Cochrane and Anderson win gold at 2018 Everest Canadian seniors

Ontario’s Bryan Cochrane and Saskatchewan’s Sherry Anderson are wearing gold medals after the finals of the 2018 Everest Canadian Seniors wrapped up on the ice of The Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, Ontario today. Saskatoon’s Anderson, who defended her 2017 championship title along with her Nutana Curling Club team of third Patty Hersikorn, second Brenda Goertzen and lead Anita Silvernagle, started the game safely with two opening blank ends against Mary Mattatall of Nova Scotia. In the third, Mattatall and her team of Margaret Cutcliffe, Jill Alcoe-Holland and Andrea Saulnier went on the offensive and put rocks into play, scoring four points. Anderson managed to rebound with two in the fourth and stole the next three ends to lead 6-4 after seven. Mattatall fought back and scored a deuce in the eighth to force the extra, but Anderson used hammer to her advantage to score a single winning point and claim the national championship for the second year in a row. In the men’s low-scoring final, Bryan Cochrane, with third Ian MacAulay, second Morgan Currie and lead Ken Sullivan of the Russell Curling Club in Russell, Ont., traded single points for seven ends with New Brunswick’s Terry Odishaw (third Mike Kennedy, second Marc Lecocq and lead Grant Odishaw) of the Curl Moncton Club in Moncton, N.B. Leading 3-2 heading into the eighth, Cochrane left Odishaw a circus shot to score on his last rock and stole two points for the 5-2 win and championship title. “It was a crazy game,” said Cochrane. “Ice was really fast and we couldn’t let the adrenaline get to us. New Brunswick was really playing well and every end was a battle, but the team hung in there.” “We didn’t get the job finished in Lethbridge two years ago, so we’re looking forward to redemption,” said Cochrane, the 2016 Canadian champion who lost the final to Sweden at the worlds in 2017. “We’ll prepare differently and look forward to representing Canada again.” In the men’s bronze medal final, Northern Ontario’s Al Hackner, with third Eric Harnden Sr., second Frank Morrisette and lead Gary Champagne of Fort William Curling Club, won the bronze medal after defeating Quebec’s Ted Butler, 7-5. Butler, backed by his team of third Rick Faguy, second Jean-Pierre Croteau and lead Michel Laroche of the Buckingham Curling Club were tied after six ends of play and picked up a steal of one in the seventh, leaving last rock to Hackner coming home. Needing two to seal the win, Hackner made the open hit for two and the bronze medal. In the women’s bronze medal game, Ontario’s Colleen Madonia (third Karri-Lee Grant, second Christine Loube and lead Jane Hooper-Perroud of the Thornhill Curling Club captured the bronze with a 9-3 win over British Columbia’s Lynne Noble (third Penny Shantz, second Colleen Robson and lead Kathy Branch of the Qualicum, Parksville, Comox, Langley and Cloverdale Curling Clubs). Madonia took a 5-0 lead after three ends and never looked back. Cochrane and Anderson will represent Canada in the 2019 World Seniors, at a site and date to be announced by the World Curling Federation. The World Seniors officially began in 2002. Canada has won a leading nine men’s and eleven women’s titles. Since 2005, the winners of the Canadian Seniors have represented Canada in the following year’s World Seniors. Thus, last year’s winners — Alberta’s Wade White and Saskatchewan’s Sherry Anderson — will wear the Maple Leaf in the 2018 World Seniors, April 21-28 at Östersund, Sweden. All draw results for the 2018 Canadian Seniors can be found at www.curling.ca. For event information, visit https://www.curling.ca/2018seniors.