The last hurrah for the greatest curling rink ever assembled will be staged next weekend at the Players' Championship in Dawson Creek, B.C.
It will mark the end of an era for the Ferbey Four, as St. Albert Curling Club product Scott Pfeifer, last-shot thrower David Nedohin and lead Marcel Rocque take a year away from the game to focus on family and work commitments. Randy Ferbey, 50, will join former Olympic champion Brad Gushue's rink on the World Curling Tour circuit next season. The St. Albert businessman will call the game and throw third rocks. He doesn't plan to compete in the Newfoundland provincials with Gushue, but may form his own team for the 2011 Alberta playdowns.
Since their formation in 1999, the Ferbey Four has won five Alberta championships, four Briers and three world gold medals during a five-year period of domination. They were also recognized as the Alberta Curling Federation's Team of the Century.
Big wins in mixed
Doug McLennan's mixed rink swept their way into the semifinal qualifiers at the Tournament of Champions with a pair of short but sweet victories.
In Tuesday's lid-lifter at the Jasper Place Curling Club, McLennan's line-up of Alison Howes, Colin Jenkyns and Lauren Jenkyns (filling in for lead Ashley Ferguson) blasted the Avonair 8-2 in six ends. After the first end was blanked, the four-time reigning St. Albert Curling club champions and 2006 finalists stole three in two and never looked back.
Their next game in the 12-team double-knockout draw was Wednesday's 9-1 rout of the Derrick. McLennan counted three with the hammer in the first and in the next end stole two. The teams shook hands after McLennan scored four in the fourth end with a perfect hit and stick with last shot while lying two.
The Award Windows foursome is back on the ice Tuesday at 6 p.m. A victory would clinch a berth in Wednesday's semifinals at 8:45 p.m. The city final is Thursday at 7 p.m.
Last year they were eliminated in the semifinal qualifier. The previous three cities ended with losses in the semifinals.
Piper on the march
The shorthanded Kathy Piper rink was still strong enough to win its first game at the 19th annual women's Tournament of Champions at Jasper Place Curling Club.
With Jackie-Rae Greening unavailable for Wednesday's draw, the St. Albert team soldiered on to defeat Aimee Banting of Jasper Place 7-5. Picking up the slack for their missing spare was Nicole Bellamy and Laurie Schreiner.
Piper opened the scoring with one in the first with the hammer and a steal in two made it 2-0. Banting, who also curls on Doug Clayton's mixed team in St. Albert, replied with a deuce in three. A draw for two by Piper in four restored the two-point lead. It was 6-2 after six when Banting counted three in seven. In the eighth end, Banting didn't make her last shot as Piper sealed the deal with a steal of one.
The next game for Piper in the 12-team double-knockout competition is 6 p.m. Tuesday against Sherwood Park in the semifinal qualifier. The semifinals are 8:45 p.m. Wednesday and the final is 7 p.m. Thursday.
Last year with Christina Monk skipping, her team of Bellamy, Schreiner and Piper lost the city final 7-5 to Cindy Westgard of the Thistle.
The tournament features 12 Edmonton and area club champions. This year the Piper foursome of Bellamy, Schreiner and spare Shirley Haggith was almost perfect with no losses and only one tie as the St. Albert champions. It was the fourth club title in a row for the Piper, Bellamy and Schreiner trio.
At the recent Dominion Curling Club northern bonspiel, Piper's entry of Greening, Bellamy, Schreiner finished 2-2 as the C-event semifinalists. Piper, the lead for Monk during the previous three St. Albert championships, had trouble making her shots count on the tricky Sherwood Park ice.
King crowned
With skip Jamie King in Italy as the fifth man for the Brier-winning Kevin Koe rink at worlds, the rest of his team almost pulled off a victory Wednesday at the 47th annual men's Tournament of Champions.
With Craig King at the controls, the five-time reigning St. Albert Curling Club championship rink of Ralph Killips, Brian Pfeifer and spare Elson Keown lost a tight 6-5 affair as Jules Owchar of the Avonair stole the winning point in the eighth end. With the hammer, Craig got a piece of the shot rock that was surrounded by St. Albert stones, but it wasn't enough to nudge it out of harm's way.
The veteran St. Albert line-up started off with 4-0 lead after three ends. Owchar rallied with two in four and a steal of one in five before giving up one in six. Owchar knotted the score in seven with a draw for two.
The loss dropped the 2006 finalists into the B bracket of the 12-team draw. They need to win the next four games to make it to the 7 p.m. Thursday final. Their next game is Monday at 8:45 p.m. If the team is victorious, Jamie is expected to parachute in after worlds for the remainder of the city playoffs, starting with Tuesday's 8:45 p.m. match.
Last month King's men posted a 2-1 record as the A event quarter-finalists at the Dominion curling club northern bonspiel. They were eliminated by Fraser Armstrong of the Saville Sports Centre 6-5, when Jamie's Hail Mary shot with the hammer in the eighth end didn't connect as Armstrong stole the winning point.
