News Releases and Current Results

<Jan 15, 2012>

Grassie Wins First Deer Lodge Manitoba Curling Tour Spiel

Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) has won the inaugural edition of the Deer Lodge Curling Club’s January Manitoba Curling Tour Bonspiel. Grassie posted a final game 5-1 victory over Randy Dutiaume-Thistle (Peter Nicholls, Dean Moxham, Wayne Sigurdson).

Team Grassie earned 30 Manitoba Curling Tour rankings points plus $2300 while the finalist finish was worth 25 points and $1300 for Dutiaume.

To reach the final, Dutiaume defeated David Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial (Dennis Bohn, Andrew Irving, Daniel Gagne) 6-2, ending the game with a three on the seventh end. A three on the seventh was also the turning point in the other semi-final as Grassie defeated Jason Gunnlaugson (David Kraichy, Connor Njegovan, Brad Van Walleghem) 7-4.

The semi-finalists earned $800 and added 20 points to their 2012-13 MCT points total.

The quarterfinalists were Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall, Scott Ramsay-Granite, Chris Galbraith-East St Paul, and Scott Madams. The quarter-finalists earned $500 and 15 MCT points.

The next and final MCT event until next fall will be the January 27-29 Gimli Pharmasave Classic.

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<Dec 13, 2011>

New MCT Season Begins as the Old One Ends

While the Manitoba Curling Tour Championships, presented by REMAX professionals  Gord Green and Kristi Green, were played in Morris on the past weekend, the first event  was underway pointing to the next championship season.

In the Thistle Integrity Stakes, David Kraichy skipped his Winnipeg team of Brad Van Walleghem, Matt Johnson and Shane Halliburton to a come from behind win over Kyle Foster’s Arborg entry (Wes Jonasson, Shawn Magnusson, Darcy Jacobs). Trailing 7-2 after four ends, the Kraichy foursome scored on four consecutive ends to win 8-7.

The Kraichy foursome shared $1,200 while Team Foster earned $800. Semi-finalists Dean Dunstone and Murray Woodward cashed cheques of $500 and quarter-finalists Kyle Doering and Jess Franklin picked up $350.

Team Kraichy begins the 2012-13 competition season at the top of the Manitoba Curling Tour’s Men’s Rankings with Foster in second place. Dunstone and Woodward share third place in the rankings and Doering and Franklin share the fifth ranking position.

Meanwhile, the MCT Championship event wrapped up the 2011-12 Tour season.

Men’s Tour champion Rob Fowler and his Brandon team (Allan Lyburn, Richard Daneault, Derek Samagalski) won the title and solidified their hold on #2 position on the Men’s Rankings. The Deer Lodge WIllliam Lyburn team (James Kirkness, Alex Forrest, Tyler Forrest) qualified for the playoff round in the championship and concluded the season as the top ranked Manitoba team. Sean Grassie’s Deer Lodge team (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) retained their third rank position despite not qualifying for the championship playoff round.

Fowler, as champion, and Lyburn & Grassie, as the top teams on the rankings list, all earned Safeway Championship berths.

MCT Women’s champion Chelsea Carey-Morden (Kristy McDonald, Kristen Foster, Lindsay Titheridge) moved from second to first place on the MCT Women’s Ranking list. As the top ranked Women’s team, the Carey foursome secured the MCT Rankings entry into this year’s Scotties championship.

MCT Championship finalist Cathy Overton-Clapham and her Fort Rouge team improved their ranking to #3 behind second ranked Barb Spencer-Fort Rouge.

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<Dec 12, 2011>

Team Carey Wins MCT Title and Scotties Berth

Chelsea Carey and her Morden team (Kristy McDonald, Kristen Foster and Lindsay Titheridge) won their second consecutive Manitoba Curling Tour Championship and the team’s third in four years with a 5-4 win over Cathy Overton Clapham-Fort Rouge Sunday in Morris. Team Carey, with Selena Kaatz subbing for Kristen Foster on the final day, is pictured with REMAX professionals Gord Green and Kristi Green, presenting sponsors of the championship.

In a tie game coming home between two of Manitoba’s top 3 women's teams, Carey ran a port with her first rock and made a raise double kill.  Overton Clapham made her draw and Carey ran the same port again to win the game.

By winning the championship, Team Carey moved to the top of the MCT Women’s Rankings and put a lock on the Scotties berth available through the new Rankings System. The champion’s prize purse was also $2,500.

Team Carey defeated Jill Thurston-Granite 6-5 in an extra end in the semi-final while Overton-Clapham, whose team earned $1500, beat Joelle Brown-Fort Rouge 5-3 in their semi-final. The two semi-finalist teams each cashed cheques for $1,000.

The three quarter-finalists, Darcy Robertson, Karen Rosser, and Barb Spencer and their teams each had $500 paydays.

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<Dec 12, 2011>

Fowler Foursome Tops MCT Championship, Earns Safeway Berth

Rob Fowler and his Brandon team of Allan Lyburn, Richard Daneault and Derek Samagalski won the Manitoba Curling Tour Championship Sunday afternoon in Morris, defeating former Manitoba champion Randy Dutiaume 5-3 in the final. The members of Team Fowler  are pictured with REMAX professionals Gord Green and Kristi Green, presenting sponsors of the championship.

Team Fowler earned the champion’s prize of $2,500 along with a Safeway Championship berth as the MCT Champion.

Team Dutiaume (Peter Nicholls, Dean Moxham, Wayne Sigurdson) cashed a cheque for $1,500.

The semi-finalist teams of David Hamblin-Morris, who lost 7-6 to Fowler, and David Bohn – Assiniboine Memorial, who lost 4-1 to Dutiaume, both picked up $1,000 for the weekend.

Quarter-finalists William Lyburn-Deer Lodge, who was the defending champion, Dave Elias-West Kildonan, James Scott-Fort Rouge, and Randy Neufeld–La Salle all earned $500.

Lyburn and his Deer Lodge team (James Kirkness, Alex Forrest, Tyler Forrest) also topped the  MCT Rankings for the season. They were in first place in the rankings going into the championship with such a lead that no team could catch them. Team Lyburn earned the MCT #1 Rankings berth into the Safeway Championship in Dauphin.

Fowler’s championship solidified his team’s hold on the second ranking position. As Fowler earned the champion’s berth, #3 Sean Grassie and his Deer Lodge foursome (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) grabbed the final MCT berth into the provincial championship.

Despite not qualifying at the MCT championship, Team Grassie held their third ranked position as other contenders fell short of qualifying in Morris as well.

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<Dec 5, 2011>

MCT Announces New Sponsorship

The Manitoba Curling Tour Men’s and Women’s sponsorships will be sponsored December 8-11 in Morris by REMAX professionals Gord & Kristi Green under a one-year sponsorship agreement which includes terms for future renewal.

Long-time Manitoba competitor Gord Green and his daughter Kristi are well recognized among Manitoba curlers. Billing themselves as ‘amateur curlers but professional realtors, Gord Green says they are pleased to support the efforts of the Manitoba Curling Tour to provide a coordinated focus for competitive curling in Manitoba.

”The Manitoba Curling Tour provides the competitive opportunity for Manitoba’s competitors who want to play at a high level but who are unable to travel to the larger events outside the province, often due mainly to work and family obligations,” Green says. “We are especially pleased with the move to provide greater incentive for teams to support Manitoba club bonspiels which has resulted from the decision this year to provide additional provincial championship berths through the MCT championships.”

While there has been a traditional entry into the Safeway Championship for the highest finishing eligible team at the Men’s MCT championship, this year there will be an additional two Safeway berths awarded after the MCT Championship when the final Rankings are tallied.

Currently #1 William Lyburn, #2 Rob Fowler, #3 Sean Grassie and #4 Vic Peters have the inside track to earn the Rankings berths. However several other teams also have a chance based on results at the MCT Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Bonspiel and the MCT Championship, itself.
In addition, any of the 16 teams in the championship who are eligible can win a Safeway spot by winning in Morris.

On the Women’s side, #2 Chelsea Carey has the inside track on the one available Scotties berth. #1 Barb Spencer and #3 Michelle Montford have already pre-qualified for the provincial championship. #4 Kim Link, #5, Janet Harvey, and #6 Joelle Brown all have a chance at the Scotties berth, as well, depending on the results in Morris.

The new sponsorship of REMAX professionals Gord & Kristi Green augments the long-time support of Asham Curling Supplies and Labatt Manitoba.

The invitation list for the 16 team triple knockout MCT Championships will be finalized after events this weekend in Dauphin and Beausejour. Lyburn, Fowler, and Grassie have all confirmed their participation in the Men’s event as have Spencer, Carey, Montford, Liink, Harvey, and Brown.

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<Dec 5, 2011>

Gedak Wins Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Spiel, Galbraith Moves into #5 in MCT Rankings

With a 7-2 final game victory, Brent Gedak (SK) won the 2011 Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Bonspiel over Chris Galbraith and his East St Paul team. With the win Gedak won $8,000 and moved to #17 on the Manitoba Curling Tour’s Men’s Ranking.

Galbraith and his team pocketed $5000 and jumped to #5 on the MCT Rankings, in contention for the MCT Rankings berth still available after the conclusion of the MCT Championship, presented by REMAX professionals Gord & Kristi Green, which begins Thursday in Morris.

Top ranked William Lyburn and his Deer Lodge are confirmed as the first MCT berth recipient as the other teams will not be able to pass the Lyburn foursome no matter how they perform at the Championship. Yet to be determined is whether Team Lyburn earns the Champions berth or the MCT #1 rank berth.

In Dauphin, Gedak was a 6-1 winner over Rob Van Kommer-Carberry in the semi-final while Galbraith defeated Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall by an 8-6 score. Both Van Kommer and Kolomaya picked up $3500 for their efforts.

Qualifiers Joey Witherspoon-Fort Rouge, Brock Virtue (AB), defending champion Rae Kujanpaa-Dauphin, and Randy Bryden (SK) earned $2500.

The final invitations for the MCT Championship have been based on the Dauphin results. The final rankings and the draw for the MCT Championship will be published Tuesday, December 6.

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<Dec 4, 2011>

Rosser Wins Beausejour, MCT Pre-Championship Rankings Finalized

A 3-1 final game victory for Karen Rosser-Springfield (Cheryl Reed, Stacey Fordyce, Brenna Philp) over Linda Stewart-West Kildonan (Amanda Tycholis, Kristie Moroz, Jennifer Clark-Rouire) in the Beausejour Thrifty Car Wash Curling Classic has earned Rosser the $1,300 first prize in the ten-team event and moved her team into 8th place on the Manitoba Curling Tour Women’s Rankings.

Stewart earned $1,000 in cash and moved up to #15 on the MCT Rankings with her finalist finish. Semi-finalists Shannon Birchard-Victoria, with a 6-4 loss to Rosser, and Kelsey Boettcher-Stonewall, with an 8-5 loss to Stewart, both earned $600.

The Beausejour event was the final one before the MCT Championship, presented by REMAX professionals Gord & Kristi Green, which begins Thursday, December 8 in Morris.

The MCT Ranking list’s top eight Women’s teams have all confirmed entry into the championship. The Ranking, which will be used to seed the Championship draw, has   Barb Spencer-Fort Rouge, at #1 after winning the Stonewall and Morris bonspiels on back-to-back weekends.

Spencer, #3 Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial, and #7 Cathy Overton Clapham (Fort Rouge) have already earned Scotties provincial berths. Of the others in the Championship, only #5 Janet Harvey-Assiniboine Memorial has a chance to move to the top of the rankings to earn the Scotties provincial berth available through the Manitoba Curling Tour. To accomplish that, Harvey must win the championship while Carey fails to qualify for the playoff round.

An even dozen teams have confirmed intent to participate in the MCT Championship event. A maximum field of 16 teams will be confirmed by Monday evening, December 5.

<Nov 30, 2011>

Lyburn, Spencer Top the Rankings - Championship Invitation Process Underway

With a week to go, the invitation process has begun for the Manitoba Curling Championships, presented by REMAX professionals Gord & Kristie Green,  to be held December 8-11 in Morris. The top 16 teams on each of the Men’s and Women’s rankings will be invited with teams further down the rankings waiting for invitations based on opportunity after those teams say yes or no.

The ranking positions were solidified by the results in the Morris DEKALB SuperSpiel last weekend but will await the results in the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy ‘Spiel (Men’s GOLD) and the Beausejour Thrify Carwash Bonspiel (Women’s SILVER) this weekend.

William Lyburn’s Deer Lodge team solidified its hold on first place in the Manitoba Curling Tour Rankings with their finalist finish to Saskatchewan’s Braeden Moskowy at last weekend’s DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris.

Rob Fowler’s Brandon team qualified for the playoff round and retained second place in the rankings.

Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge, with a semi-final finish moved into third place ahead of #4 Vic Peters-Fort Garry who did not qualify. Dean Dunstone-Rossmere did not compete in Morris but retains 5th place in the rankings.

The Champion Moskowy team pocketed $10,000 while Lyburn earned $6,000. Semi-finalists Grassie and Daniel Birchard-Pembina earned $3,000 while the qualifiers picked up $2,000.

(Lyburn 151.875 pts, Fowler 118.125 pts, Grassie 105 pts pts, Peters 97.875 pts, Dunstone 87.25 pts)

Champion Moskowy, Daniel Birchard –Pembina (semi final), Dean North-Carman (qualifier) David Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial (qualified with Jason Gunnlaugson throwing last stones), and Carl DeConinck-Smith-SK (qualifier) all moved up the rankings.

In the Women’s Rankings, Barb Spencer-Fort Rouge moved into top spot with her championship run at the Morris DEKALB. It was Spencer’s second championship in a row, after her win the week before in Stonewall. Chelsea Carey-Morden qualified, but did not gain enough points to retain the top spot.

Behind #2 Carey, Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial and Kim Link-East St Paul qualified and moved up to #3 & #4 ranking respectively. Joelle Brown-Fort Rouge, who did not qualify, drops to #5 rankings.
 (Spencer 130 Pts, Carey 128.5 pts, Montford 95 pts, Link 94.5 pts, Brown 89.5 pts)

Finalist Lisa DeRiviere makes her first appearance on the MCT Rankings. Semi-finalist Jill Thurston and Cathy Overton-Clapham & qualifiers Janet Harvey and Michelle Montford all improved their ranking positions as well.

 Spencer’s win earned her team $8,000 while the DeRiviere team’s first payday of the season was a good one at $4,800. Semi-finalists Overton-Clapham and Jill Thurston each earned  $2,400 while the qualifiers picked up $1,600.

The Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy bonspiel next weekend for the Men and the Beausejour Thrifty CarWash Classic for the Women wind up the portion of the season which provides eligibility for the championships.  Dauphin is a GOLD level event with 45 points for winning while Beausejour is a SILVER (30 points). THE MCT Championship Events are both GOLD (45 points to the winner)

With these two events left on each of the Men’s and Women’s schedules, teams in the top 20 can still win Safeway and Scotties Berths, especially with a top performance in both events.

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