Rennie, Howard lead Jr. curling field

Cathlia Ward (blue) looks on as Melissa Menzies and Emily MacRae of Team Howard guide a rock down the ice.

Jon Rennie and Ashley Howard remained unbeaten Monday at the Lounsbury Provincial Junior Curling Championships – but they had to survive tough challenges to do so.

Rennie downed Josh Barry of the Riverside and Fredericton Curling Clubs 9-7 in the afternoon draw at Moncton’s Curling Beausejour before cruising past Riverside’s Josh Pye 10-4 in the late draw. Howard took an early 8-3 win against Thistle-St. Andrews’s Jessica Daigle in the morning before ecking out a 6-4 victory over Capital Winter Club-mates Cathlia Ward 6-4

Ward kept the game wide open, removing rocks as soon as they were put into play in most ends and ensuring neither team could post high-scoring ends.  With the game tied at 4 in the eighth end, however, Howard took a point after Ward’s final stone wrecked on a guard, then stole another in the ninth when Ward’s attempted double-takeout only removed one stone. Howard ran Ward out of rocks in the tenth.

Howard’s win not only preserved her undefeated record, it also won her the top section of the triple-knockout tournament and guaranteed her at least a semi-final berth.

In Monday afternoon’s other ladies’ action, Brittani Jeans (Gage) beat Jennifer Armstrong (Riverside) 8-3 after Armstrong’s attempted in-off in the seventh raised Jeans ‘s stone into the rings instead, allowing the capital area squad to steal 3. Daigle beat the host club’s Sarah Ronalds 9-3.

In the morning draw, Howard never let Daigle get going, keeping the Saint John side from scoring more than a point an end during an 8-3 victory. Elsewhere, Ronalds beat Tyler Parmiter (Gage) 9-3, Armstrong beat Kaleigh Barry (Fredericton) 9-5, and Ward downed Jeans 7-5.

On the mens’ side, Rennie’s evening contest against clubmates Pye was close until the ninth end, when Pye missed his last shot to give up a steal of four. Handshakes ensued.

Barry’s game against Evan MacKnight (Capital) game down to the tenth end, when MacKnight’s came up short on a draw that had to sit shot. Barry took two points and a 7-5 without having to throw his final stone.

Dmitiri Makrides (Capital) downed Zac Blanchard (Thistle) 8-6 and Andrew Trites (Sackvile) beat Scott Babin (Dalhousie) 10-7. Blanchard (1-3) and Babin (1-3) were eliminated from the tournament after their third loss.

Chris MacRae of Team Rennie calls on sweepers Andrew Perrin and Tyler Millican. (Photo by Sean Thompson)

Rennie got out to a quick lead in his afternoon game against Josh Barry, scoring 3 in the first end and taking a 7-1 lead after four ends. But Barry battled back – making a hit for two in the fifth, a draw to the button for 1 in the sixth, and, after conceding two in seven, scoring three in eighth to make the score 9-7.

Rennie, however, was able to keep Barry off the scoreboard by blanking the ninth and running him out of stones in the tenth. The win ensures Rennie at least a semi-final berth.

Elsewhere, Pye beat Babin 6-4 and MacKnight breezed by Blanchard 9-2.

Play continues Tuesday with four draws at Curling Beausejour. The men curl at 11:30, with a re-match between Josh Barry (3-1) and Rennie (4-0), with Rennie able to clinch a spot in the final with a win. Trites (1-2) plays MacKnight (2-2) and Makrides (1-2) takes on Pye (2-2) in elimination matches.

The ladies take the ice at 8:00 AM as Howard (3-0) plays Jeans (2-1), Parmiter (0-2) faces Armstrong (1-2), Ward (2-1) takes on Daigle (2-1), and Kaleigh Barry (0-2) faces Armstrong (1-2). The ladies play again at 3:00, with the match-ups to be determined. Both sexes will play in tonight’s 8:30 PM draw.

Both championships will be determined Wednesday. The New Brunswick Beacon will live blog all possible championship draws, at 9:00 AM, 2:00 PM (if necessary), and 7:00 PM (if necessary).

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Posted by Sean Thompson on Dec 29, 2009. Filed under Uncategorized. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0. Both comments and pings are currently closed.