2020 PEI Scotties Tournament of Hearts Women’s Championship

Montague Curling Rink, January 8-12

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Five-ender seals eleventh PEI Scotties title for Suzanne Birt

The Suzanne Birt rink, playing out of the host Montague Curling Rink this season, scored five points in the sixth end and stole a single in the seventh to defeat the Veronica Smith team from the Summerside Silver Fox club 8-1 in seven ends on Sunday morning to repeat as PEI Scotties champions.

PEI Scotties champs (L-R): Mitchell O’Shea (coach), Michelle McQuaid, Meaghan Hughes, Marie Christianson, Suzanne Birt

This is the eleventh PEI Scotties title for Birt, a former world junior curling champion. Birt, backed up by third Marie Christianson, second stone Meaghan Hughes, and lead Michelle McQuaid, along with coach Mitchell O’Shea, won the “A” and “C” events in the modified triple knockout draw, and would have had a second chance at 2 pm to win the title, but accomplished the task with the morning game.

Finalist team (L-R): Veronica Smith, Sabrina Smith, Emily Gray, Whitney Jenkins, Pat Aylward (coach)

Smith, who won the “B” section, would have had to win both games. Playing with Veronica Smith were third Sabrina Smith, second Emily Gray, and lead Whitney Jenkins, with coach Pat Aylward.

The first half of this morning’s game was close, with two blank ends, and neither team scoring more than a single. Birt stole the third end and had a slim 2-1 lead at the fifth end break, but brought the game to an early conclusion in the sixth and seventh ends. The Birt foursome will now advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 15-23, 2020 at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, 

The PEI Tankard men’s championship, held concurrently at the same venue, wrapped up on Saturday, with the Bryan Cochrane team from the Cornwall Curling Club going undefeated to advance to the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Feb. 29 to March 8, 2020 at Leon’s Centre in Kingston Ontario, 

Detailed results from the combined PEI Scotties and Tankard event are available at:  PEICurling.com/scoreboard

Eleven men’s and 5 women’s rinks took part this year.

Suzanne Birt team one win away from Scotties repeat

The Bryan Cochrane rink from the Cornwall Curling Club made it a complete sweep Saturday evening at the Montague Curling Rink, winning the “C” final of the modified triple knockout draw by a 7-4 score over the Philip Gorveatt team from the Charlottetown Curling Club to take the Tankard PEI Men’s title without needing to play the Sunday championship round.

(L-R): Scott Annear (President of the Montague Curling Rink), Mark O’Rourke, Morgan Currie, Ian MacAulay, Bryan Cochrane, Sandy Matheson (President of Curl PEI)

The Eddie MacKenzie rink, who played in two of the three section finals, would be the second place “Finalist” rink in the event, and includes third Tyler MacKenzie, second stone Tyler Smith, and lead Matt Nabuurs.

Meanwhile, Suzanne Birt is just one win away from her eleventh PEI Scotties title, after coming from behind to win the women’s “C” final 9-5 over the Veronica Smith squad from the Silver Fox club in Summerside. Birt is playing out of the host Montague club this year. Because Birt won two of the three modified triple knockout sections (“A” and “C”), she can repeat as Scotties champ with a win in either the 9 am or the 2 pm championship round games on Sunday, while Smith, the “B” section winner, needs to win both games.

In the final Tankard game, Cochrane, whose rink includes PEI natives Ian MacAulay at third and Morgan Currie at second stone, along with ten-time PEI Tankard winner Mark O’Rourke at lead, opened with a deuce, with Gorveatt, whose team includes Kevin Champion, Sean Ledgerwood, and Mike Dillon, coming back with a deuce of their own. The next two ends were blanked, but a Cochrane triple in end five gave him a 5-2 lead at the fifth end break. Each team scored two singles in the second half to give Cochrand the 7-4 victory. In the afternoon “C” semi-final, Cochrane beat the Mitchell Schut Junior team, also from Cornwall 8-1 in eight ends, while Gorveatt edged clubmate Eddie MacKenzie 7-6 in an extra end.

Smith had a 5-3 lead after six ends in her game against Birt, but a deuce, a triple, and a single in the next three ends brought the score to 9-5 for Birt, and Smith ran out of rocks in the final end. Playing with Birt are third Marie Christianson, second Meaghan Hughes and lead Michelle McQuaid, with coach Mitch O’Shea, while Sabrina Smith, Emily Gray, and Whitney Jenkins, with coach Pat Aylward, round out the Smith foursome. Smith advanced directly to the “C” final by virtue of winning the “B” section, while Birt stole the final end to edge Summerside’s Melissa Morrow squad 7-6 in the “C” semi-final.

The Bryan Cochrane rink will now compete at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Feb. 29 to March 8, 2020 at Leon’s Centre in Kingston Ontario, while the winning women’s team will advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 15-23, 2020 at Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, 

Live end-by-end results from the combined PEI Scotties and Tankard event are available at:  PEICurling.com/scoreboard

Eleven men’s and 5 women’s rinks took part this year.

 

Smith wins Scotties “B” final over “A” winner Birt

The “B” section finals of the modified triple knockout format Scotties provincial women’s and Tankard provincial men’s championships took place at the Montague Curling Rink on Friday evening, and featured the same teams that squared off in the “A” section.

Veronica Smith delivers a rock while Emily Gray prepares to sweep

Team Birt members Marie Christianson, Meaghan Hughes, Michelle McQuaid, watched by Team Smith member Whitney Jenkins

The Scotties “B” final was again a very close contest, but the Veronica Smith rink from the Silver Fox in Summerside came out the victors this time, edging ten-time PEI women’s champ Suzanne Birt, curling out of the host club, and her team by a 5-4 score. Smith used last rock advantage to score a deuce in the opening end, in a game that saw three blank ends, with neither team scoring more than a single until Birt recorded a tying deuce in the ninth end, leaving Smith with hammer coming home, where she scored a deuce for the win.

Saturday Scotties action sees Melissa Morrow and her Silver Fox rink, who eliminated the Amanda Power Charlottetown rink on Saturday in a closely-fought 6-5 contest, take on Birt at 2 pm, with the winner playing Smith in the “C” final at 7 pm. The section winners advance to Sunday’s championship round, which goes at 9 am and, if necessary, 2 pm. If either Birt or Smith wins two sections, they will have a “double life” in the championship round and will win the title with a victory in either game, while their opponent would have to win both matches.

There is no admission charge to watch this combined event, with the women’s championship sponsored by Kruger Products, Canada’s #1 tissue products manufacturer and the longest national corporate sponsor of amateur sport in Canada, along with local event sponsors O’Connor Glass, Tim Hortons, and Bogside Brewing. 50/50 draws will be held, with proceeds going toward the Montague Junior Curling Program.

The kitchen will be open for lunch (soup or chili and sandwiches) and supper (regular menu). Food and beverages are also available at the Bogside brewery, only a three-minute walk from the club, and at Tim Hortons, just a six-minute walk away.

Live end-by-end results are available at:  PEICurling.com/scoreboard

The winning women’s team will advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 15-23, 2020 at
Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, while the men’s championship rink will compete in the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Feb. 29 to March 8, 2020 at Leon’s Centre in Kingston Ontario.

 

Birt rink wins PEI Scotties “A” section

The defending champion Suzanne Birt rink, playing out of the host Montague Curling Rink, and the Bryan Cochrane team from Cornwall captured the first of three modified triple knockout qualifying games at the Scotties provincial women’s and Tankard provincial men’s championships, respectively Thursday evening.

Bryan Cochrane

The 7 pm draw featured three very close games decided by a single point, and one not-so-close one, with Cochrane and his team of Island natives Ian MacAulay and Morgan Currie, along with ten-time PEI Tankard winner Mark O’Rourke in the lead position, needing only eight ends to beat Charlottetown’s Eddie MacKenzie rink by an 8-1 score, stealing a pair of singles, a triple and another single to lead 6-0 after four ends. MacKenzie’s loan single came just before the 5th end break, but another pair of Cochrane singles in ends 7 and 8 brought the game to handshakes.

Suzanne Birt

Birt’s game against Veronica Smith and her Silver Fox rink was very evenly matched, with Birt leading 2-1 after a low-scoring first five ends. Smith pulled ahead with a sixth-end deuce, but Birt took a pair in the seventh to regain the lead. Smith tied the game with a single in the eighth, but Birt’s ninth end deuce gave her a two-point lead coming home without last rock advantage. Smith was kept to a single in ten, with Birt winning the “A” final by a 6-5 score.

In Tankard “B” section games, Charlottetown’s Philip Gorveatt edged Cornwall’s John Likely 5-4, while Cornwall’s Steve vanOuwerkerk got by the Darren Higgins rink from the Fox by a 6-5 score. 

With the modified triple-knockout format, the top teams in a section also drop down to compete in the next section. If ten-time PEI Scotties winner Birt, or Cochrane, who is the reigning World Senior Men’s champion, were to capture all three sections, they would win the event without the Sunday championship round being played, If a team were to win two sections, they would have a “double life” in the championship round and take their respective championship with a win in either game, while their opponent, the winner of the other section, would have to win both,

In the Tankard, Gorveatt now faces Cochrane, and MacKenzie takes on vanOuwerkerk in B section semi-finals at 2 pm Friday, with the winners advancing to the 7 pm “B” final. On the Scotties side, Smith plays Melissa Morrow and her Silver Fox team at 2 pm, with the winner facing Birt in the “B” final at 7 pm Friday. Morrow got by Tammy Dewar and her host club team 7-6 in an extra end on Thursday afternoon to advance to the “B” semi-final. 

Friday morning 9 am play features “C” division games. The “C” finals are Saturday at 7 pm.

The championship round games, if needed, go Sunday at 9 am and, if necessary, 2 pm.

There is no admission charge to watch this combined event, with the women’s championship sponsored by Kruger Products, Canada’s #1 tissue products manufacturer and the longest national corporate sponsor of amateur sport in Canada, along with local event sponsors O’Connor Glass, Tim Hortons, and Bogside Brewing. 50/50 draws will be held, with proceeds going toward the Montague Junior Curling Program.

The kitchen will be open for lunch (soup or chili and sandwiches) and supper (regular menu). Food and beverages are also available at the Bogside brewery, only a three-minute walk from the club, and at Tim Hortons, just a six-minute walk away.

Live end-by-end results are available at:  PEICurling.com/scoreboard

The winning women’s team will advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 15-23, 2020 at
Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan, while the men’s championship team will compete in the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier, Feb. 29 to March 8, 2020 at Leon’s Centre in Kingston Ontario.

PEI Scotties gets underway Wednesday

The 2020 PEI Scotties Tournament of Hearts Provincial Women’s Curling Championship will take place at the Montague Curling Rink from January 8-12, with five teams competing. The men’s Tankard provincial championship will be held concurrently in the same venue.

There is no admission charge to watch this combined event, with the women’s championship sponsored by Kruger Products, Canada’s #1 tissue products manufacturer and the longest national corporate sponsor of amateur sport in Canada, along with local event sponsors O’Connor Glass, Tim Hortons, and Bogside Brewing. 50/50 draws will be held, with proceeds going toward the Montague Junior Curling Program.

The kitchen will be open for lunch (soup or chili and sandwiches) and supper (regular menu). Food and beverages are also available at the Bogside brewery, only a three-minute walk from the club, and at Tim Hortons, just a six-minute walk away.

 

Defending champions the Suzanne Birt women’s rink, curling out of the host Montague club, are back looking to defend their titles. Birt, a ten-time PEI Scotties champ, will be competing against the Veronica Smith, and Melissa Morrow foursomes from the Silver Fox, the Amanda Power team from Charlottetown, with PEI junior champion skip Lauren Ferguson joining the team as an alternate, and the Tammy Dewar rink from the host club.

Teams have been seeded in the modified triple knockout draw based on cashspiel winnings, with  Birt as top seed, followed by Power. Draws go daily at 9 am and 2 and 7 pm from the 8th through the 11th, with the opening Scotties draw at 2 pm on the 8th. The Championship Round (not needed if a team wins all three draw sections) goes Sunday the 12th at 9 am and, if needed, 2 pm.  Opening ceremonies are at 6:15 on the 8th. 

The winning women’s team will advance to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Feb. 15-23, 2020 at
Mosaic Place in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan.

Scotties Draw Tree

Schedule

Tankard Games are in light blue

Scotties Games are in pink
Qualifying games have game number highlighted in yellow

Date Time Draw Ice 1 Ice 2 Ice 3 Ice 4
Wed
08-Jan
9 am 1 1 2 3 4
2 pm 2 A 7 6 5
6:15 pm Opening Ceremonies
7 pm 3 9 B 8 10
Thu
09-Jan
9 am 4 12 C D 13
2 pm 5 F 11 15 14
7 pm 6 19 18 E 20
Fri
10-Jan
9 am 7 17 16 H G
2 pm 8 22 21 23 24
7 pm 9 J I 25  
Sat
11-Jan
9 am 10   27   26
2 pm 11 29 28   K
7 pm 12   L 30  
Sun
12-Jan
9 am* 13   MA WA  
2 pm* 14   WB MB  

*If required

Explanation for MA/WA and MB/WB Championship Round games:

1. One team wins all three qualifiers: Championship Round is not required.

2. One team wins two qualifiers. They play in both X and Z (and win the event if they win either game), the other winner plays in Y (and has to win both games).

3. Three separate winners: the team that played in the most qualifying games plays in Z and the other winners play off in X and Y. If there is a tie in number of qualifying games played, then the team that qualified earliest goes to Z and the other two teams play off in X and Y.

Team Rosters – Scotties

(Number = throwing order, S=skip)|

W – Team Birt

Montague Curling Club, Montague, PE

Suzanne Birt (4-S), Marie Christianson (3), Meaghan Hughes (2), Michelle McQuaid (1), Mitchell O’Shea (Coach)

W – Team Dewar

Montague Curling Club, Montague, PE

Tammy Dewar (4-S), Darlene MacLeod-London (3), Robyn MacDonald (2), Gail Greene (1)

W – Team Morrow

Silver Fox Curling Club, Summerside, PE

Melissa Morrow (4-S), Darcee Birch (3), Lindsey Spencer (2), Miranda Ellis (1), Jamie Newson (Coach)

W – Team Power

Charlottetown Curling Club, Charlottetown, PE

Amanda Power (4S), Ashley Francis (3), Breanne Burgoyne (2), Aleya Quilty (1), Lauren Ferguson (Alternate)

W- Team Smith

Silver Fox Curling Club, Summerside, PE

Veronica Smith (4-S), Sabrina Smith (3), Emily Gray (2), Whitney Jenkins (1)

 

Click for previous websites and winners