The Kootenay Savings Super League wrapped up its regular season last week with Team Bedard Excavating looking to get back a share of top spot in the league standings.
Team Bedard, skipped by Deane Horning, could mathematically tie for first place. A win over van Yzerloo and a Myron Nichol loss would result in a three-way tie for first place among the teams, but unfortunately for Horning, neither of those transpired.
Horning waged a back-and-forth affair with Team Bill Van Yzerloo. Van Yzerloo were forced to take one in the first, stole a single in the second on a measurement, and were looking for another steal in the third, before Horning executed a perfect long angle raise takeout to the pot for three.
Both skips made double takeouts for two, to retake the lead respectively, in the next two ends for a slight Bedard 5-4 advantage. Staring at three opposition stones, Van Yzerloo, with his front end sweeping the moment it left his hand, drew to the four foot to tie the game in the sixth, then jumped back in the lead with a seventh end steal. Horning blanked the eighth, and almost made a ridiculous long double raise take-out for three in the eighth, just kissing the second guard for a Van Yzerloo steal. Team Van Yzerloo survived a hectic 10th end to preserve the 7-5 win.
Team Myron Nichol and Team Darrin Albo, skipped by Dennis Schlender played a close to the vest game for the first three ends, tied 1-1. Skip Myron made a delicate come around tap for two in the fourth, then stole two more in the fifth, when Dennis’s last rock raise tap overcurled. Team Albo closed the gap with a deuce in the sixth, but couldn’t get any closer, as Nichol responded with a deuce of their own, leading to an 8-4 victory.
Team Brian Lemoel jumped on Team Sitkum IT, skipped by Nando Salviulo, early with two deuces and a steal of one in the first four ends to lead 5-1. Nando drew to the four-foot for one in the fifth, then closed within one of Lemoel after making a nice hit and roll behind cover to steal two in the sixth. Both teams were forced to take singles with their hammers in the seventh and eighth, then Lemoel gave himself some breathing room with a delicate come around tap for two in the ninth. Down three with the hammer, Sitkum looked to be building a good end in the 10th before Lemoel made a perfect double-takeout to run Sitkum out of rocks and preserve the 8-5 triumph.
Team Heather Nichol were in tough against Team Ken Fines, with Fines jumping out to a 4-0 lead after two. The Senior Ladies got on the board with a deuce in the third, then closed to within one, when skip Heather made the shot of the game, a long raise tap against four, for a steal of one. Team Fines started to pull away with a three in the fifth, followed by steals in the sixth and ninth to extend the lead to a handshaking 11-5 Fines win.
Team Van Yzerloo and Team Myron Nichol ended the regular season tied with 22 points, but first place was awarded to Van Yzerloo by virtue of his two head-to-head wins over Nichol.
The Kootenay Savings Super League playoffs start tonight at 7 p.m., and continue for the next three weeks.
Final Regular Season Standings
1 - Van Yzerloo 22 pts
2 - M Nichol 22
3 - Bedard (Horning) 18
4 - Fines 14
5 - Albo 13
6 - Sitkum (Salviulo) 12
7 - Lemoel 8
8 - H Nichol 2