The President’s Cup winners at the St. Albert Curling Club slide into action next week at the 49th annual Tournament of Champions at the Jasper Place Curling Club.
Rinks skipped by Christina Monk and Dale Briske curl Tuesday.
Monk, third Lauren Jenkyns, second Kathy Piper and lead Laurie Schreiner play Ellerslie at 6 p.m.
Briske, third Les Ferguson, second Rick Dallyn and lead Doug de Bruijn rock the ice at 8:45 p.m. against Lancaster Park.
Jenkyns also throws lead rocks on the Doug McLennan rink with third Alison Howes and second Colin Jenkyns. Her spot on the mixed team will be filled by Cherisse Gunderson if there are conflicting draw times.
McLennan’s first game is Wednesday at 6 p.m. against Ellerslie or the Thistle.
The double-knockout competition features 12 Edmonton and area club champions in the women’s, men’s and mixed divisions. The April 18 semifinals and April 19 finals start at 7 p.m.
Visit www.jasperplacecurling.com for draw times and results.
Last year the Jamie King rink won its sixth President’s Cup and went on to capture its second men’s cities championship in six years.
Piper’s line-up of Nicole Bellamy, Howes and Schreiner made a quick exit from the 2011 cities with two straight losses.
Two years ago Piper, Jackie-Rae Greening, Bellamy and Schreiner captured the second crown by a St. Albert women’s rink at cities since Cathy King in 1993, when the women’s draw was added to the playoff format.
McLennan’s rink returns to cities after winning its fifth President’s Cup in six years. Last year Wilf Gunderson knocked off McLennan in the club playoffs and at cities lost two in a row. In 2010 McLennan celebrated a rare mixed championship at cities by a St. Albert mixed rink.
Bantam AAA players with the St. Albert Sabres dominated the final roster selections for the Northwest Sharks at the 2012 Alberta Cup.
Making the Sharks were netminder Pat Dea, defencemen Brendan Kallis, Mark Matsuba and Dylan Overdyk and forwards Thomas Friesen, Matteo Gennaro, Ethan Lazaro, Curtis Peck and Joshua Perrott.
Dea was recently honoured as the top netminder in the Alberta Major Bantam Hockey League’s north conference.
The Alberta Cup starts April 26 in Lethbridge. Eight zone teams will play in a four-day tournament format while taking part in an education seminar put on by the Western Hockey League.
The Alberta Cup is also heavily scouted by WHL teams in preparation for the bantam draft.
The competition is also an opportunity for administrators, coaches, trainers and officials to be evaluated for future positions with the Team Alberta program.
