ST. JOHN’S SUPER CURLING LEAGUE

With two postponements and a pre-play, there was a small crowd of spectators at the RE/MAX Centre for the Super League games this week.   The least likely game to entertain (on paper) ended up as the gem-of-the-night.   This was the Ice #3 encounter between the newly crowned Provincial Men’s Champion and the team in 15th place — the youngest team by far entered in Super League this season.   It was fitting that this game had more than a dozen of the approximately 20 followers in the Building.   Below are the scores and highlights for the Draw #15 games:

ICE #1:     Team Heather Strong vs. In the Box Media Promotions / Narrows 61 (skipped by Stacie Curtis) was postponed at the request of the Curtis foursome.

ICE #2:     Coastal Chiropractic (skipped by Matthew Smith) made a wide outturn draw with hammer for a pair in the 3rd end to tie the score 3-3 against Team A. Harvey (skipped by Glenn Goss).   The veterans countered with the next six points.   A pivotal point was the first steal of the game in the 5th end when Smith hit against 3 counters and the opposition scored a single after a measure.   A 3-count in the 6th end put the “W” and a 9-3 victory on the board for Team A. Harvey.   With 15 losses between them, both these teams are finishing out the schedule playing for the “small money”.

ICE #3:  Team Nathan Young seemed inspired playing against ASHAM (skipped by Greg Smith), the Team they watched on Sunday afternoon win the Provincial Men’s Championship and become Team NL for the Tim Horton’s Brier in Regina next month.   The juniors had great weight control and got all the right rubs and lapped guards early in the game —- they stole a pair in the first end (Smith was hoping for a long double or triple takeout with his hammer), and they led 4-1 after 3 ends.   Set up by a double raise takeout by third, Matthew Hunt, in the 4th end, ASHAM scored 3 to tie the game at the half (Smith made a pretty hit-and-roll to the button with his hammer).   After a blank in the 5th end, the teams traded taps in the 4-foot in the 6th; although the Young foursome scored a single to re-take the lead, ASHAM was now getting the better rubs, rolls, and guards.   Smith, with hammer in the 7th end, scored a pair on an open hit.   In the final end with hammer and needing a single to send the thriller to an extra end, Young attempted to use “drag-effect” on two stones at the top of the 12-foot ring, but they struck the target stone on the wrong side sending the potential tying stone harmlessly through the rings.   ASHAM scored another for a 7-5 win giving them a 5-5 record; one of 3 teams with just 5 losses and with a possibility of making a playoff tie-breaker.

ICE #4:      Pepsi (skipped by Rick Rowsell) and makethecall.ca (skipped by Colin Thomas) pre-played their game in advance of the Men’s Provincial.   The younger team prevailed by a 6-4 score in a game that went down to the last rock.   The win put the Thomas foursome back into first place; tied with 9 wins and 2 losses.   They play head-to-head in Draw #17.   The loss by the Rowsell foursome puts them at 6-5 and two games down in the lost column from a playoff position; another of the three teams with just 5 losses and with a possibility of making a playoff tie-breaker.

ICE #5:    Team Mark Noseworthy played short with two junior spares and Alex Smith throwing last rocks for their game against Ches’s Fish & Chips (skipped by Greg Blyde).   Although the team of veterans was reduced to an average age near that of their competition, the combination clicked and held a 6-0 lead after 3 ends despite not having hammer until the 5th end.   In the 4th end, Blyde made a short tap to the button for a pair, but Smith took back the pair in the 5th end despite completely missing an open hit for four (his rock overcurled).   The final score was 8-2.   With 13 losses between them, both these teams also are finishing out the schedule playing for the “small money”.   Could Ches’s Fish & Chips have had something else on their minds?   They also played short (did one player have University commitments?) and they are driving this morning to Fredericton to represent MUN in the Atlantic U-Sport Championship (won coincidentally on three occasions — 1986, 1987, & 1990 — by MUN teams skipped by Alex Smith when it was the AUAA Championship).

ICE #6:     McInnes Cooper / Power Conditioning Inc. (skipped by Trent Skanes) and third place Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy (skipped by Andrew Symonds) also postponed their game.

The teams that had the bye this week were Fun ‘N’ Fast (skipped by Adam Boland), Team Paul Harvey, and Canadian Tire (skipped by Kelli Turpin).

Standings (with 80 of 105 games now played):

9 – 2     Fun ‘N’ Fast (skipped by Adam Boland)

9 – 2     makethecall.ca (skipped by Colin Thomas)

7 – 2     Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy (skipped by Andrew Symonds)

8 – 3     Team Paul Harvey

6 – 5 Pepsi (skipped by Rick Rowsell)

6 – 5     In the Box Media Promotions / Narrows 61 (skipped by Stacie Curtis)

6 – 6     Team Mark Noseworthy

5 – 5     ASHAM (skipped by Greg Smith)

6 – 7     McInnes Cooper / Power Conditioning Inc. (skipped by) Trent Skanes

4 – 6     Canadian Tire (skipped by Kelli Turpin)

4 – 7     Team A. Harvey (skipped by Glenn Goss)

3 – 7     Ches’s Fish & Chips (skipped by Greg Blyde)

3 – 7     Team Heather Strong

2 – 8     Coastal Chiropractic (skipped by Matthew Smith)

2 – 8     Team Nathan Young