their skip’s first attempt, just missing. Manitoba guarded the in-turn draw side of the sheet forcing MacDonald to the same shot. It wasn’t as close this time and Manitoba stole the win 7-6.  The team from the West Kildonan CC are at 3-1 while PEI drops to 2-2. Quebec’s Robbie Maclean led Northern Ontario’s Bruce Munro 4-1 after three ends, however, the Sudbury CC team roared back to lead 6-5 after 7 ends. Quebec was forced to one in the 8th then stole the pivotal point in the 9th, heading to last end, up one point without last stone. Northern Ontario could not get anything going to score the winning points, leaving Munro a difficult double raise take-out for the tie which he missed. Northern Ontario remains winless at 0-4 while Quebec climbs back into the race for the playoffs at 2-2. In the final men’s game of the morning, BC’s Craig Lepine battled Saskatchewan’s Gord Bell in another back and forth affair. Bell led 3-1 after four ends but watched as BC took the lead at 4-3 after six ends. The 7th and 8th ends were blanked. In the 9th, Bell scored two to lead by one playing the 10th.  Lepine made a nice out-turn draw to the four foot area behind cover. Bell tried to freeze or at worst, a tap back a foot or so, but was heavy and rolled off the shot stone leaving Lepine a quiet tap back for two and the win at 6-5. BC is now 2-2 while Saskatchewan drops to 1-3. The morning’s women’s games featured two world senior champions with 2012 winner, NB’s Heidi Hanlon meeting 2010 winner Colleen Pinkney of Nova Scotia. Pinkney opened with a deuce only to have Hanlon reply with a score of two in the 2nd end and a steal of two in the 3rd end to lead 4-2. Pinkney scored consecutive singles in the next three ends leading 5-4 after six ends of play. Hanlon scored two in the 7th end to regain the lead but Pinkney blanked the 8th and scored two in the 9th to lead by one playing the 10th. The Nova Scotia squad played a great final end without the hammer leaving Hanlon with a quiet tap back for the tie. She cleared the guard but did not tap the opposition’s shot stone far enough. It was an NS steal and the win 8-6. Pinkney leads the field alone at 4-0 while Hanlon drops to 2-2. Alberta’s Deb Santos fell from the ranks of the undefeated losing 9-7 to Quebec’s Catherine Derick. The Thurso based team led most of the way, bas much as three points after 5 ends and after 8 ends. Alberta scored two in the 9th to get within one and had a chance to steal in the last end but Santos was heavy on her come-around draw leaving Quebec the victory at 9-7. Both teams are now 3-1. Newfoundland & Labrador’s Laura Phillips joins them at 3-1 with a 13-5 trashing of Ontario’s Judy Oryniak. Ontario is winless at 0-4. Results can be found at https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/?e=8. Play continues all week with the championship finals for both genders scheduled for Sunday, March 24 at 10:00 am EST. The winners will represent Canada at the 2014 World Seniors at a location yet to be announced.