PEI women through to round robin at Canadian Seniors

It’s a bright, sunny but cold day in Yellowknife on the first full day of spring. Action at the Yellowknife Curling Centre is heating up as two games are played in the pre-qualifying portion of the Canadian Senior Curling Championships. In the women’s game, Ontario’s Marilyn Bodogh and Prince Edward Island’s Jennifer Scott crossed swords with this prize on the line: the first of two spots in the championship round robin. But the battle was short-lived as the east coast islanders kept the pressure on the squad from Upper Canada from the start. At the conclusion of the eighth end, with PEI leading 9-4, handshakes were in order. The men’s game followed much the same format with the foursome from Sudbury, representing the Northern Ontario Curling Association and skipped by Robbie Gordon, scoring repeatedly in the initial early ends leading to a 7-1 victory over Nunavut’s Ed Sattelbrger. That sets the scene for the final draw of the pre-qualification round of the championship. Playing for the second spot in the event, Bodogh and Team Ontario will meet up with Nunavut’s Beverly Ford from Rankin Inlet, and the Team Newfoundland & Labrador’s Lorne Henderson will share the ice with Team Northern Ontario’s Gordon. Full round robin play will commence Saturday. Teams not competing in the pre-qualification portion of the championship will use the day in pre-event practice at both the arena and later in the afternoon at the curling facility. 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. (Story by Bill Tschirhart)