Team Himmelspach won four times, but fell just short of reaching the playoff round, at the Tim Hortons mixed curling provincials in Martensville from March 30 to April 3.
The Himmelspach rink, which consisted of lead Patricia Stroeder, second Wade St. Onge, third Stephanie Gress and skip Adam Himmelspach, finished 4-3 at provincials. They were competing out of the Lampman Curling Club.
In their opening match, Himmelspach lost 5-2 to Yorkton’s Ray Sharp, and dropped down from the A event to the B event. Himmelspach had a 2-0 lead through three ends, thanks to a score of one in the first and a stolen point in the third, but Sharp rattled off five unanswered points from the fourth to the seventh ends.
Their next game was a 6-5 win over Jonah Sweatman of La Ronge. Himmelspach scored three times in the sixth end to break open a 3-3 game, and then held on to win by giving up one in each of the final two ends.
They won another 6-5 decision, beating Tyson Williamson from Regina in an extra end. Himmelspach trailed 3-1 entering the seventh end, but scored four to take a 5-3 lead. Williamson responded with two in the eighth to tie the game at fives, and send the match-up to an extra end. Himmelspach scored one to take the game.
Himmelspach’s rink was relegated to the C event in a 7-5 loss to Regina’s Jason Ackerman. Ackerman scored three in the fifth and two in the sixth to take a 7-3 lead. Himmelspach cut the deficit in half with two in the seventh, but that was all the offence they could muster.
Facing elimination, Himmelspach’s rink responded with two more wins. First up was an 8-5 win over Saskatoon’s Jesse St. John. St. John had an early 4-0 lead, but Himmelspach scored three in the third and stole one in the fourth to tie. Each team scored once over the next three ends, and then Himmelspach scored three in the eighth for the win.
Then they defeated Regina’s Kevin Fetsch by a 5-3 score. Himmelspach led 3-0 through three ends, and while Fetsch closed to within a point late in the game, Himmelspach put the match away with one in the eighth.
Team Himmelspach’s tournament came to an end in a 6-3 loss to Regina’s Ben Gamble. Gamble qualified for the playoffs with the win. Himmelspach led 2-0 after two ends, but Gamble scored twice in the third and added two more in the fourth for a 4-2 lead. Himmelspach pulled to within one after a single point in the fifth, but Gamble put the game out of reach with points in the sixth and seventh ends.
