Two Twin Rivers rinks are off to the juvenile provincial championships March 13-16 in Carlyle after regional playdowns were hosted at the Northland Power Curling Centre Saturday.
The Taylor rink and the Chambers team won their respective regional playdowns to advance to provincials.
The Taylor team met the Powell rink from Unity in a best-of-three series in the men's regional playdowns. In the morning draw, Taylor counted one in the first end. Powell responded with two in the second, followed by Taylor getting two in the third. The Taylor rink stole one in the fourth and two in the fifth. Powell counted in the sixth and the seventh, but Taylor held on in the eighth for a 7-4 win.
The afternoon draw saw Powell take a 2-0 lead after two ends. Taylor responded with three in the third end to take a 3-2 advantage. Powell tied the match in the fourth, but Taylor counted another three in the fifth end to take a 6-3 lead. Taylor added one in the seventh and eighth end to take the match and the series 8-3.
The Chambers rink was unopposed in the regional championship. They advanced to provincials without having to throw a rock Saturday.
The curling centre also hosted the regional open draw Saturday featuring three teams. In the first match during the morning draw, the Gustafson rink from Debden met the Schick squad from Lloydminster, who were curling with only three players. Gustafson took a 2-0 lead in the first, before Schick counted one in the second. It was 3-3 after four ends, but Gustafson pulled ahead of the undermanned rink from Lloydminster. Gustafson counted one in the fifth and two in the sixth to put themselves ahead for good. Although Schick counted one in the seventh, Gustafson won 8-4 in the eighth.
In the afternoon, the Gustafson rink squared off against the Beaulieu rink who were also from Debden. Gustafson started strong with three in the first end. Beaulieu responded with one in the second and two in the third to tie the game. The Beaulieu team kept the pressure on as they got one in the fourth and the fifth to make it 5-3. Gustafson cut the lead to one in the sixth, but Beaulieu counted for two in the seventh. The Gustafson rink scored one in the eighth, but it was not enough as the Beaulieu rink won the match 7-5.
The evening draw featured the Beaulieu team and the Schick rink. Schick needed a win to force a tiebreaker match if they hoped to advance. Beaulieu put pressure on Schick early, scoring two in the first and stealing one in the second. Schick took the lead in the third when counted four, followed by twos in the fourth and fifth ends. Beaulieu started their comeback in the sixth when they counted one. The Debden rink stole three in the seventh, but it had the potential for more with six rocks in the house before Schick's final throw. In the eighth and final end, Beaulieu stole two as Schick's red rock rolled too far away after hitting a yellow.
The Beaulieu rink qualified for provincials after finishing the playdown undefeated. Gustafson, with a 1-1 record, also qualified for the playdowns in Carlyle. It will be the last tournament for the teams as there is no national championship for the open division.
