Round robin wraps up on Day 4 of The Dominion Curling Club Championship

On the final day of round-robin play at The Dominion Curling Club Championships in Thunder Bay, Ont., men’s and women’s teams battled for a spot in the playoffs. Draw 11 – Final chances On Thursday morning, NS dominated NU from the start, taking three, one and two in the first three ends respectively. A missed draw in the fourth end had the NU men down 6-0; they took two in the last ends for a final score of 8-2 for NS. BC and NB were evenly matched, trading singles in the first two ends. In the third, NB stole two after BC’s draw was pushed off the button. In the sixth, BC took two to tie the game – and one more in eighth to do the same and force an extra end. On their last rock, it was down to the NB skip to make it or break it: he took one, and they inched a win over BC 6-5. The AB men showed up to win, taking NT in six ends. A score of 9-1 was on the boards after a dominating fourth end from AB. They took six when NT’s last rock picked and rolled on a guard. The final score was 11-2. From the live-streamed sheet, the ON and PE game also ended after six ends. After a blanked first end, Ontario took three in the second and four in the sixth. Handshakes and a final score of 8-2 for ON. QC and NL traded deuces in the first two ends, with officials called to the ice multiple times to address rock movement and confusion around each team’s rock colour. Tied 4-4 after five ends, NL scored singles in the three final ends to take it 7-4. The YT and NO game started off with a bang. Tied 3-3 after five ends, YT stole three in the sixth after the NO attempt to take three receded on a guard. In the eighth end, the YT skip’s rock hit and stuck while the NO skip saw his last rock wreck on a guard. Final score was 7-5 for YK.
Northwest Territories women in action on Day 4 of The Dominion Curling Club Championship in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Photo Anil Mungal)

Northwest Territories women in action on Day 4 of The Dominion Curling Club Championship in Thunder Bay, Ont. (Photo Anil Mungal)

Draw 12 – Steal after steal The NU and NS women traded singles in the first ends of their game, with NS pulling ahead and scoring singles in the third and fourth ends, and doubles in the fifth and sixth. The final score was 7-1 for NS after six ends. BC and NB battled it out on sheet two, with the competition heating up in the fourth end when the NB skip drew and tapped the rock for three. Final score was 7-4 for NB. The NT women were up 3-1 after the fourth, countered when AB took three in the fifth. NT responded with one in the sixth to tie it up. Tied heading into the final end, AB’s final rock wrecked and NT stole one to take the game 5-4. ON overtook PE, with steals in the second and third end leaving the score 5-1 after the break. PE took four in the fifth and two in the sixth, leading to handshakes after the sixth, on a final score of 11-1. QC and NL also finished with a score of 11-1 after six ends, after a dominating game was played by the QC women. Sheet six saw YK take on NO. At the fourth end break, NO was up 2-0. YK had a tremendous fifth end. After NO came up just short in the sixth and seventh end, YK surpassed them taking one in each. Final score was 5-2 for YK. Draw 13 – Heading to a tie-breaker In a battle of teams with semi-final aspirations, ON faced off against SK. They traded points until SK took the lead with an angle raise to steal and go ahead 5-4. A timely triple by SK in the middle of the eighth end eliminated all of the ON rocks. SK drew buried, ON followed light and SK drew in a second counter for a 6-5 win. The NB men entered their game against NT riding a two-game winning streak. NT stole in the eighth end to force the extra end. NB’s skip came deep to the back four foot with his first rock. Attempting the freeze, NT skip’s attempt was light and NB did not have to throw their last rock. Final score for NB, 5-4. NO controlled BC early with a 6-1 lead after six ends. BC countered with four points in the seventh end to pull within one. In a surprising move, NO’s skip elected to play a double takeout with his last rock. He made a beautiful shot! NO wins 8 – 5. The rematch of last year’s championship final between AB and MB lacked the expected fireworks. The AB men closed out with an 8-4 win, breaking open game with three in the fifth end and clinching first place in the Grey Pool. NL came up big in their eastern showdown against PE, winning 7-3. NL needed the win to guarantee a tiebreaker, taking three in the sixth end to go up 4-2, and then stealing points in the final two ends for the win. NS guaranteed their spot in the semi-final after beating QC 6-4. NS got off to a fast start with three in the first end, but would need late game steals in the sixth and seventh ends to stay on top.
Ontario vs. Saskatchewan in men's action on Day 4 (Photo Anil Mungal)

Ontario vs. Saskatchewan in men’s action on Day 4 (Photo Anil Mungal)

Draw 14 – Playoffs clinched The ON/SK match-up was a showdown between undefeated teams. SK set the tone early, scoring three points in the first end and a deuce in the third. ON missed an opportunity in the fourth end when their final draw attempt went through the house and they gave up a steal of two. SK scored two in the seventh end after a measure to take a 9-4 lead and then it was handshake time. Perhaps these teams will meet again in the play-offs? Another undefeated team, MB, was in action against AB. MB had a commanding 7-2 lead after five ends. Give AB credit: they refused to quit and mounted a huge comeback. In the eighth end, MB had the hammer and a two-point lead but didn’t keep it clean. When it came time for MB’s skip to throw her last rock, she was facing three AB stones in the house. Her draw was heavy and MB conceded two points. In an extra end, AB’s skips last rock wrecked on a guard and MB did not have to deliver their final stone. Winner of the team (and the semi-final spot) was MB, 9-7. After playing five games with PE, does Corie Adamson of Thunder Bay become an honourary islander? NL and PE traded deuces in the first two ends. PE cracked a big four points in the fifth end and rolled to an 8-4 victory. NT defeated NB 9-3 thanks in large part to three enders scored in the second and seventh ends. NS dominated QC from start to finish on their way to a 8-1 victory, and BC prevailed over NO 7-4. 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 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