CORNWALL, P.E.I. – It was 1991, on home soil, when P.E.I. won its first-ever team medal at the Canada Winter Games. The Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club in Summerside saw head coach Gary Cudmore and team members Rob Newson, Paul MacCormack, Brian Matheson and [skip] Sean Matheson make P.E.I. history. The men’s curling team that year set the bar with a 4-3 victory over Ontario to secure the national bronze medal.

Fast-forward 27 years later, and Team P.E.I.’s men’s curling representatives will be heading to Red Deer, Alta., this February hoping to create some memories of their own. The Cornwall Curling Club team is led by head coach Lori Robinson and skipped by Mitchell Schut. Third Nick Johnston, second Liam Kelly and lead Colin MacKenzie, along with Schut and Robinson, are hopeful heading into the Games with expectations to qualify for the medal round where they know anything can happen.

Team P.E.I.’s men’s curling team is set for the Canada Games in Red Deer, Alta. The Games run Feb. 15-March 3 with curling taking place Feb. 25-March 2. Team members, from left, are skip Mitchell Schut, third Nick Johnston, coach Lori Robinson, second Liam Kelly and lead Colin MacKenzie. – Contributed

Part of their routine is working with Travis McIsaac at Synergy Fitness on two aspects of training, mental and physical. Their hard work will be put to the test come February, but Robinson knows if they stick to the game plan, they could turn some heads on the ice.
“We need to focus on the round robin in order to qualify for the medal round,” Robinson explained. “We’re confident in our ability to place ourselves in the competitions top six teams, and once you make it that far, anything can happen.”
Robinson herself represented Team P.E.I. in curling 32 years ago at the Canada Games held in Sydney, N.S. Her brother, during the same Games, was a member of the men’s curling team and now her nephew, Johnston, is competing in 2019. Curling is in the family’s blood, and Robinson looks forward to attending another Games, but this time, in a new role as a head coach.
Tournaments leading up to a major competition like the Canada Games are invaluable. This is why Nick, Liam, Colin and Mitchell competed in the under-18 national championships in St. Andrews, N.B., several months back. It was considered a learning experience for three of the four athletes who had yet to compete outside of Atlantic Canada. The tournament proved to be worth its weight in gold as it showcased a few Canada Games teams from other provinces who Team P.E.I. will likely face this February.
The final pre-Games competition before Red Deer will take place Jan. 11 and 12 as the Maritime provinces will face off on the mainland. It will be a great time to work out any kinks and set the tone for the big Games that lay ahead.
It may have been 27 years ago, but that bronze medal showed that a small province like P.E.I. can compete with the nation’s best. It will no doubt be on the mind of Team Schut as they approach the biggest competition in their careers.
For more information on Team P.E.I. and the 2019 Canada Winter Games, stay tuned for our Countdown to the Games articles and be sure to follow Team P.E.I. on Facebook and Twitter.
#IsleBeReady

Click to read this story in The Guardian

Jared Murphy is a sport co-ordinator with Sport P.E.I. and will be assistant chef de mission for Team P.E.I. during Week 2 of the 2019 Canada Games.

February 23 is Curling Day in Canada! Join us in celebrating our great sport by showcasing the game, the incredible people and our curling rinks that are key parts of the community:

Visit www.curlingdayincanada.ca for complete info and follow hashtag  #curlingdayincanada on social media.
 
Why

To celebrate the great sport of curling across our country by showcasing the game, the incredible people and our curling rinks that are key parts of the community.

• To raise awareness, tell our story about being inclusive – anyone can play regardless of age or ability!
• To tell the story of the interesting things that happen every day in all rinks across Canada!
• Let’s also have some fun with one big game of curling including scores from every rink in Canada!

Canada-wide curling game

Through a Canada-wide curling game, clubs will have the chance to win a $10,000 grant for their club; separately each curling story (see below) submitted by a club will earn the club a ballot in a draw for a visit from the Tankard trophy, accompanied by three-time Brier Champions Nolan Thiessen and Jeff Stoughton!

We want to hear the interesting stories about curling rinks and the people who curl!

CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The Pepsi Provincial Junior Men’s and Junior Women’s Curling Championships take place at the Charlottetown Curling Complex, Dec. 27-30, with six junior women’s and four junior men’s teams eyeing a trip to the nationals.

There will be new winning skips this year, as reigning P.E.I. junior women’s champ Lauren Lenentine is now curling on the defending world junior championship Kaitlyn Jones rink out of Halifax, with Breanne Burgoyne and Rachel O’Connor from last year’s team now curling with skip Annika Kelly, while last year’s junior men’s champion skip Alex MacFadyen has moved to second stone, and is on the foursome skipped by three-time P.E.I. junior champ Tyler Smith.

Last year’s junior women’s runner-up team, and 2019 Canada Games girls’ team, skipped by Lauren Ferguson, is back in its entirety, while Mitchell Schut, skip of last year’s runner-up junior men’s squad and the 2019 Canada Games boys’ team, is back as fifth player on his brother Devin Schut’s team.

Lauren Ferguson

All six junior women’s contenders, including the Kelly and Ferguson teams, along with the Sydney Howatt team, with Sierra Clyke calling the game and Howatt throwing skip stones, plus the Clara Jack, Rachel MacLean, and Emily Sanderson rinks are from the Cornwall Curling Club, while the Tyler Smith and Chase MacMillan junior men’s teams are from the Charlottetown Curling Complex, the Braydon Snow team is from the Silver Fox in Summerside, and the Devin Schut rink curls out of Cornwall.

Click for the full story in The Guardian

The annual Kenmac Energy Mixed Funspiel takes place the evening of Friday, January 11, and all day on Saturday the 12th at the Cornwall Curling Club, and is open to Club members, members of other clubs, and to non-members.

Team and single entry on a first come first served basis. Sign up early as this event fills up fast!

Sign up on the sheet at the Club, or email the Club at cornwallcurling@eastlink.ca to get your team or name added.

Skip and Mate MUST be of opposite sex. 

Each team plays three games of six ends.

Entry fee is $30.00 per person or $120/team.

Join us for a great weekend of curling!

Food and entertainment:

Friday Night Mussels and Dance with Just Cuz after Curling!

Saturday morning coffee and muffins

Saturday Lunch: Pizza

Saturday Evening Banquet

This annual bonspiel is sponsored by KENMAC ENERGY, proud to be Prince Edward Island’s only locally owned and operated Heating Oil and Propane Delivery Company. They have a full service department and a local office to provide you with the exceptional service Islanders have known and trusted since 1986.

The annual WPG Jim Sullivan Curling Classic wrapped up Sunday afternoon at the Thistle St. Andrews Curling Club in Saint John NB, with PEI’s Suzanne Birt rink and Nova Scotia’s Kendal Thompson team taking the top cash prizes back to their home provinces. 

File photo of Team Birt (L-R): Michelle McQuaid, Meaghan Hughes, Suzanne Birt, Marie Christianson

Birt beat New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford team 6-4 in the final, scoring three of those points in the final two ends while Thompson edged defending champ Jamie Murphy, also from Halifax, by an 8-7 score, fighting back from a 7-4 deficit by taking four points in the final two ends.

PEI’s Veronica Smith team, runners-up last year, went undefeated in the round robin and won their quarter-final, but lost in the semi-finals to Birt by an 8-6 score, when Birt stole the eighth end to tie the game and then stole a deuce in the extra end for the win.

The Melissa Morrow foursome from Summerside, runners-up in last season’s PEI Travelers Curling Club Championship, was the third PEI team in the event, finishing just out of the playoffs with a 2-2 win-loss record.

18 teams (none from PEI) took part in the men’s event with the following prize structure:
Total Prize Purse: $15,300
1st Place – $5,000
2nd Place – $3,300
Semi-finalists – $1,500
Quarter-finalists – $1,000

The women’s prize structure was based on 10 teams, but it was expanded to include 15, and the updated prize structure has not been provided.

Suzanne Birt won the “Battle of PEI” over last year’s event runner-up Veronica Smith in semi-final play this afternoon at the WFG Jim Sullivan Curling Classic in Saint John, and will face Fredericton’s Andrea Crawford in the 3:30 pm final.

Cornwall’s Veronica Smith rink, who were last year’s runners-up, and went through round robin play undefeated, will be playing another PEI team, skipped by Suzanne Birt, in the noon semi-finals of the WFG Jim Sullivan Curling Classic, which wraps up today in Saint John. Birt had only one loss in the round robin, 7-1 to Smith.

In this morning’s quarter-finals, Smith beat Justine Comeau of Fredericton 7-4, while Birt got by Cathlia Ward, now playing in Newfoundland and Labrador, 6-4. Last year’s winner, Sylvie Robichaud from Moncton, lost in the quarters, 7-4 to Erica Cluff of Fredericton, who stole a triple in the 7th end, so there will be a new champion this year. Andrea Crawford of Fredericton stole two in an extra to get by Sarah Mallais of Saint John to capture the final spot in the semis.

Live results: http://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=5358&eventtypeid=82&view=Scores#1

No PEI teams are entered in the men’s section. 

The finals are at 3:30 pm.

Three games have been completed in the best of five Canada Games Finals here in Cornwall for both the girls’ and boys’ divisions, with Cornwall’s Lauren Ferguson rink leading the girl’s series two games to one over their clubmates, the Sydney Howatt squad, and Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut  team leading the boy’s series, also two games to one, over Charlottetown’s Chase MacMillan foursome. This means that a win in either game on Sunday, at 10 am and 3:30 pm, would send the Ferguson or Schut teams to the Canada Games in Red Deer, while Howatt and MacMillan would have to win both of their games.

(L-R) Lexie Murray, Lauren Ferguson, and Alexis Burris 

(L-R): Liam Barbrick, Chase MacMillan, Davis Nicholson

In Draw Two on Saturday morning, Team Ferguson moved to 2-0 on the girls’ side with a 4-3 win over Team Howatt while teams MacMillan and Schut were tied at a game apiece on the boy’s side following an 8-4 win by the Chase MacMillan team. 

Both games came down to exciting finishes in Draw Three on Saturday afternoon.

Photo (L-R): Meghan Sherren, Sydney Howatt, and Madelyn Cantwell from Team Howatt

The Sydney Howatt team, with Howatt throwing final stones, and Sierra Clyke calling the game, was tied 5-5 after eight ends, with last rock advantage in the final end going to the Lauren Ferguson rink, who had a 2-0 lead in the series and would have advanced to the Canada Games in Red Deer with a win.  However, Howatt stole the end, for a 6-5 final score forcing game four on Sunday morning.

Photo (L-R): Mitchell Schut, Liam Kelly, Colin MacKenzie

The boys’ game, with the series tied 1-all, was also close, with the Chase MacMillan team, hot off a morning win over the Schut squad, leading 3-2 after six ends. Schut blanked the seventh to have hammer coming home, and took the win with a three-point eighth end and a 5-3 final score.

Click for a photo gallery from draw two.

The two teams who finished the PEI Canada Games Trials #1 in first place have won their openers at the Canada Games Qualifier Finals here at the Cornwall Curling Club, with Cornwall’s Mitchell Schut rink beating Charlottetown’s Chase MacMillan team 6-2 in the first game of the boys’ best of five series, and the Lauren Ferguson team beating their Cornwall clubmates the Sydney Howatt rink by a 3-1 score in the girls’. Game two in each series goes at 10 am Saturday, with Game three going at 2 pm. Games four and five, if necessary, go Sunday at 10 am and, if needed, 3:30 pm. The winning teams advance to the Canada Winter Games in Red Deer Alberta, February 15 until March 3, 2019.

 (Skip-lead L-R): Mitchell Schut, Nick Johnston, Liam Kelly, Colin MacKenzie, Coach Lori Robinson

(Skip-lead L-R): David MacFadyen (coach), Chase MacMillan, Jack MacFadyen, Liam Barbrick, Davis Nicholson

Team Schut got off to a fast start in their game, using last-rock advantage to score four points in the first end, and then stealing a single in the second. MacMillan took singles in the next two ends to narrow the gap to 5-2 at the fourth end break. Schut was kept to a single in the fifth, with MacMillan blanking the next two ends to keep last rock advantage, but running out of rocks in the eighth.

(Skip-lead L-R): Lauren Ferguson, Katie Shaw, Alexis Burris, Lexie Murray
Back Row: David Murphy (coach)

(L-R): Sierra Clyke (calls the game, throws third), Sydney Howatt (throws fourth), Meghan Sherren (second), Madelyn Cantwell (lead), A.J. Campbell (coach)

The Howatt rink had opening hammer, blanking the first two ends, but Ferguson stole the third and fourth ends to lead 2-0 at the half. The teams traded singles in the fifth and sixth, and blanked the seventh, but Ferguson, leading 3-1 coming home, did not have to throw her final rock.

Event website: http://peicurling.com/canadagamesfinals/

End by end results at:  http://peicurling.com/scoreboard/#!/competitions/4285

Here is the Best of Five Draw and Schedule:

There are no PEI rinks in the 18 team, $15,300 total purse men’s section, but three Island teams, including Cornwall’s Veronica Smith rink who made it to the event finals last year, are competing in the 15 team, $5000 total purse women’s division at the Jim Sullivan Curling Classic, Dec. 7-9 at the Thistle St. Andrew’s club in Saint John NB.  The other PEI rinks entered are the Suzanne Birt team from Charlottetown, plus the Melissa Morrow rink from Summerside, who were finalists at the PEI Travelers Curling Club Championship last season.

Live results at: http://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?eventid=5358&view=Scores

A special general meeting was held at the Cornwall Curling Club on Tuesday, Dec 4, 2018 to discuss a proposed change to bylaw 2.4.8. Thirty-seven members were present to vote on the proposed changes and it was a unanimous vote in favor of the change.  The new bylaw 2.4.8 will read –  

The Cornwall Curling Club is hosting a Junior Funspiel on Saturday February 9 for curlers in the Under 13 age category. Cost is $10 per person. RSVP by January 11 to Kellie-Lynn Younker at younkerkl01@hotmail.com

Entry is limited to 16 teams and the event includes pizza, trivia, prizes, and guarantees two four-end games.

JUNIOR DEVELOPMENT CURLING TOUR

FIRST TWO STOPS:

1 PM, SATURDAY, JANUARY 5 @ Cornwall Curling Club
Speaker Topics: Forming a Curling Team and What Curling has Meant to Us

and

1 PM, SUNDAY, JANUARY 20 @ Crapaud Community Curling Club
Speaker Topics: Basic Rules and Etiquette

The Junior Development Curling Tour is designed for non-competitive or newly-competitive junior curlers who were born on or after July 1, 2004.

Each team will play (at least) one game at each stop. In addition to the games played there will be a guest speaker covering topics relevant to new curlers, coaches, and/or parents.

Registration is $50 per Team per Tour Date.
Contact Amy Duncan at 902-368-4208 or aduncan@sportpei.pe.ca for more information, or visit https://pe.curling.io/ to register

A Big Thank You to our Sponsor

The Sylvie Robichaud rink from Curl Moncton stole four points in the 7th end to clinch a 9-2 win against PEI’s Suzanne Birt foursome in this afternoon’s final of the 15 team, $13,000 purse Tim Hortons Spitfire Arms Cash Spiel at the Windsor NS Curling Club.

The Tim Hortons Spitfire Arms Women’s Cashspiel is taking place this weekend at the Windsor Curling Club in Windsor Nova Scotia.

Team Smith (Caley Joy Photography) 

Three PEI women’s teams are taking part, skipped by Suzanne Birt, Sarah Fullerton, and Cornwall’s Veronica Smith. Cornwall’s Lauren Lenentine is also participating, on the World Junior Championship team skipped by Kaitlyn Jones, out of Halifax. After Friday play, Birt and Smith are both 2-0 in their pools, with Jones 1-1 and Fullerton 0-2. Twenty teams in four pools, with one team from Toronto and the rest from around the Maritimes, are in the event, which has a $13,000 purse. The final goes Sunday at 2 pm.

Live results at: http://www.curlingzone.com/event.php?view=Scores&eventid=5363