Lots of action on Day 2 of The Dominion Curling Club Championship

The second day at The Dominion Curling Club Championship provided lots of action in both women’s and men’s draws Men’s Draw 3 – The ‘Sou’Wester Wave’ Team BC rolled to a 7-3 win over Manitoba thanks in large part to a big steal of three points in the fifth end.  Teams AB and SK stole their way to wins over YK and QC respectively: Alberta finished 6-2 over Yukon and Saskatchewan defeated Quebec 7 to 2. NB forced an extra end in their game against NO – taking two points to tie it up in the eighth.  It was an exciting ninth end: with a NO rock on the back of the four foot, NB drew and corner froze to the NO rock for shot.  Not to be outdone, NO cleanly picked out the NB stone. NB opted to play a tap on the shot rock but came up light and wrecked on the guards up front. Final was for NO, 7-6. ON stole four in the eighth for a decisive 11-6 win when the NU skip’s draw through a port came up light. Sporting yellow sou’westers caps and waving Nova Scotia flags, the NS women sitting behind the glass performed the ‘Sou’Wester Wave’ during the seventh end in support of their province’s men’s team. Unfortunately it wasn’t enough to turn the tide, as NL picked up three and ran NS out of rocks in the eighth. The final score was 9-6 for NL. Women’s Draw 4 – Decisive Wins The SK women stole the afternoon away from QC with a 10-2 victory after six ends.  MB took a decisive lead in the fourth end, scoring three against BC: The final score for their win was 8-2. NO pulled ahead of NB in the seventh end with a draw to the four foot for a fourth point – after NB played a hit and their rock rolled out of the house. In the eighth end and up by three, NO had a rock on the back of the four foot partially buried by guards out front. After team discussion, NB tried to draw in but was wrecked on a guard and bumped NO into the house for another counter. Final score was 9-4. ON won over NU 11-4, with four points in the eighth after the NU skip’s draw was heavy. YT hit for three in the first end and maintained their lead for a 7-3 win, with handshakes after seven ends. It was a nail biter on sheet six, with NS taking NL by just a single point. The final score was 7-6. Men’s Draw 5 – The MB Upset NO men capped a two-win day, literally stealing a 5-4 victory from the defending AB Champions in the men’s third draw. NO watched as AB’s last rock clipped a guard and left the NO squad a steal of two for the win. It was a disappointing end for the previously unbeaten AB men who had controlled the first half of the game. BC’s rink gained sole possession of first place in the blue pool at 2-0 chalking up an 8-2 seventh-end decision over NT. It was one of three games that ended 8-2 in Draw 5. SK posted a similar 8-2 result over NU; SK took control early: Holding a 6-0 edge through four ends enroute to their third straight win – good for top spot in the Grey Pool. NS surprised ON’s Brent Gray 8-2 for what was their first win, and the first loss for ON. NS held control early, 5-1 after four ends with the teams shaking hands when the Bluenosers took 3 more in the sixth. It was a much tighter contest between PE and QC, with the Islanders stealing an extra end to make it 6-5.  In a big upset, YT handed last year’s runner up MB rink their second loss of the day, 5-3 the final. YT with the hammer in the eighth did not have to throw their last rock when MB’s final stone rolled out in a hit and roll attempt looking for a steal to tie the game. Women’s Draw 6 – The Reluctant Skip When PE vice Kim Ellsworth was faced with the prospect of needing to skip her team due to their skipper Sharon Horne being ill, it was a job she didn’t want. She even approached officials to see if a spare could fill the role. However, the rules state subs can only play lead. Well, after two games, it turns out Ellsworth is a pretty good skip! PE brought a 1-0 record into draw six where QC controlled early, but PE fought back to force an extra end. QC sealed the victory in the ninth end when Ellsworth’s draw came up just a little short. The NO women entered draw six looking to stay on a roll after picking up their first win Tuesday morning.  Their game versus AB was a defensive battle early on, with the first three ends being blanked. Missed hits cost NO in this game, particularly in the fourth end. Skip Kathie Jackson, whose father Rob Sinclair is a past President of the FWCC, had an opportunity with last rock in the eighth end to tie the game but her draw crashed on a guard. In other action, ON improved to 3-0 with a 6-4 victory over NS. Not to be outdone, SK also stayed undefeated with a 10-3 win over NU in 7 ends. In a face-off between undefeated teams, MB scored a 9-2 victory over YT. Meanwhile, BC evened their record at 1-1 with a win over NT by a 6-4 score. Live scoring can be viewed www.curling.ca/scoreboard/ About The Dominion Curling Club Championship: The Dominion Curling Club Championship is an annual event for men’s and women’s curling teams who have won their respective local club championships. Winning teams from each club play down to produce a provincial/territorial champion from all ten provinces and three territories, plus a separate entry for Northern Ontario, who will then compete at the national level. The event raises funds in support of Spinal Cord Injury (SCI). Their mission is to assist persons with spinal cord injuries and other physical disabilities achieve independence, self-reliance and full community participation. Over the past four years, the event has raised over $300,000 for SCI chapters across Canada and wheelchair curling. To learn more, visit thedominioncurls.ca