Team Syrota & Team Wilson Take Home Master's Provincial Championships!

The Birch Hills Curling Club played host to this years Masters Women’s Provincial Championship with the top ten women’s teams attending this years event. The two pools of five got things rolling before heading into championship weekend, and it proved that the field was an even and competitive battle between all teams. At the end of pool play, two tiebreaker games were determined to decide that fourth and final spot into the four team page playoff system. It was teams Kay Montgomery (North Battleford)who defeated Ada Lacoursiere (Saskatoon) & Pat Bibby to find herself a spot in that 2vs2 playoff game.

Meanwhile, in the 1vs1 playoff gameit was all tied up heading into the 8th and final end with Delores Syrota (Wadena) having hammer over Wendy Leach (Regina) and taking advantage scoring her single and earning that bye straight into the final! Leach then dropped down and played the winner of that 2vs2 game, where we saw a back and forth battle with teams trading two & three point ends all game long. But it was Merie Kopach (Saskatoon) who used that last rock advantage in the last end to score her deuce and take the tight game with a score of 8-7. It was a nerve racking playoff round leading into the semi final, where it was Leach scoring three straight single point ends to take the 5-4 victory over Kopach, setting up a rematch of the 1vs1 game against Syrota.

With Leach defeating Kopach, who was the five time defending champion, we would now know a new provincial winner would be on our hands! In the final, again it was a back and forth battle with Syrota hanging on to a 3-2 lead heading into the break. But it was a big steal of two in the 7th end by Syrota that sealed the deal in this one declaring them provincial champions! They will now represent Saskatchewan at the 2017 Canadian Masters Women’s Championship Apr. 3-9 in Guelph, Ontario! Syrota has now won a provincial championship at the junior, women’s, senior’s, and masters levels! It was a great weekend had by all, and thank you to the Birch Hills Curling Club for hosting such a wonderful event!

The Shellbrook Curling Club played host to the top twelve masters men’s teams at this years provincial championship. It was a two pool of six pool play with a page playoff system set for this years event, with the winner to represent Saskatchewan at the 2017 Canadian Masters Men’s Championship Apr. 3-9 in Guelph, Ontario! After pool play was completed, we saw another tiebreaker frenzy on our hands, with five teams battling it out for that fourth and final playoff spot. After it was all said and done, the Peter Thiele rink (Regina) defeated Wayne Schieble (North Battleford) 8-6 to book a ticket into that 2vs2 playoff game.

Meanwhile in the 1vs1 playoff game, it was a battle between two former provincial champions and teammates with Eugene Hritzuk taking on Jim Wilson. They won the national championship together back in 2014, and were bronze medalists at last years national competition. But in this one, it was Wilson with a huge score of four in the 5th end followed up with a steal of one to take the 8-2 final score after six ends of play. Hritzuk then dropped down to play Thiele (winner over Fiest in 2vs2 playoff game), where it was Hritzuk coming away with a 6-4 victory setting up a rematch with Wilson for the provincial title.

This final was a great contest which saw Wilson jump out to a early 4-1 lead after three ends of play. But Hritzuk fought back to bring this to a one point game heading into the 8th and final end, where it was Wilson taking that last stone advantage to his benefit scoring a single point to win this one 6-4. Great weekend by all teams and thank you to Shellbrook for hosting a successful event!