The road to a sixth Tim Hortons Brier for Marc Kennedy of St. Albert starts today in Wainwright at the Boston Pizza Cup.
Kennedy’s new rink, skipped by 2010 and 2014 Brier champion Kevin Koe, is the No. 1 seed at the 12-team provincial championship. Brent Laing and Ben Hebert also curl for the Glencoe Club foursome of Calgary.
Kennedy, a two-time Brier winner, 2008 world champion and 2010 Olympic gold medallist with Kevin Martin, John Morris and Hebert, was the Brier’s first team all-star second in 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011 and second-team all-star selection in 2013.
Koe’s first game is against Jamie King of the St. Albert Curling Club or Brent Bawl of Airdrie at 6:30 p.m.
King’s rink of Jeff Erickson, Warren Hassall and Glen Kennedy is the No. 9 seed and their game against Bawl, the No. 8 seed, goes at 9:30 a.m.
King is curling in his 10th provincials. The 2003 and 2005 finalist was Koe’s alternate at the 2010 and 2014 Briers and world championships.
Sunday’s final is 2 p.m.
Visit www.2015bostonpizzacup.com for draw times and results.
The Brier starts Feb. 28 at Calgary.
Doug Germsheid and Wayne Kjarsgaard were the big winners at the inaugural Standard General Stick Bonspiel last weekend at the St. Albert Curling Club.
The duo pocketed $144 in the 24-team stakes format. They were among five teams to go 5-1 in the two-day competition.
Milt McDougall and Bob McKenzie collected $120 for second place.
Tied for third place at $112 per team were the Ed Wilson/Ryan Meyer and Ervine Yaremko/Ed McDaid combinations.
Amanda-Dawn Coderre of St. Albert coached the Kelsey Rocque rink from the Saville Centre to a Canadian junior women’s championship repeat.
In Saturday’s final, Rocque defeated Chelsea Brandwood of Ontario 8-2 in Corner Brook, Nfld. to join Cathy King (1977, ’78) of Alberta, Suzanne Birt (2001, ’02) of Prince Edward Island and Kaitlyn Lawes (2008, ’09) of Manitoba as the only skips to win back-to-back titles.
Last year, Rocque won the U20 worlds with Keely Brown, Taylor McDonald and Claire Tully with Coderre as their first-year coach. The team finished 26-4 overall as the Alberta, Canadian and world champions.
Rocque’s rinkmates this season are Danielle Schmiemann, Holly Jamieson and Jessica Iles.
Junior worlds start Feb. 28 at Tallinn, Estonia.
Paul Kane High School teacher Lori Olson-Johns is going to her third Scotties Tournament of Hearts but the first with the Val Sweeting rink of the Saville Centre.
Olson-Johns joined the Sweeting lineup of second Dana Ferguson and lead Rachelle Brown in November when third Andrea Crawford returned home to New Brunswick.
Last month at provincials, the 2014 Canada Cup winners defeated Chelsea Carey of the Saville Centre 9-7 in the final.
Sweeting, last year’s runner-up at the Scotties, is the first Alberta skip to repeat at provincials since Cathy King (2005, ’06) when Olson-Johns curled for the St. Albert Curling Club’s wall of fame member.
Olson-Johns moved on to play third for Crystal Webster of Calgary at the 2009 Roar of the Rings Olympic trials at Rexall Place.
The three-time Alberta junior champion was also the second for Cheryl Bernard of Calgary the last three seasons.
The Scotties are Feb. 14 to 22 in Moose Jaw.
There is a strong St. Albert connection at the senior (50-plus) men’s provincials, starting next Wednesday at Medicine Hat.
Rinks skipped by Glen Hansen, Brad Hannah and Wade White are the northern Alberta reps at provincials with St. Albert curlers on their teams.
Doug McLennan is the third for Hansen, Don McKenzie is the second for Hannah and Dan Holowaychuk is the second for White (C qualifier).
At the recent northern playdowns at the Avonair, Hansen’s rink from Hinton beat Hannah 5-2 in the A final.
The B final between two Saville Centre teams ended with a 6-4 win by Hannah over White.
In the C final, it was for 7-6 for White over Kevin Gunderson of the Crestwood.
White and Hannah are former senior provincial champions who medalled at nationals. Hannah, with McKenzie on board, lost the 2011 final and two years ago White’s foursome of McLennan, Holowaychuk and George Parsons, the second for Hansen, finished third.
McKenzie, a three-time Alberta men’s champion, two-time Brier winner and 1989 world gold medallist with the Ryan Express, and Holowaychuk, an alternate for the Ferbey Four during their run of greatness as the five-time Alberta champions, four-time Brier winners and three-time world gold medallists as the Alberta Curling Federation’s Team of the Century, are both enshrined in the St. Albert Curling Club’s wall of fame.
