SUMMERSIDE — Looking for a surprise team in the women’s field at the 2013 Canadian senior curling championships at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club?
How about the Quebec entry from the Thurso Curling Club?
“To be honest our first goal was to get out of that relegation round so we wouldn’t have Quebec down near the bottom next year,” said Quebec skip Catherine Derick in reference to the bottom four teams from this year’s championship having to qualify for next year’s main draw by going through a relegation round. “Now our goal obviously is to finish in the top three, and try to get one of the playoff spots.”
Derick, third stone Sylvia Daniel, second stone Chantal Gadoua and lead Cheryl Morgan have quietly accumulated a 6-2 record in round-robin play, good enough for second place behind Colleen Pinkney’s undefeated Nova Scotia rink from the Truro Curling Club.
“I’m really proud of the girls,” said Derick following Quebec’s 13-1 triumph over the Northwest Territories’ Ann McKellar-Gillis on Wednesday night. “This is the first time in senior competition for all of us, and it’s our second’s first national, so that’s quite exciting for her.
“Every game we just seem to play a little better. The week is going well.”
After losing to Ontario’s Judy Oryniak 11-4 on Monday night, Quebec has won three straight. Quebec’s other loss — 6-4 — came to Nova Scotia on Sunday afternoon.
When asked if there was any particular key to the rink’s success in Summerside, Derick didn’t hesitate to talk about the friendship that exists between team members.
“The success is because we are best friends first, and then the curling comes second,” said Derick, who is skipping for the first time in many years. “We don’t get angry with each other on the ice for losses. We just try to keep smiling.”
Pinkney won both her games on Wednesday — 7-1 over Newfoundland and Labrador’s Laura Phillips and 9-7 over Saskatchewan’s Cathy Inglis in an extra end.
It was also a big day for Alberta’s Deb Santos of the St. Albert Curling Club. Santos’ two wins — 9-4 over Ontario and 8-7 over Manitoba’s Lois Fowler – moved her into a third-place tie with Manitoba and New Brunswick’s Heidi Hanlon. All three rinks are 5-3.
It was a tough day for Manitoba, which also lost
8-6 to British Columbia’s Karen Lepine in the afternoon draw.
New Brunswick split its games, losing 11-5 to Quebec in the morning and defeating P.E.I.’s Nola Murphy rink from the host Silver Fox 10-3 in the evening draw.
The Island squad also includes third stone Donna Arsenault, second stone Elspeth Carmody and lead Laurie Tirone.
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THE CANADIAN PRESS
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Standings Wednesday after draw 15 at the 2013 Canadian senior women’s curling championship to be held through Sunday (all times Eastern):
Province (Skip) W L
Nova Scotia (Pinkney) 8 0
Quebec (Derick) 6 2
Manitoba (Fowler) 5 3
New Brunswick (Hanlon) 5 3
Alberta (Santos) 5 3
Saskatchewan (Inglis) 4 4
Northern Ont. (Barrett) 4 4
B.C. (Lepine) 4 4
N.L. (Phillips) 3 5
NWT (McKellar-Gillis) 2 6
Ontario (Oryniak) 1 7
P.E.I. (Murphy) 1 7
Wednesday’s results
Draw 13
Alberta 9 Ontario 4
Nova Scotia 7 Newfoundland & Labrador 1
Quebec 11 New Brunswick 5
Draw 14
British Columbia 8 Manitoba 6
P.E.I. 10 Northwest Territories 6
Saskatchewan 8 Northern Ontario 2
Draw 15
British Columbia 8 Ontario 7
Quebec 13 Northwest Territories 1
New Brunswick 10 P.E.I. 3
Nova Scotia 9 Saskatchewan 7
Northern Ontario 8 Newfoundland & Labrador 2
Alberta 8 Manitoba 7
———
Tuesday’s results
Draw 10
Northwest Territories 10 British Columbia 4
Northern Ontario 12 P.E.I. 5
Saskatchewan 8 Manitoba 5
Draw 11
New Brunswick 6 Alberta 3
Nova Scotia 6 Ontario 5 (extra end)
Quebec 7 Newfoundland & Labrador 5
Draw 12
Saskatchewan 15 P.E.I. 3
Manitoba 13 Northwest Territories 6
British Columbia 9 Northern Ontario 8
———
Thursday’s games
Draw 16 1 p.m.
Northern Ontario vs. Quebec; Ontario vs. Saskatchewan; British Columbia vs. Alberta; Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Manitoba; P.E.I. vs. Nova Scotia; New Brunswick vs. Northwest Territories.
Draw 18, 9 p.m.
Saskatchewan vs. Alberta; New Brunswick vs. Northern Ontario; Quebec vs. Manitoba; Northwest Territories vs. Nova Scotia; British Columbia vs. Newfoundland & Labrador; P.E.I. vs. Ontario.
———
Friday’s games
Draw 19, 3:30 p.m.
Manitoba vs. Nova Scotia; P.E.I. vs. Newfoundland & Labrador; Ontario vs. Northwest Territories; Northern Ontario vs. Alberta; New Brunswick vs. Saskatchewan; Quebec vs. British Columbia.
End of round robin
———
Tiebreakers (if required)
One Draw — Saturday, 9 a.m.
Two Draws — Saturday, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Three Draws — Friday, 11:30 p.m.; Saturday, 9 a.m. and 3 p.m.
———
Playoffs (no tiebreakers)
Saturday’s games
Semifinals
Second vs. Third Places, 3 p.m.
———
Sunday’s game
Championship
First Place vs. Semifinal Winner, 12 noon
