The Kootenay Savings Super League was back on the ice following the holidays with one of the top teams being pushed to the limit by the Junior Men’s rink.
Team Horning was in tough against Justin Umpherville and the Junior Mens foursome. The teams traded singles to start the game, then Horning, looking to put up a big end, was drawing into the house with his first to lay four, but the front end overswept it, setting up Umpherville to make the perfect hit and roll, frozen for shot stone on the button, which Horning couldn’t remove for a Junior Mens steal. Horning blanked the fourth ,secured a deuce in the fifth, and was looking to steal the sixth with three stones biting around the four foot, but Umpherville calmly executed a light come around tap and roll to sit shot rock.
After the teams traded singles again, Umpherville made his only mistake in the game, attempting a draw to lay two in the ninth, his rock overcurled, spilling a guard just enough to allow Horning a takeout with his last stone to lay two. Umpherville couldn’t manufacture two in the 10th, allowing Horning to escape with an exciting 6-5 win.
Castlegar Hyundai took on the Myron Nichol rink, who were bolstered with the arrival of Barry Marsh, as the Nichol team gears up for the Kootenay Senior playdowns this weekend in Kimberley.
Nichol was up 3-2 after three ends, but started to pull away in the fourth with a steal of two. Hyundai skip Rob Norbert made a nice hit and roll to get two back in the fifth. After Skip Nichol came through a port to take-out the Hyundai shot rock in the sixth to lie three, Norbert couldn’t navigate the same port, crashing on the guard, leaving Nichol a free draw for four. The teams traded deuces in the seventh and eighth, then shook hands for an 11-6 Nichol win.
Skip Rob Ferguson and Skip Ken Fines made clutch shot after clutch shot with their last rock hammer, keeping the other team from counting a big steal. Team Ferguson was leading 4-3 after six when Fines’ attempted triple run back take-out to lay three overcurled, allowing Fergie a draw for two. Team Fines was forced to take one in the eighth, then watched as Ferguson made a double take-out for three in the ninth and a 9-4 Ferguson win.
Team Ferguson with Rob as skip, Brian LeMoel third, Don Bedard second and Terry Bublitz as lead will also participate in the Kootenay Senior Mens playdowns in Kimberley this weekend.