Final day of round robin in Yellowknife

The playoff picture continues to take shape as the round robin winds down at the 2014 Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Yellowknife, N.W.T. Draw 14 on Wednesday evening saw the front-runners continue to lead the pack, with Nova Scotia’s Alan O’Leary, Northern Ontario’s Robbie Gordon and Manitoba’s Kelly Robertson all winning on the men’s side, and Saskatchewan’s Lorraine Arguin and Manitoba’s Lois Fowler both scoring their eighth wins of the round robin on the women’s side to remain tied at the top and secure themselves a spot in the semifinals. While Arguin had a bye in the women’s Draw 15 on Thursday morning, Fowler climbed to a 9-1 record after stealing a single point in the final end to squeak by British Columbia’s Penny Shantz, 7-6.
Ontario skip Marilyn Bodogh watches her rock with sweepers Jane Hooper-Perroud and Colleen Madonia at the 2014 Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Yellowknife, N.W.T. (Photo James MacKenzie)

Ontario skip Marilyn Bodogh watches her rock with sweepers Jane Hooper-Perroud and Colleen Madonia at the 2014 Canadian Senior Curling Championships in Yellowknife, N.W.T. (Photo James MacKenzie)

In a crucial game on the women’s side, New Brunswick’s Heidi Hanlon and Ontario’s Marilyn Bodogh came into Draw 15 with matching 6-3 records, but Hanlon gave up a steal of two in the 10th on the way to an 8-5 Ontario victory. With a win in the final round robin game – against Northern Ontario’s Vicky Barrett (4-6) – Bodogh can reserve a spot in the semifinal. In other action Barrett stole four in the eighth to cruise to a 9-2 victory over Alberta’s Glenys Bakker, who now falls to 5-5, and Quebec’s Catherine Derick lost a 9-7 decision to Newfoundland and Labrador’s Cathy Cunningham. On the men’s side, Manitoba’s Kelly Robertson maintained his hold on second place in the standings after stealing seven points on the way to a 10-4 win over British Columbia’s Wes Craig 10-4. Robertson (8-2) and Nova Scotia’s O’Leary (8-1) are now assured of at least a tie-breaker. Alberta’s Mark Johnson crept up the standings, scoring an 8-4 win over Northern Ontario’s Robbie Gordon. Both teams now sit in third place with a 7-3 record. In other men’s games, Yukon’s George Hilderman blanked three ends and scored a single in the 10th for a 4-3 win over Quebec’s Denis Laflamme, and New Brunswick’s Mark Armstrong took three in the ninth for a 10-5 win over PEI’s Ted MacFadyen. The winners of the 2014 Canadian Seniors will represent Canada at the 2015 World Senior Curling Championships, at a site and date to be announced by the World Curling Federation. Last year’s Canadian champions, skipped by Colleen Pinkney of Truro, N.S., and Wayne Tallon of Fredericton, N.B., are competing in this year’s World Seniors, April 23-30 at Dumfries, Scotland. Since the World Seniors began in 2002, Canada has won eight men’s and nine women’s titles. Draw results for the 2014 Canadian Seniors will be instantly available at www.curling.ca. For information about the event, including team rosters and event schedules, visit www.curling.ca/2014seniors-en.