High school curling
The Alberta Schools’ Athletic Association curling championships sweep into action Thursday in St. Albert with 10 men’s, women’s and mixed rinks competing for provincial honours.The three divisions are divided into two pools each to determine the semifinalists.
If there are no tiebreakers, Saturday’s playoffs start at 10:15 a.m. the medal finals are 1 p.m.
The first of 10 draws leading up to the playoffs is 7:45 a.m. Thursday.
The opening ceremonies are 10:30 a.m. Friday.
The following St. Albert rinks are competing at provincials.
St. Albert Skyhawks – men (metro Edmonton): Nicolas Oake, David Howes, Chase Lozinsky, Owen Pacholok.
Paul Kane Blues – women (hosts): Brennin Turner, Anna Smith, Emmarie Brown, Seraphina Wong.
Paul Kane – men (hosts): Andrew Nowell, Carson Davis, Ryan Boljkovac, Tanner Schnirer.
Skyhawks/Paul Kane – mixed (hosts): Jarrod Sokul and Mary Babichuk of the Skyhawks and Owen Woollam and Quenie Mak of Paul Kane.
The metro Edmonton zone playdowns wrapped up this week with the Skyhawks and the Paul Kane women placing second overall in their respective divisions.
In the men’s playdowns, the Skyhawks defeated Paul Kane 9-3 in Tuesday's B final and in Wednesday’s A final lost 8-5 to the Strathcona Lords.
The Lords are unable to field a full team for provincials so the Skyhawks are the metro Edmonton reps and Paul Kane is the host rink.
The Skyhawks finished 3-2 and Paul Kane was 5-2 in the 10-team double elimination draw.
In the women’s playdowns, Paul Kane downed the Leduc Tigers 7-3 in Tuesday’s B final and fell 6-5 to the Bev Facey Falcons in Wednesday’s A final.
Paul Kane was 2-2 in the five-team double elimination draw.
The Archbishop Jordan Scots are the metro Edmonton reps in the mixed division and Skyhawks/Paul Kane team finished 0-2 in the eight-team double elimination draw.
Visit www.asaa.ca for the provincial schedules and results.
Seniors provincials
Dan Holowaychuk of St. Albert slides into his third Canadian seniors (50-plus) championship in six years after the Wade White rink repeated at provincials.White’s draw shot to the eight foot with Kurt Balderston of Grande Prairie lying one was the winning point in the eighth and last end in Sunday’s 7-6 final at the Coaldale Granite Curling Club.
A four-ender by White in the sixth made it 6-4 and Balderston replied with two in seven to knot it at six.
The White foursome, with third Barry Chwedoruk, Holowaychuk at second and lead George White, finished 5-2 in the round robin and Balderston was 6-1.
The Lac La Biche rink advances to nationals, March 24 to 29 in Stratford, Ont., and will also represent Canada at worlds, April 21 to 28 in Oestersund, Sweden, as the 2017 national champions.
Holowaychuk, a St. Albert Curling Club wall of fame inductee in 2014, is held in high regard as the alternate with the legendary Ferbey Four: five-time Alberta champions, four-time Brier winners and three-time world gold medallists as the Alberta Curling Federation’s Team of the Century.
Holowaychuk is also a 2013 national senior bronze medallist curling with White, Doug McLennan and George Parsons.
Masters provincials
St. Albert rinks skipped by Gary Greening and Neil McKay are sweeping up a storm at the Alberta men’s masters (60-plus) championship in Stettler.At the recent northern Alberta playdowns in St. Albert, Greening's lineup of third Dale Briske, second Rick Dallyn, lead Doug de Bruijn and alternate Grant Cook won the A qualifier and the McKay foursome of third Don Johnson, second Richard Davis and lead Ferd Caron prevailed in the C event.
The provincial winner advances to nationals, April 1 to 8 in Surrey and White Rock, B.C.
