St. Albert’s top curlers sweep into action next week at the Tournament of Champions at Jasper Place.
The double-knockout event brings together 12 Edmonton and area club champions in the mixed, men’s and women’s divisions. Games are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday and from April 12 to 15.
In the mixed bracket, Doug McLennan’s rink of Alison Howes, Colin Jenkyns and Ashley Ferguson hook up with the Avonair at 8:45 p.m. Tuesday. If they win, the four-time reigning St. Albert champions and 2006 finalists play Wednesday against the Derrick at 6 p.m. Last year the Award Windows foursome was eliminated in the semifinal qualifier 5-3 by Don Bridgewater’s Jasper Place rink. The previous three cities saw McLennan’s team bow out in the semifinals.
Jamie King’s rink of Craig King, Ralph Killips, Brian Pfeifer and fifth man Elson Keown curl at 6 p.m. Wednesday against Tuesday’s winner between the Avonair and Jasper Place. If victorious, the five-time reigning St. Albert champions don’t play until April 13 at 6 p.m. in the semifinal qualifier. This is their seventh appearance at the 47th annual city playoffs in 18 years as a rink. The 2006 city champs lost last year’s final 7-6 in an extra end to Jamie Fletcher of the Saville Sports Centre.
King’s men are coming off a 2-1 showing as the A event quarter-finalists at the Dominion Curling Club northern bonspiel last weekend at Sherwood Park.
The first game for Kathy Piper’s rink is 8:45 p.m. Wednesday against Tuesday’s winner between the Crestwood and Jasper Place. If successful, Piper moves on to the April 13 semifinal qualifier at 6 p.m. Last year with Christina Monk skipping, her team of Nicole Bellamy, Laurie Schreiner and Piper lost the final 7-5 to Cindy Westgard of the Thistle. This year’s line-up of Piper, Bellamy, Schreiner and spare Shirley Haggith went undefeated with only one tie as the St. Albert champions. It was also the fourth club title in a row for the Piper, Bellamy and Schreiner trio.
At the Dominion playdowns, Piper’s entry of Jackie-Rae Greening, Bellamy and Schreiner finished 2-2 as the C-event semifinalists.
The first game for the zone 5 Pace at the Canadian Ringette Championships at Saskatoon is Monday afternoon against British Columbia.
The top three finishers in the nine-team round robin qualify for the medal round. The final is April 10. The Pace are 21-5-2 going into nationals.
The zone 5 junior AA roster features St. Albert Ringette Association products Stephanie Bolduc. Alyssa Cancian, Molly Chorney, Jordon Hodge, Kyra Parayko, Sasha Stadnyk and Kennedie Wolosyn. It’s the second trip to nationals in as many years for Bolduc, Cancian and Parayko on defence and Stadnyk and Wolosyn up front. They skated with the zone 5 Snipe, junior AA silver medallists last year in Charlottetown, P.E.I. The second loss of the season for the Snipe was 4-1 in the final to Ontario.
