SUMMERSIDE — P.E.I.’s Rod MacDonald continues to be right in the thick of things at the 2013 Canadian senior curling championships.
MacDonald and his rink from the Charlottetown Curling Complex and host Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club scored a single point with last-rock advantage in the 10th end to edge Quebec’s Robert MacLean 5-4.
Both teams went into the game at 4-2, and the win left P.E.I. in a four-way tie for second place following Wednesday’s play.
“Every win is important right now,” said MacDonald. “We had two losses and we figure three is probably the limit you need to guarantee a playoff spot.
“It was nice to win that one for sure. We have to beat the teams who are below us or at least even with us, and Quebec is a good team.”
It was P.E.I.’s lone game of the day. Today, MacDonald, third stone John Likely, second stone Mark O’Rourke and lead Peter MacDonald play the Northwest Territories’ Glen Hudy at 8 a.m. and Nova Scotia’s Alan O’Leary at 4 p.m.
“It’s going to be a big day,” said MacDonald.
New Brunswick’s Wayne Tallon from the Capital Winter Club took over sole possession of first place in the afternoon draw.
Tallon trimmed the Northwest Territories’ Glen Hudy 9-3 to improve to 6-1 while Alberta’s Wade White handed Ontario’s Howard Rajala his second loss with an 8-6 decision.
O’Leary outlasted Newfoundland and Labrador’s Glenn Goss 10-8 to move into the logjam for second place with P.E.I., Ontario and Alberta. All four teams are 5-2.
MacDonald described P.E.I.’s match against Quebec as a “clean game.”
He added: “There were not a lot of rocks in play over the whole game. We made the right shots at the right time.”
The teams went into the decisive 10th end tied 4-4, but P.E.I. held last-rock advantage.
In MacLean’s first shot, his draw attempt was heavy and went to the back of the house, half on the eight-foot and half on the 12-foot. MacDonald countered by drawing half button and four-foot to lie shot rock. MacLean then wrecked on a guard out front on his final shot, resulting in MacDonald not having to throw his final stone.
“If the Quebec skip had made his first one it may have made it a little tough on us,” admitted MacDonald. “He was a little heavy and went to the back of the house, and allowed me to come top-four with mine. He had a tough shot, rubbed the front.”
When asked about his first shot in the 10th end, MacDonald said he did not want to be heavy.
“I wanted to make sure I was at least full eight or top-four to give me something on my last one,” explained MacDonald. “I kind of thought he might come around the other way and bury one top-four, and it would have made it a tough shot for me.
“Anyways, I didn’t have to throw the last one, and those are always nice.”
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THE CANADIAN PRESS
SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Standings Wednesday following draw 14 at the 2013 Canadian senior men’s curling championship to be held through Sunday (all times Eastern):
Province (Skip) W L
New Brunswick (Tallon) 6 1
P.E.I. (MacDonald) 5 2
Alberta (White) 5 2
Nova Scotia (O’Leary) 5 2
Ontario (Rajala) 5 2
Quebec (MacLean) 4 3
B.C. (Lepine) 3 4
Manitoba (Sigurdson) 3 4
Northern Ont. (Munro) 2 5
Saskatchewan (Bell) 2 4
N.L. (Goss) 2 5
NWT (Hudy) 0 7
Wednesday’s results
Draw 13
British Columbia 8 Manitoba 4
Northern Ontario 12 Saskatchewan 4
P.E.I. 5 Quebec 4
Draw 14
Alberta 8 Ontario 6
New Brunswick 9 Northwest Territories 3
Nova Scotia 10 Newfoundland & Labrador 8
———
Tuesday’s results
Draw 10
Ontario 6 New Brunswick 3
Newfoundland & Labrador 12 Northwest Territories 4
Alberta 9 Nova Scotia 8 (extra end)
Draw 11
P.E.I. 9 Saskatchewan 3
Quebec 7 Manitoba 5
Northern Ontario 9 British Columbia 3
Draw 12
Alberta 9 Northwest Territories 7
Nova Scotia 9 Ontario 1
New Brunswick 9 Newfoundland & Labrador 3
———
Thursday’s games
Draw 15, 9 a.m.
Ontario vs. British Columbia; Quebec vs. New Brunswick; P.E.I. vs. Northwest Territories; Nova Scotia vs. Saskatchewan; Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Northern Ontario; Alberta vs. Manitoba.
Draw 16, 5 p.m.
Northern Ontario vs. New Brunswick; Ontario vs. Saskatchewan; British Columbia vs. Alberta; Newfoundland & Labrador vs. Manitoba; P.E.I. vs. Nova Scotia; Northwest Territories vs. Quebec.
———
Friday’s games
Draw 17, 11 a.m.
Saskatchewan vs. Alberta; Northwest Territories vs. Northern Ontario; New Brunswick vs. Manitoba; Quebec vs. Nova Scotia; British Columbia vs. Newfoundland & Labrador; P.E.I. vs. Ontario.
Draw 18, 8 p.m.
Manitoba vs. Nova Scotia; P.E.I. vs. Newfoundland & Labrador; Ontario vs. Quebec; Northern Ontario vs. Alberta; Northwest Territories vs. Saskatchewan; New Brunswick 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 game
Semifinal
Second vs. Third Places, 8 p.m.
———
Sunday’s game
Championship
First Place vs. Semifinal Winner, 12 noon
