PEI Men, NB Women, win Atlantic Under 18 Curling Championships

PEI’s Alex Matters rink wins Under 18 Men’s

The PEI rink of Alex Matters, Chris Gallant, Kyle Holland, and Andrew Cameron, with coaches Peter Gallant and Derrick Cameron, who curl out of the host Charlottetown Curling Club, scored four points in the first end on the way to a 9-3 victory over the Jordan Craft rink of the Thistle St. Andrews club in Saint John New Brunswick to win Sunday afternoon’s men’s final of the Atlantic 18 and Under curling championship, presented by Sylvan Learning. Gallant throws fourth rocks for the team, with Matters calling the game. Other members of the runner-up Craft team are Andrew O’Dell, Joey Gregan, and Ryan Freeze, with coach Joanne Freeze. Both teams finished round robin play with 3-1 records. with Matters finishing in first place in the round robin by virtue of their 6-5 win over Craft in the opening draw.

Photo (L-R): Andrew Cameron, Kyle Holland, Alex Matters, Chris Gallant, Derrick Cameron (coach), Peter Gallant (coach)

In the men’s consolation final, Newfoundland and Labrador’s Stephen Trickett rink from the St. John’s Curling Club beat the PEI Host team, skipped by Jeffrey Taylor from the Cornwall Curling Club, by a 5-2 score. Taylor finished third in the round robin with a 2-2 record, ahead of the Trickett rink, and Nova Scotia’s Jonathan Crouse foursome, skipped by Jonathan Crouse, who both had 1-3 records. The Trickett team beat the Crouse rink 10-3 in the final round robin draw, and advanced to the consolation final against Taylor. Playing with Trickett were Adam Boland, Ryan Kelly, and Zach Young, with coach Eugene Trickett. Rounding out the Taylor team are Alex Sutherland, Alex Jenkins, and Jonathan Schut, with coaches AJ Campbell and Bryan Sutherland.

New Brunswick’s Jessica Daigle team goes undefeated to win Under 18 Women’s

New Brunswick’s Thistle Saint Andrews club rink of Jessica Daigle, Natalie Menzies, Krista Flanagan, and Kaleigh Barry, with coach Allan Menzies, were trailing 4-1 after three ends, but fought back with triples in ends four and six as they edged the Emily Dwyer team from the Halifax Mayflower Curling Club by an 8-7 score this afternoon to win the women’s division. Completing the Dwyer rink are Amanda Colter, Katrina MacKinnon, and Laura Kennedy, with coach Marc Brophy. The New Brunswick rink went undefeated in the event, finishing the round robin with a perfect 4-0 record, while Nova Scotia went 3-1, losing 8-2 to New Brunswick in the opening round robin draw.

Photo (L-R): Kaleigh Barry, Krista Flanagan, Natalie Menzies, Jessica Daigle, Allan Menzies (coach),

The women’s consolation final was between the two Island rinks, Team PEI, the Amanda MacLean rink from O’Leary, who finished the round robin at 2-2, and the Veronica Smith Host Team foursome from Cornwall, who went 1-3 in round robin play, ahead of winless Newfoundland and Labrador. The Smith team, which includes Katie Fullerton, Sabrina Smith, and Chloe McCloskey, with coach Paul Smith, came out the winners, by a 6-4 score, stealing singles in three ends. Other members of the MacLean team are Kassinda Bulger, Emily Gray, and Aleya Quilty, with coaches Glen MacLean and Shelley Gray.

The top age 18 and Under teams from across Atlantic Canada, plus the PEI provincial runners-up, competing as the Host teams, took part in the annual championship, the location of which alternates annually between the four Atlantic provinces.