GAME 1: McInnes Cooper* 100 210 02 = 6
vs. Olson Curling Supplies 021 001 10 = 5 (make-up game from draw #13 played 10:45 Saturday)
With McInnes Cooper at 5-3 and Olson at 5-4, this game had significant playoff implications for both teams. It was a fiercely contested match, with the lead extending beyond a point only once. McInnes Cooper skip, Trent Skanes, drew for 1 against 3 in the first end. Olson Curling Supplies skip, Adam Boland, made a delicate double takeout for 2 (nearly 3) in the 2nd end. Evan Kearley, third for Boland, made a perfect freeze on the button in the third end for a steal.
After an open draw for a deuce in the fourth end by Skanes, Nick Lane, third for Skanes, returned the favour with a difficult come around freeze of his own in the 5th, securing a stolen point. After Boland scored a single in the sixth, Skanes faced another draw against 3 in the 7th, just managing to outcount two opposing stones to only give up a steal of 1. The highlight of the well-fought game was the winning shot by Skanes; down 5-4 and with two counters in the twelve foot, Skanes ran an opposing guard through a port of two other guards, removing shot rock off the four foot and spilling both opponent stones without touching either of his own counters, resulting in a deuce for the 6-5 win.
GAME #2: Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions 010 002 1x = 4
vs. Olson Curling Supplies* 202 120 0x = 7 (make-up game from draw #11 played 2:00 Saturday)
Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions had their 5-game winning streak come to an end last week. With just 4 losses going into the day, Olson Curling Supplies was still very much in the hunt for a playoff spot now occupied by their opposition. Which ever team loses will look back at this game as a squandered opportunity for the bigger dollars. The youthful foursome skipped by Adam Boland managed 3 deuces compared to one for the opposition; they also had one more stolen point. These factors were decisive in a 7-4 victory and enabled them to run Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions out of rocks in the 8th end.
The split on their day of makeup games left Olson Curling Supplies still out of a playoff position and dropped Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions into 5th place.
GAME #3: Colin Thomas Men’s Team 010 202 0X = 5
vs. McInnes Cooper* 501 010 1X = 8 (make-up game from draw #1 played 8:45 Monday)
McInnes Cooper needed this game to make the playoffs; Colin Thomas Men’s Team did not. The difference was the first end. Thomas crashed a guard on a comearound attempt, knocking an opposing stone into the rings enabling a draw for 5. After that, McInnes Cooper played a defensive game, conceding a couple of deuces and keeping the ends with hammer clean. There were no stolen points. With the score 7-3 in the 6th end, a comeback attempt was dealt a blow when skip, Trent Skanes, made good slash takeout to prevent Thomas from scoring 3 and keeping them at bay long enough to ride it home. It was a no-pressure chance for Colin Thomas to help his Father’s Team, Fun ‘N’ Fast, make it into the bigger dollars post roundrobin play, but the win gave McInnes Cooper a 7-3 record and moved them termporarily ahead of Fun ‘N’ Fast and into a second place tie.
ICE #2: Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions 000 200 1x = 3
vs. Colin Thomas Men’s Team* 002 021 0x = 5
Yes, this game had great importance. Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions entered the week in 4th place and a dog-fight to hold a playoff position. The defending champions, Colin Thomas Men’s Team, found themselves having to win a couple of their 3 remaining games to avoid a tie-breaker. The teams started cautiously with 2 blanks; then traded 3 deuces. The first came on a nose-hit triple-raise by Colin Thomas. The last saw Thomas open a 4-2 lead after 5 ends and came on a measure. The big break in the game came in a messy 6th end. When skip, Paul Harvey, went to throw his hammer, there were 6 rocks in the 4-foot circle with another 6 out front. His up-weight hit rolled in the right direction but needed to travel another inch to prevent a steal. Team Thomas kept the next two ends clean, and coasted to a 5-3 victory keeping them in playoff position at 8-3.
ICE #3: Rick Rowsell Men’s Team 010 100 x = 2
vs. Fun ‘N’ Fast* 101 024 x = 8
Yes, this centre-court feature game had even more importance. They traded singles for 4 ends; the last coming when Rowsell crashed on a hit for a pair. Fun ‘N’ Fast came back with a deuce to open a 4-2 score and blew the game open with a steal of 4 in the 6th end. It happened when Rowsell again crashed on a guard with a light-weight hit. It gave the first place team their second loss of the RE/MAX SuperLeague Season, it made the final score 8-2, and it crushed the hopes of the teams knocking on the door to a playoff spot or tie-breaker (a loss by Fun ‘N’ Fast would have been their best chance of advancing). Fun ‘N’ Fast is alone in 4th place at 7-3, but has an interesting assortment of teams left to play.
ICE #4: Carroll Investments 001 001 x = 2
vs. Team Strong* 120 310 x = 7
A 7-2 win by Team Strong leaves them at 6-5 and does not yet mathematically eliminate them from the playoffs. The big break came in this game in the 4th end with the women ahead 3-1. All end, outturns were being played around a guard 2 metres in front of the circles just left of the centre line. Third, Stephanie Guzzwell, made two precise freezes; but the juniors followed them down nicely. Strong, with her first stone threw her left-handed outturn around everything to rearrange rocks in the 4-foot circle. Opposing skip, Andrew Taylor had his last rock guard overcurl, and Strong made a quiet inturn hit for a 3-count and a 6-1 lead. In the 5th end, Taylor, with hammer, needed a double takeout for 3 of his own, but it undercurled and left a counter in the 4-foot circle for a steal. Carroll Investments counted with hammer in an uncomplicated 6th end when they decided that a comeback would not be in the cards on this occasion. They have an opportunity to play “giant-killer” in a makeup game against Fun ‘N’ Fast.
ICE #5: John Sheppard Men’s Team 020 000 0x = 2
vs. Stavanger Dental* 100 211 1x = 6
The Team Sheppard foursome led 2-1 playing the 4th end when opposing skip, Stephen Trickett, executed an angle raise takeout for a pair and a (3-2) lead that they would not relinquish. Stavanger Dental then proceeded to steal singles in the next 3 end; one when Matthew Hunt, who throws last stones for Sheppard, was a foot short of the button on a draw. The last (last straw) was on a measure in the 7th end making the final score 6-2. The win kept Stavanger Dental’s faint hope for a playoff position alive. Team Sheppard is the first team to finish their SuperLeague Season and will get about $100 for their round robin wins (the SuperLeague Committee is working on the playoff format and prize distribution particulars). It is on to the Men’s Provincial for them as the “Matthew Hunt foursome”.
ICE #6: Shelley Hardy Women’s Team 110 102 00 = 5
vs. McInnes Cooper* 002 030 23 = 10
Just when you thought you have seen it all?! What could be remarkably unusual about a 10-5 mens vs. womens game? It started in the first end when skip, Shelley Hardy was called away to help deal with a hockey injury that occurred at Mile One Stadium. The women played short-handed the rest of the way, so a 10-5 outcome against a powerfully sweeping men’s team near the top of the Standings would be predictable. However, the women (with Michelle Jewer skipping) led 3-2 playing the 5th end. Trent Skanes, McInnes Cooper skip, then made a hit through traffic for a 3-count and a 5-3 lead. The women tied it in the 6th end when Skanes jammed a hit and Jewer drew for a pair. In the 7th, there were 14 inturn come-arounds played and Skanes had to make an outturn raise with hammer to go ahead by two again. Skanes chipped out a counter with his last stone in the final end leaving Jewer looking at 3 opposing rocks in the circles and having to make “The Glen Howard Shot” (considered one of the 10 best shots made in curling) to send the game to an extra end. The 8 curlers on ice #2 stopped to watch. Her outturn raise made contact with two stones on the right side of the circles, but her shooter missed shot rock as it passed through the left side of the house. The McInnes Cooper foursome wins all 3 of their games this week and moved into a second place tie at 8-3. Accumulating all those make-up games making them a SuperLeague “dark-horse” turned out to be excellent strategy. This was another outcome that crushed the hopes of the teams knocking on the door to a playoff spot or tie-breaker.
STANDINGS (and W or L streak) after 75 of 91 GAMES:
8 – 2 1L Rick Rowsell Men’s Team
8 – 3 3W Trent Skanes (McInnes Cooper)
8 – 3 1W Colin Thomas Men’s Team
7 – 3 2W Jeff Thomas (Fun ‘N’ Fast)
6 – 4 1L Andrew Symonds (Therapeutic Services Physiotherapy)
6 – 5 1L Adam Boland (Olson Curling Supplies)
6 – 5 2W Team Strong
5 – 5 2W Stephen Trickett (Stavanger Dental)
5 – 5 2L Paul Harvey (Miller Lite / Platinum Business Solutions)
4 – 6 1L Stacie Curtis (Team Labatt)
4 – 7 1W Geoff Cunningham (Team A. Harvey)
3 – 8 7L Andrew Taylor (Carroll Investments)
3 – 10 1L John Sheppard Men’s Team
2 – 9 3L Shelley Hardy Women’s Team
