News Releases and Current Results

Dec 13, 2015>

Lyburn Wins 25^th Anniversary Manitoba Curling Tour Men’s Championship

Twenty-five curling seasons after Vic Peters and his Manitoba champions won the inaugural Manitoba Curling Tour Men’s Championship, William Lyburn’s Granite team of Jason Gunnlaugson, Richard Daneault, and Braden Zawada have won the 2015 MCT Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. The event was played December 11-13 in Dauphin.

Lyburn posted a 4-3 victory, with a final end last rock draw to the eight foot circle to defeat Alex Forrest-East St. Paul (Travis Bale, Ian MacMillan, Connor Njegovan).

Lyburn and his team won the championship’s $2,500 first prize. Team Forrest picked up $2,000 and the Viterra provincial championship berth which goes to the highest finishing eligible team. Lyburn and his team already had a provincial men’s berth in hand.

In the semi-finals, Lyburn defeated Scott Ramsay-Granite (7-3) while Forrest defeated David Bohn-Granite (6-1). The semi-finalists each earned $1,500. Team Bohn had already earned an entry into the Viterra Championship in Selkirk through the CTRS process while Ramsay’s semi-final finish earned his team a Viterra invitation.

Quarterfinalists Matt Dunstone-Granite and Dennis Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial picked up the final two provincial berths as a result of their final MCT ranking positions. The other two quarterfinalists were Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall and Richard Muntain-Pinawa. The quarterfinalists all picked up $1,000 cheques.

Montford Wins 20^th Anniversary Manitoba Curling Tour Women’s Championship

The Manitoba Curling Tour’s Women’s championship, an event which started five years after its men’s counterpart, was won Sunday in Dauphin by Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (Lisa DeRiviere, Sara Van Walleghem, Sarah Neufeld). Montford defeated clubmate Joelle Brown 4-3 in the final.

In the semi-finals, Brown defeated Darcy Robertson-Rossmere (7-4) and Montford beat Beth Peterson-Fort Rouge (5-2). Robertson and Peterson each earned $1500.

A pair of Dauphin teams, the Tiffany McLean and Melissa Barsewsky foursomes reached the quarterfinals.

The Montford, Brown, and Robertson teams all earned Manitoba Curling Tour invitations to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in January 2016 in Beausejour.

In the semi-finals, Brown defeated Darcy Robertson-Rossmere (7-4) and Montford beat Beth Peterson-Fort Rouge (5-2). Robertson and Peterson each earned $1500.

A pair of Dauphin teams, the Tiffany McLean and Melissa Barsewsky foursomes reached the quarterfinals.

The Montford, Brown, and Robertson teams all earned Manitoba Curling Tour invitations to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in January 2016 in Beausejour.

 

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Dec 10, 2015>

Field & Draws Set for MCT Championships 

The draw has been finalized for the Manitoba Curling Tour Championships to be played in Dauphin, December 11-13, 2015. Eight of the top nine ranked teams on the men’s side of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries are among the 14 teams who will be competing for the championship.

 

Last weekend’s final event, the Thistle Integrity Stakes, resulted in some small changes in the Men’s rankings which could play a key role in teams earning a provincial championship berth through the MCT Championship.

 

Matt Dunstone’s Granite team posted a final game 3-2 win over clubmate Taylor McIntyre  to win the Thistle Integrity Stakes championship, the $2100 first prize and valuable MCT points which moved the former junior champion into the #3 ranked position (up from #6). McIntyre remains at #2 behind top-ranked Daley Peters-East St. Paul who did not compete on the weekend.

 

McIntyre, who earned $1350 at Thistle, is the only team in the top eight who will not compete in the MCT Championship event.

Semi-finalists Derek Oryniak-Granite and Scott Ramsay-Granite each cashed $750 cheques. Oryniak moved into the top 15 for the first time, finishing the fall season at #11 in the rankings. Ramsay improved from #7 and moved into a tie with Carberry’s Kelly Marnoch at #6.

 

Eighth ranked Dennis Bohn and #9 Alex Forrest did not play in the Thistle event. The quarterfinalists were Andrew Irving-Pembina and Bob Sigurdson-Granite who each earned $500.

 

The draw for the MCT Championship event is seeded based upon the teams ranking after Thistle. Teams who have accepted the invitation to compete, their seeding, and their first game opponents are:

9AM FRIDAY

#4 Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall vs #13 Greg Todoruk-Dauphin
#5 Scott Ramsay-Granite vs #12 Ray Baker-Dauphin
#8 Alex Forrest-East St. Paul vs #9 William Lyburn-Granite
** First draw bye - #1 Daley Peters-East St. Paul
** First draw bye - #2 David Bohn-Granite

NOON FRIDAY

#3 Matt Dunstone-Granite vs #14 Jerry Chudley-Neepawa
#6 Kelly Marnoch-Carberry vs #11 Richard Muntain-Pinawa
#7 Dennis Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial vs #10 Curtis McCannell-Pilot Mound

 

In the Women’s MCT Championship, a ten team field will compete for the title and the provincial championship berth which goes to the highest finishing eligible team.

 

The Women’s rankings in the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries were not affected by the Thistle Integrity Stakes. Former provincial champions and sisters Darcy Robertson and Barb Spencer finished the fall season in a tie for first place in the rankings.

Spencer already has a provincial Scotties berth and will not compete in Dauphin, giving Robertson the top seed position in the women’s draw. Third ranked Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial and fifth ranked Kim Link-East St. Paul round out the top three seeds in the women’s event.

NOON-FRIDAY
#7 Lisa Menard-Dauphin vs Stacey Sime-Dauphin (unranked)
#8 Tiffany McLean-Dauphin vs Melissa Barsewsky-Dauphin (unranked)

 

3PM-FRIDAY
#3 Kim Link-East St. Paul vs #6 Janet Harvey – Assiniboine Memorial
#4 Michelle Wiens (Montford)-Assiniboine Memorial vs #5 Beth Peterson-Fort Rouge

 

6PM-FRIDAY
#1 Darcy Robertson-Rossmere vs Winner Menard/Sime
#2 Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial vs Winner McLean/Barsewsky.

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Dec 1, 2015>

Team McIntyre Wins Men’s Sunova Spiel at East St. Paul

TOP TEN - MCT MEN’S RANKING (November 30 – Week 10)
Rank	Skip Name	Home Club	Ranking Points* (5 Events)	$$$ Winnings**
1	Daley Peters	East St Paul	162	$9800
2	Taylor McIntyre***	Granite	154	$7225
3	David Bohn	Granite	136	$5900
4	Jared Kolomaya***	Stonewall	127	$3625
5	Kelly Marnoch	Carberry	107	$2050
6	Matt Dunstone	Granite	100	$6300
7	Scott Ramsay	Granite	99	$2900
8	Dennis Bohn	Assiniboine Memorial	96	$5500
9	Alex Forrest	East St. Paul	80	$7400
10	Kody Hartung	Langenberg, SK	78	$12,400
11	William Lyburn***	Granite	64	$2400
11	Curtis McCannell	Pilot Mound	64	$2500
13	Rob Atkins	Charleswood	62	$1000
13	Reid Carruthers	East St. Paul	62	$15,400
13	Charley Thomas	Calgary, AB	62	$12,500
16	Steen Sigurdson		60	$1200
16	Braden Calvert	Deer Lodge	60	$2050

 

Clark-Rouire Foursome Wins Women’s Sunova Spiel at East St. Paul

Jennifer Clark-Rouire’s Granite team (Rachel Burtnyk, Lindsay Warkentin, Kylee Calvert) defeated Lisa Menard-Dauphin (San Murata, Lesle Cafferty, Laurie Macdonell, Brandi Oliver) 4-3 to win the $2600 first prize in the East St. Paul Sunova Spiel’s women’s division and with the win moved to #4 on the women’s rankings list of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Team Menard earned $1800 and moved into the top 15 for the first time. At #14. The Menard team will earn an invitation to the MCT Championship in their home club, Dauphin, December 11-13.

Bonspiel organizer Kim Link was unable to hold onto the top ranking position, falling to #5. Semi-finalist Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial earned $1200 and improved on the rankings list to #3 (up from #7). The other semi-finalist, Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial, moved up from #3 into a first place tie with quarter-finalist Darcy Robertson-Rossmere (up from #2).

The other quarter-finalist, Kerri Einarson-East St.Paul, improved to #6 on the rankings (up from #8). The two quarter-finalist teams earned $800.

The invitations for the MCT Championship weekend have been extended to the top ranked teams. A total of 12 teams will compete for the championship plus one of three available Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in Beausejour in January 2016.

MCT WOMEN'S RANKING (November 30- Week 10)
RANK	POINTS	TEAM - CLUB	WINNINGS
1	126	Darcy Robertson - Rossmere	$8.090.00
1	126	***Barb Spencer - Assiniboine Memorial	$7,000.00
3	116	Joelle Brown - Assiniboine Memorial	$5,830.00
4	115	Jennifer Clark-Rouire – Granite	$4,940.00
5	113	Kim Link - East St. Paul	$3,870.00
6	110	Kerri Einarson - East St. Paul	$6,325.00
7	104	***Shannon Birchard - St. Vital	$3,095.00
8	96	Michelle Wiens (Montford) - Assiniboine Memorial	$2,750.00
8	96	***Kristy McDonald - Granite	$5.125.00
10	86	Beth Peterson - Fort Rouge	$3,770.00
11	74	Jennifer Jones – St. Vital	$20,400.00
12	72	Janet Harvey - Granite	$1,020.00
13	62	Jill Thurston – Granite	$1,025
14	60	Lisa Menard – Dauphin	$1,990
15	56	Erika Brown - USA	$10,200.00

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<Nov 24, 2015>

Provincial Champs Win DEKALB SuperSpiel Finals

Manitoba’s reigning provincial champions are this year’s champions of the DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris. Reid Carruthers and Jennifer Jones and their teams won the Monday afternoon final games over challengers from out-of-province.

Carruthers and his East St. Paul team (Braeden Moskowy, Derek Samagalski, Colin Hodgson) posted a 6-2 final game win over Charley Thomas and his Alberta team to win the 8th annual event. Carruthers and his team earned $10,000 while the Thomas foursome cashed a cheque for $6,000. The two teams move into the top 15 on the men s rankings for the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

The two teams share the 13th place in the rankings.

Semifinalists Dennis Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial (6-4 loss to Carruthers) and Gustav Eskilsson-SWE (4-3 loss to Thomas) each won $3,0000. Bohn moved to #7 on the MCT rankings (up from #8) while Eskilsson and his team make their first appearance on the MCT list.

The four quarter-finalist picked up $2,000 each. Matt Dunstone-Granite moved to #5 on the rankings list (up from #7); Alex Forrest-East St. Paul improved to #9 (up from #12); William Lyburn-Granite moved to #11 (up from #14); and at #24, Mike McEwen-Fort Rouge moved into the top 25 for the first time.

Despite not qualifying for the playoffs in Morris, Daley Peters-East St. Paul, Taylor McIntyre-Granite, Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall, and David Bohn-Granite retained the top four ranking positions respectively.

 
*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

 In the Women’s final Jennifer Jones-St. Vtal (Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen) defeated Erika Brown-USA 8-4 to win the final game. Jones took the $10,000 champion’s purse while the Brown team earned $6,000. The championship,  along with a runner-up finish at their only other Manitoba event – the Canad Inns Classic, moved Team Jones to #11 on the MCT Women’s rankings. It is their appearance in the top 15 in 2015.

The Brown foursome’s finalist finish and $6,000 cheque moved them into the 14th ranking position, also their first appearance in the top 15.

Barb Spencer, who lost the semi-final  6-1 to Jones, improved to #3 (from #7) on the MCT Rankings list. Allison Flaxey-ON lost the other semi-final  7-5 to Brown and moved onto the rankings list for the first time at #28. The two semi-finalists each earned $3,000.

The quarter-finalists, who cashed cheques of $2,000, were #2 Darcy Robertson-Rossmere (up from #3); #7 Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial (up from #10); #15 Cathy OvertonClapham-Fort Rouge (first time in the top 15); and Shannon Kleibrink-AB.

Top ranked Kim Link-East St. Paul did not compete but retained the top position.

 
*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
** $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Nov 16, 2015>

Hartung’s Saskatchewan Team Wins Swan River Westood Inn Classic

Kody Hartung and his Langenburg, Saskatchewan team (Jeff Hartung, Tyler Hartung, ClareDeCock) posted an 8-2 victory over Alex Forrest and his East St. Paul foursome (Travis Bale, Ian McMillan, Connor Njegovan) to win Swan River’s Westwood Inn Classic – the week 8 scheduled event on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

The Hartung team shared the $8,000 first prize while Forrest and his crew took home $5,000. Both teams moved into the top 15 on the MCT’s  Men’s rankings with Hartung at #10 and Forrest at #12.

Semifinalist Daley Peters and his East St. Paul team moved back into first place on the rankings list while Curtis McCannell, the other semifinalist, moved up to #8 on the rankings list. It is the Pilot Mound team’s first appearance in the MCT top 10. The two teams each earned $2,500.

Quarterfinalists #5 Scott Ramsay-Granite (up from #6); #6 Kelly Marnoch-Carberry (up from #7);and Saskatchewan teams skipped by Shaun Meachem and Josh Heidt all earned $1,250 cheques.  Meachem and Heidt make their first appearances on the MCT rankings list, tied in the 28^th ranking.

 

 i*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

On the MCT’s Women’s rankings on the past weekend, Kim Link-East St. Paul and her team moved alone into first place on the ranking (formerly tied) when they reached the final of CurlManitoba’s Scotties berth bonspiel in Gimli. Team Link lost the game (7-5), and the berth, to Shannon Birchard-St Vital (Nicole Sigvaldason, SheynaAndries, Mariah Mondor, Coach Bruce Birchard). Team Birchard moved into #2 spot on the rankings list (up from #8).

 

Darcy Robertson’s Rossmere team lost the semi-final but moved up to #3 (from #5) on the rankings list. #4 Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (down from being tied for #1) and #5 Kerri Einarson-East St. Paul & Kristy McDonald-Granite (tied, down from #3) did not compete in the event.

 *Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
** $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

The next event on the Manitoba Curling Tour Men’s and Women’s calendar is the 64 team (32 Men, 32 Women) DEKALB SuperSpiel, to be played in the Morris Curling Club and Rosenort Arena, November 19-23.

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<Nov 10, 2015>

Peters Wins Rossmere Ken Kurbis Memorial Galaxy Spiel

Daley Peters and his East St. Paul foursome (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stuart Shiells) defeated Taylor McIntyre-Granite to complete an undefeated run through the Rossmere Ken Kurbis Memorial Galaxy Bonspiel presented by Fort Garry Industries. It was the second championship of the season on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, following an earlier victory in the Fort Rouge KKP Classic.

The 6-3 win helped the Peters team retain the second place ranking on the MCT Men’s list, a mere two points behind McIntyre. Peters picked up $1,800 while McIntyre’s payday was $1300.

Quarterfinalists Dennis Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial and Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall each earned $1000. Kolomaya retained his fourth ranked position (behind #3 David Bohn-Granite) while Dennis Bohn’s team improved their ranking to #8 (up from #15).

Scott Ramsay-Granite, with three wins, improved from #7 to #6 on the rankings, pushing Kelly Marnoch to #7. Fifth ranked Matt Dunstone-Granite and Marnoch did not compete in the Rossmere event.

Quarterfinalists Ryan Hyde-Portage and Tyler Drews-Fort Rouge each cashed cheques for $700. Hyde makes his first appearance on the rankings list, moving in to the top 30. Drews improved to #11, tied with Rob Atkins-Charleswood and William Lyburn-Granite. Richard Muntain is ranked 14^th on the MCT rankings, in a tie with Saskatchewan’s Steve Laycock.

Based on end-of-season rankings, teams will receive an invitation to compete in the MCT Championship at Dauphin Curling Club, December 11-13. In addition to the primary sponsorship of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the MCT appreciates the valued support of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy and other local Dauphin sponsors as well as Asham Curling Supplies and ReMax professionals Gord & Kristi Green.

Next on the Manitoba Curling Tour are the Swan River Westwood Inn Classic (November 13-16) and the DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris & Rosenort (November 19-23)

i*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Oct 27, 2015>

Birchard Wins Fort Rouge Ladies Classic

 

Shannon Birchard and her St Vital team (Nicole Sigvaldason, Sheyna Andries, Mariah Mondor) defeated Jennifer Clark-Rouire's Granite foursome (Rachel Burtnyk, Lindsay Warkentin, Kylee Calvert) 7-3 to win the final game of the Fort Rouge Ladies Classic, the weekend event on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Team Birchard was 3-0 in the round robin portion of the event and a perfect 6-0 through the weekend competition. Team Birchard cashes a $1,400 winners' cheque to go with the $300 won earlier as the top performing team in the event's shoot-out plus $120 in 'per-win' money.                  

Clark-Rouire scored a 5-3 victory over Touri Koana-JPN while Birchard was beating Kim Link 7-6 in the semifinals. 

The Clark-Rouire team payday was $1,100 (plus $40 for one win) while Link and Koana each earned $800. Link was a perfect 3-0 in round robin play to earn $120 for wins while the Japanese team won a pair of games to earn an added $80. 

Quarterfinalists Janet Harvey (Granite) and Berth Peterson (Fort Rouge) each earned $600 plus $120 for their perfect 3-0 record in round robin play. Joelle Brown (Assiniboine Memorial) picked up $600 plus $80 for two wins and Deb Collyer-Killarney earned $600 plus $40 for a single win. 

The event’s results changed the Manitoba Curling Tour rankings significantly.

 Link (up from #6) moved into a first place tie with Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial and moved Kristy McDonald-Granite and Kerri Einarson back to ‘tied for third’ ranking and Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial back 5th. None of Montford, McDonald, Einarson, or Spencer competed in the weekend event. 

Darcy Robertson-Rossmere stayed in a fifth place tie with Spencer along with Beth Peterson–Fort Rouge (up from #7). 

Birchard’s championship moved her St Vital team up in the rankings from #14 to #8, tied with Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial (up from #9).  

Quarterfinalist Janet Harvey-Granite stayed in the #10 ranking position and just ahead of #11 Jennifer Clark-Rouire-Granite. 

The 16-team event was played in four pools of four teams in a round-robin. Four teams with 3-0 records and two with 2-1 records advanced to the playoff based on their winning record. In two of the pools, three teams finished with 1-2 records, bringing into play the bonspiel's 8-shot tiebreaker. The final two teams to advance based on 'shoot-out results' were Jennifer Clark-Rouire-Granite and Debbie Collyer-Killarney.

The 'shoot-out' was conducted by each team after their first game and included in & out-turn draws to the button through a port, an in & out-turn raise to the button, hit and rolls to the button from each side of the four-foot, and hit and rolls to the button from each side of the 12 foot circle. The shoot-out contest was based on a model employed by Brandon's Neil Andrews Legends Classic. Shannon Birchard's team topped the event with a score of 25 out of a possible 40 points and earned the $300 cheque offered to the winner of the 'shoot-out'.

  *Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Oct 27, 2015>ore

a’s Team Kim Wins Portage Canad Inns Classic

A three on the fourth end and four more on the sixth were their only scores but the seven points were enough for EunJung Kim-Korea to win the Canad Inns Women's Classic final game Sunday in Portage. Team Kim defeated defending champion Jennifer Jones and her St.Vital team 7-6 in the Shaw-TV televised final game. Team Jones reached the final with a 6-5 semifinal victory over Tracey Fleury-NONT while Kim posted a 6-4 win over Michelle Englot-SK.   

Team Kim earned $15,400 (first prize plus $100 per preliminary round win) and moved to #11 on the Manitoba Curling Tour women’s rankings. Team Jones earned $10,400 and moved to #13 on the rankings list. It was the first appearance by the finalist teams in a 2015 event on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

In the semifinals in the Canad Inns Women's Classic in Portage feature Englot defeated Kerri Einarson-East St Paul 7-5 while Fleury defeated Stefanie Lawton-SK 8-3. Englot and Fleury earned $6,400 and $6,300 respectively and share the 15^th ranking position on the Manitoba Curling Tour.

The quarterfinalists were Kerri Einarson-East St Paul, Kristy McDonald-Granite, Stefanie Lawton-SK, and Erika Brown-USA. Einarson and McDonald improved their MCT ranking and continue to share the #2 position (up from #3) behind Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial. Montford missed the playoffs in Portage but the team’s one win was enough to keep them just slightly ahead of Einarson and McDonald in the rankings. Barb Spencer’s four wins were enough to stay in the top five (#4, down from #3) and Darcy Robertson’s Rossmere team won a pair of games. Team Robertson dropped from #2 in the rankings to #5.

The next five in the rankings remain unchanged with Kim Link-East St Paul (#6), Beth Peterson-Fort Rouge (#7), Jill Thurston-Granite (#8), Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial (#9), and Janet Harvey-Granite (#10).

Based on end-of-season rankings, teams will receive an invitation to compete in the MCT Championship at Dauphin Curling Club, December 11-13. In addition to the primary sponsorship of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the MCT appreciates the valued support of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy and other local Dauphin sponsors as well as Asham Curling Supplies and ReMax professionals Gord & Kristi Green.

 *Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Oct 13, 2015

Robertson, Laycock Win Week Four MCT Events

Darcy Robertson and her Rossmere team (Karen Klein, Vanessa Foster, Michelle Kruk) posted a 7-2 victory over Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial (Katie Spencer, Holly Spencer, Sydney Arnal) to win the Atkins Curling Supplies Women’s Classic at East St. Paul. Team Robertson picked up a $4,250 cheque and moved into the number two position on the Manitoba Curling Tour women’s rankings (up from #8).

Spencer took home $2,400 and moved up to #3 on the rankings list tied with Kerri Einarson-East St Paul and Kristy McDonald-Granite who did not compete.

The East St Paul event was the second women’s event of the fall season on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial, winner of the season opening Mother Club Women’s Classic, continues to hold the top spot on the MCT women’s rankings list.

Semi-finalists Kim Link-East St. Paul, who lost 5-2 to Robertson, and Meghan Armit-Granite, who lost 6-4 to Spencer, earned $1,700 and $1,650 respectively. The finish allowed the Link foursome to retain the sixth position in the rankings while Armit moved up the rankings to #11.

Quarterfinalist Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial, Shannon Birchard-St Vital, Jennifer Clark-Rouire and Beth Peterson-Fort Rouge all earned $1,000 plus $50 per win. Peterson is now #7 (down from #5) on the MCT rankings while Brown remains at #9. Birchard and Clark-Rouire moved into the top fifteen, at #12 and #13 respectively.

All earnings figures for the bonspiel include $50 per round-robin win.

Jill Thurston-Granite (#8, down from #4) did not compete in the weekend event. Former bonspiel champion Janet Harvey-Granite (#10, down from #7) won three round-robin games but did not qualify for the playoff round.

*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

In Portage at the Canad Inns Classic, the weekend’s Men’s MCT/WCT event, the Reid Carruthers-East St. Paul team (Braden Moskowy, Derek Samagalski, Colin Hodgson) was the only Manitoba foursome to reach the quarterfinals. The Manitobans were joined by Alberta’s Kevin Koe, Charlie Thomas and Brendan Bottcher; Jeff Hartung and Steve Laycock from Sakatchewan, Brad Jacobs-Northern Ontario, and Japan’s Yasuke Morozumi.

The event was won by Laycock (8-5 over Koe), earning his team $18,000 and moving them to #9 on the MCT rankings. Koe cashed a $10,000 cheque.

Semifinalists Jacobs (8-5 loss to Koe) and Thomas (7-4 loss to Laycock) each earned $6,000 while quarterfinalists Carruthers, Bottcher, Hartung, and Morozmi earned $4,000.

A pair of round-robin victories moved Daley Peters-East St Paul into a tie with Taylor McIntyre at the top of the MCT Men’s rankings list. McIntyre did not compete in the weekend event.

Thanks to round robin victories, Andrew Irving-Pembina moved into the top ten (#10, up from #12), Matt Dunstone-Granite (#4, up from #6) and Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge (unchanged at #7) both improved their rankings and Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall stayed in the top five (#5, down from #4).

David Bohn-Granite (unchanged at #3) and Scott Ramsay-Granite (unchanged at #8) did not compete.

i*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Oct 13, 2015>

Team David Bohn Wins Second ‘Spiel in Two Starts

David Bohn and his Granite team (Justin Richter, Tyler Forrest, Bryce McEwen) posted a 5-3 win over Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge (Kyle Kurz, Connor McIntyre, Colin Kurz, Brendan Wilson) to win the Nott Autocorp Thanksgiving Charity Classic at Thistle. The week three championship matched the week one success of the new David Bohn foursome when they won the Mother Club Classic at Granite.

Bohn and his team earned $2,000 and moved into third place on the MCT Men’s Rankings list for the season. Calvert cashed a $1250 cheque and moved to #7 on the MCT Rankings list.

Semifinalists Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall, who lost 6-3 to Bohn, and Taylor McIntyre-Granite, who lost 5-3 to Calvert, earned $825. McIntyre moved to the top of the MCT Rankings (up from #2) while Kolomaya improved to #4 (up from #5).

Quarterfinalists Eugene Desjarlais-Granite, Derek Oryniak-Granite, Scott Ramsay-Granite, and Steen Sigurdson all earned $400 cheques in the 2o team bonspiel. Ramsay moves to #7 on the rankings while Sigurdson and Oryniak share the 12^th ranked position. Desjarlais’ team makes their first appearance on the season’s rankings list – at #19.

Accumulated rankings across the MCT season earn the teams an invitation to the championships of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

The MCT Championships will be played December 11-13, 2015 in Dauphin. In addition to the valued sponsorship of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the Manitoba Curling Tour acknowledges the support of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, Asham, and ReMax Professionals Gord & Kristi Green.

*     Ranking Points include January-March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Oct 7, 2015>

Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Renews Manitoba Curling Tour Sponsorship

Manitoba Curling Tour (MCT) and Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries (MBLL) are pleased to announce the renewal of the Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries sponsorship of the season long Manitoba Curling Tour and support for the season ending MCT Championships.

Now identified province-wide as the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the MCT coordinates a series of 18 bonspiels in five Winnipeg curling clubs and five clubs in rural Manitoba. The MCT is also responsible for maintaining a ranking of Manitoba’s competitive men’s and women’s teams which leads to the 2015 allocation of four invitations to compete in the provincial men’s curling championship in Selkirk in February 2016, and three invitations to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in Beausejour in January, 2016.

The Men’s and Women’s Championships of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will be hosted by the Dauphin Curling Club, December 11-13, 2015. Invitations to participate are based upon the MCT rankings. The winner, or highest finishing eligible teams, will earn a provincial championship invitation. The remaining provincial invitations will be assigned to the top ranked eligible teams after the championships. 

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<Oct 7, 2015>

CurlManitoba Introduces New Men’s Championship Title Sponsor

CurlManitoba has announced that Viterra Inc. has signed a partnership agreement which will see the grain industry leader become the title sponsor of the Manitoba Men’s Curling Championship for the next 2 years.

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<Oct 5, 2015>

Peters Captures Inaugural KKP Classic Title

Daley Peters and his East St Paul team (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, StuShiells) topped the new KKP Classic bonspiel at Fort Rouge to win the $2,500 first prize and to move up into the first place ranking on the Men’s Manitoba Curling Tour after weekend #2.

The new Fort Rouge event on the second weekend of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries attracted 15 teams and was played in a round-robin, three groups of five format.

Peters defeated Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall (Neil Kitching, Kennedy Bird, Daniel Hunt) 5-3 in the championship final. Kolomaya’s payday was $1500 and the Stonewall team moved to the #5 ranked position on the MCT list.

Semi-finalists Matt Dunstone-Granite (6-1 loss to Kolomaya) and Dennis Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial (5-3 loss to Peters) cashed $1000 cheques. Dunstone’s junior team is now ranked fourth (up from fifth) on the MCT Rankings. Dennis Bohn joined his brother David, winner a week ago at the Mother Club Fall Classic) in the MCT top ten. Dennis moved into a three way tie in the ninth ranked position with Scott Ramsay-Granite and JT Ryan-Assiniboine Memorial. Neither was entered in the KKP Classic.

Taylor McIntyre-Granite, retained the second ranked position by qualifying for the playoff round before losing in the quarterfinal to Bohn (5-4). Andrew Irving-Pembina moved into the top ten and is ranked eighth after losing a quarterfinal to Kolomaya (6-2).

Next on the Manitoba Curling Tour is the Nott Autocorp Thanksgiving Charity Classic at the Thistle Curling Club, on Thanksgiving weekend.

*     Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Sept 28, 2015>

Montford, Bohn Teams Win Season Opener Mother Club Classic

Michelle Montford’s Assiniboine Memorial team captured the championship of the Mother Club Fall Classic with a 10-3 final game victory Sunday over Beth Peterson and her Fort Rouge team. The event at Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club was the first event of the fall season the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

Montford (Lisa DeRiviere, Sara Van Walleghem, Sarah Neufeld, Courtney Blanchard) earned the $2,500 first prize and solidified their hold on first place in the MCT Rankings as the fall season begins. Going into the weekend event, the Montford team already topped the ranked thanks to their performances in the earlier January-March 2015 events.

The finalist finish for Peterson (Robyn Njegovan, Melissa Gordon, BreanneYozenko) moved the 2014-15 Manitoba Junior champion team into the top five of the MCT rankings as they make their move into the women’s ranks for 2015. Team Peterson earned $1,800.

Semi-finalists Kerri Einarson-East St. Paul and Kim Link-East St. Paul each earned$1,250 and moved to second and sixth place on the MCT Women’s rankings respectively.

Defending champion Kristy McDonald-Granite qualified for the playoff round along with Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial, Jill Thurston-Granite and Darcy Robertson-Rossmere. The quarterfinalists earned $800 and all are in the top ten in the early season rankings.

In the Mother Club Fall Classic Men’s division, David Bohn-Granite posted an extra end 4-2 win over Matt Dunstone-Granite in the final game. Bohn (Justin Richter, Tyler Forrest, Bryce McEwen) also cashed a $2,500 first prize cheque to start the season while Dunstone (Colton Lott, Kyle Doering, Robbie Gordon) pocketed $1,800. Bohn and Dunstone start the seasons ranked fourth and fifth respectively on the MCT Rankings thanks to their Mother Club Classic results.

Semifinalists Scott Ramsay-Granite and JT Ryan-Assiniboine Memorial earned $1,250 and share sixth place in the rankings.

Taylor McIntyre’s Granite foursome, winner of a provincial men’s championship berth at a spring qualifying event, reached the playoffs along with Richard Muntain-Pinawa, Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge, and Daley Peters-East St. Paul. The four quarterfinalists earned $800 and also are all in the top 10 in the early season rankings.

Accumulated rankings across the MCT season earn the teams an invitation to the championships of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

The MCT Championships will be played December 11-13, 2015 in Dauphin. In addition to the valued sponsorship of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the Manitoba Curling Tour acknowledges the support of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy, Asham, and ReMax Professionals Gord & Kristi Green.

*Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

*     Ranking Points include January March qualifying events
**   $$$ Winnings are for events beginning September, 2015
*** has a provincial championship berth

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<Sept 23, 2015>

Fort Rouge MCT Spiels Looking for Entries

The KKP Men’s Classic at Fort Rouge (October 2-4) currently has 14 entries and Fort Rouge Manager is encouraging curlers to add the extra pair of entries which the bonspiel needs for a perfect 16-team draw.

For the new Women’s Fort Rouge Women’s Classic, organizer Deb McCreanor would like to see entries get to 16 but needs one more to be at 14, a number that is workable in making the draw.

Interested teams are asked to contact Jeff Hodge ([email protected]) and/or Deb McCreanor ([email protected])  as soon as possible.

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<Sept 13, 2015>

WESTWOOD INN New Sponsor of Swan River Cash 'Spiel

Organizers are welcoming the Westwood Inn as the new title sponsor of the long running fall men’s cash bonspiel in Swan River. The bonspiel will run the weekend of November 13-16, 2015.

The entry fee for the bonspiel is $800 with an entry limit of 24 teams.

With a full entry, cash prizes will be $9,000 (champion), $7,000 (finalist), $4,000 (semifinalist), and $3,000 (quarterfinalist).

The contact person for the bonspiel is Kelly Tibble – (H: 204-734-4161, C: 204-734-0488) Email: [email protected]. Entry cheques can be sent to PO Box 725, Swan River MB R0L 1Z0

Organizers of long-standing event on the cash bonspiel circuit encourage teams to get their entry in as soon as possible to avoid disappointment. The community provides a significant level of sponsorship for the bonspiel and a full entry is an important factor in ensuring the future of the event.

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Change of Venue for January Women’s Cash Event

Assiniboine Memorial and Granite Curling Clubs have announced plans to move the Granite Womens Bonspiel, which they established in January 2015, to Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club (AMCC) for 2016.

The new Assiniboine Memorial Womens Open Bonspiel will be played January 7-10, 2016 at the club which bills itself as ‘The Home of Champions & Championships”.

The move was necessary when previously open ice at Granite was no longer available in 2016.

AMCC looks forward to hosting the event in 2016, and depending upon participation, will give serious consideration to making it a permanent event on the Manitoba curling calendar. The timing of the bonspiel, just ahead of the January 19-24 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, makes it an excellent tune-up opportunity for teams competing in the provincials.

AMCC Manager Paul Batchelor assures participants in the Womens Open Bonspiel they can look forward to great ice, superb hospitality and lively action from recently refurbished striking bands on their rocks. 

For more information on the bonspiel, teams are invited to contact Paul Batchelor by email at [email protected].

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<Aug 13, 2015>

Fort Rouge Announces KKP as Men’s ‘Spiel Title Sponsor

Fort Rouge Curling Club (FRCC) has announced that their inaugural Men’s fall cash spiel will be known as the KKP Classic. The event at Fort Rouge will take place October 2-4, 2015.

FRCC Manager Jeff Hodge announced the title sponsorship of Clark Norman and KKP (formerly Kwik Kopy Printing) with an expression of appreciation to Norman and KKP for continuing support of the club.

“We have always been able to rely of Clark for both volunteer support and corporate support of our club’s activities such as this winter’s Manitoba Senior Championships. So we are delighted to have that support expanded with our new Manitoba Curling Tour event.” Hodge says.

“KKP values its relationship with curling and curlers and we appreciate the support we get from the curlers who are in a position to utilize our printing and sign services,” Norman says. “We appreciate Fort Rouge giving us the opportunity to be a part of a new early season bonspiel which we anticipate can become an important early-season competition.”

Hodge went on to stress that entries have become to come in for the bonspiel so interested teams are advised to make contact soon to avoid disappointment. During the summer months, bonspiel details can be obtained or interest can be expressed by email ([email protected]). Entry fee will be $500 per team.

In addition to the new men's KKP Classic, Fort Rouge will also host a Manitoba Curling Tour Women's event, October 30 to November 1, 2015. Interested teams are encouraged to contact Deb McCreanor. ([email protected])

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<Aug 13, 2015>

Dauphin to Host Manitoba Curling Tour Championships

The Manitoba Curling Tour (MCT) presented by Manitoba Liquor& Lotteries has announced that the annual MCT Men’s and Women’s Championships will be played in Dauphin on the weekend of December 11-13, 2015.

Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy and the Dauphin Curling Club, along with the club’s loyal bonspiel partners, will be major supporters of the championship weekend.

The decision to host the MCT Championship event in Dauphin has been made in tandem with the organizing committee of the long-standing Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Cash ‘Spiel. That annual event will not run in 2015 as organizers consider the future of the event.

“For a couple of years, we have been discussing the future and especially the timing of the bonspiel,” says Bonspiel Chair Ray Baker. “We initiated the discussion about hosting the MCT Championships as a way of maintaining a significant competitive curling presence in Dauphin while we consider future direction for the bonspiel.”

Both the bonspiel committee and Manitoba Curling Tour are delighted with the decision of Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy’s Myles Haverluck to continue a significant sponsorship contribution in support of the Dauphin Curling Club’s efforts to present championship calibre curling in the community.

“We are pleased to be able to help the Dauphin Curling Club host the top Manitoba Curling Tour teams again this winter,” says Haverluck. “It is a privilege for us to be involved with the major expansion of our previous efforts by bringing the top-ranked Manitoba women curlers to Dauphin for the first time along with the competitive men.”

The Manitoba Curling Tour Championships presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will feature 16 men’s teams and a dozen women’s teams playing triple-knockout bonspiel format competitions. The invitation list is based on the season’s team rankings developed over the MCT season involving cash bonspiels across the province as well as CurlManitoba’s competitive qualifying events.

The championships represent the final event of the MCT season. The winner, or highest finishing eligible team, in each of the men’s and women’s events will earn an invitation to compete in CurlManitoba’s provincial championships. The highest ranking teams, after the championships, will also earn provincial championship invitations.

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<May 7, 2015>

TENTATIVE MCT SCHEDULE SET FOR 2015-16

A tentative schedule, with very few changes from 2014-15, has been established for next season’s Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Including two Open events, the MCT schedule includes ten events for men and nine events for women prior to the Manitoba Curling Tour Championships in Mid-December.

Fort Rouge has scheduled new Men’s and Women’s events in October. The new men’s event has been scheduled tentatively on the first weekend of October. In order to make a determination on the potential, Fort Rouge Manager Jeff Hodge requests an indication from men’s teams interested in a Manitoba-level event.

The new Women’s event has been confirmed at Fort Rouge. It will replace the former event in La Salle and will be moved ahead a week to be played on the last weekend in October.

Discussions are on-going in regard to the timing of the Swan River and Dauphin MCT events and the CurlManitoba Safeway Berth Bonspiel.

On the schedule listed on the Schedule page, the Friday-Sunday dates are noted. Some events may begin Thursday evening OR conclude on Monday. Please contact Event organizers directly for details.

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<April 16, 2015>

The new 2015-2016 MCT Schedule is currently being finalized with all of the organizing committee and should be available within the next few months. We have confirmed the following bonspiels and have updated their respctive details under the Schedule link. Please stay tuned for updates as they become available.

• Mother Club Fall Curling Classic (Men's and Ladies)
• DeKalb SuperSpiel (Men's and Ladies)
• Fort Rouge Curling Club (Ladies)

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<January 11, 2015>

McDonald Wins Granite Cash 'Spiel 

Kristy McDonald and her Granite team (Kate Cameron, Raunora Westcott, Leslie Wilson) scored a five on the third end to pave the way to a 9-4 victory over Kerri Einarson-East St Paul (Selena Kaatz, Liz Fyfe, Kristin MacCuish) in the first Granite Ladies January Cash ‘Spiel.  McDonald and her team had also won the Granite's fall cash bonspiel - the Mother Club Classic in September. McDonald's champion's purse was $1,500 while Einarson earned $1,200. (The champions are pictured with Granite President Scott Edmonds)

McDonald defeated Jill Thurston-Granite 6-4 in the semi-final while Einarson was a 7-3 victor over Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial. Thurston and Montford teams each cashed $900 cheques and quarterfinalists Michelle Englot-SK and Janet Harvey-Assiniboine Memorial each picked up $750.

In the 12-team bonspiel, six teams with positive round-robin records advanced to the playoff round. Einarson was the only undefeated team in the bonspiel, winning all three of her preliminary games. Manitoba teams skipped by Montford, Thurston, McDonald and Harvey and Saskatchewan's Englot all advanced with 2-1 records.

The Granite Ladies event featured many of the teams competing in the provincial Scotties Tournament of Hearts later this month. The bonspiel was also the first women's event on the Manitoba Curling Tour rankings for the 2015-16 season.

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<January 5, 2015>

Grassie Begins 2015 With Another Bonspiel Championship  

The Manitoba Curling Tour’s rankings process for the 2015-16 season began with the Deer Lodge Curling Club’s annual first weekend in January Cash Spiel. Being so close to New Year’s Day this year may have been a reason for a small entry but quality of play was still high. Sean Grassie’s Deer Lodge team (Corey Chambers, Stu Shiells and Scott McCamis playing in place of Kody Janzen) needed an extra end for a 5-4 win over Nolan Bradshaw (Justin Twiss, Julien Leduc, Eric Leduc).

Grassie and Bradshaw had finished their five game round robin with equal 4-1 records but Grassie had beaten Bradshaw x in the final round robin game to earn the bye to the three team playoff.

Steen Sigurdson posted a 3-2 round robin record to earn the other semi-final spot with Bradshaw posting a 5-2 victory in that semi-final game.

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<December 15, 2014>

Bohn Foursome Wins MCT Championship & Safeway Berth

David Bohn’s Assiniboine Memorial team (Bryan Galbraith, Dennis Bohn, Larry Solomon) posted an 8-2 victory over Daley Peters-West Kildonan (Brendan Taylor, Taren Gesell, Greg Melnichuk) in the Men’s final game at the Manitoba Curling Tour Championships presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. With the victory, Team Bohn claimed not only the annual MCT Championship but also eligibility for the Safeway provincial men’s championship in Brandon in early February.

Stolen deuces on the first two ends gave Team Bohn an early four point cushion. Peters blanked the next two ends in an attempt to regain the kind of control the team had exhibited in going undefeated through the qualifying round and first two playoff rounds. The Bohn foursome, playing in only their third bonspiel of the season, was not to be denied and went on to win their second championship of the year.

Having played a limited schedule, the Bohn team came into the event needing to win the title to earn a Safeway Championship berth. Peters played the final game of the championship secure in the knowledge that his team had already secured one the Safeway berths available to the top four teams on the MCT’s season-long rankings.

With Peters, MCT rankings invitations to the Safeway Championship were also earned by Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge, Scott Ramsay-Granite, and Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall.

To reach the final, Team Bohn won a semifinal victory over Matt Dunstone-Granite (6-1) and a quarterfinal victory over Steen Sigurdson-Granite (4-3EE).Peters beat Grassie (4-3) in the semifinal and Kolomaya (7-3) in the quarterfinal. Ramsay and William Lyburn-Granite also qualified for the playoff round in the 16-team Men’s Championship but lost in the opening round.

In addition to the available Safeway berth invitations, the championship earned the Bohn team $1,600; Peters earned $1,200; semifinalists Dunstone and Grassie both had $1,000 paydays; and qualifying was worth $800 to Ramsay, Kolomaya, Lyburn and Sigurdson.

In addition to the valued support of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the Manitoba Curling Tour expresses appreciation to Asham Curling Supplies, CurlManitoba, ReMax professionals Gord & Kristi Green, Best Western Plus Winnipeg West, and Shaw TV.

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<December 15, 2014>

Montford Wins MCT Women’s Championship, Ursel-Harvey-McDonald Earn Scotties Entries

Michelle Montford and her Assiniboine Memorial team (Lisa DeRiviere, Sara Van Walleghem, Sarah Neufeld pictured with AMCC Manager Paul Batchelor) went undefeated through the Women’s Manitoba Curling Tour Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, defeating clubmate Barb Spencer (Katie Spencer, Holly Spencer, Sydney Arnal) 5-2 in the final.

When both Montford and Spencer advanced unbeaten to the final game, the host Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club was assured of a double winner as David Bohn and his team had won the men’s title earlier in the day for Assiniboine Memorial.

As the finalists were both already qualified for the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the three Scotties berth invitations had already been awarded earlier in the day. The first berth assigned went to Kristy McDonald and her Granite team who held down the top spot on the MCT Women’s Rankings before the event. Janet Harvey-Assiniboine Memorial earned the second rankings berth by qualifying for the playoff round in the championship.

The third berth was up for grabs in the quarterfinal playoff round. Harvey lost to Kristy Watling-East St Paul (6-2) but Watling’s junior team was ineligible due to age, and the other two semifinalists, Spencer & Montford, did not need the invitation to the Scottie in Winkler.

That meant the spotlight was on Darcy Robertson-Fort Rouge and Terry Ursel-Lansdowne. Ursel won that quarterfinal (8-7) with a last rock draw to the edge of the button on an extra end and picked up the berth awarded to the ‘highest finishing eligible team’.

In the semifinals, Ursel lost to Spencer (9-3) and Watling lost to Montford (6-2).

In addition to the available Scotties berth invitations, the champion Montford team pocketed $1,600; Spencer earned $1,200; semifinalists Ursel and Watling cashed cheques for $1,000; and qualifying was worth $800 to Robertson and Harvey.

In addition to the valued support of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, the Manitoba Curling Tour expresses appreciation to Asham Curling Supplies, CurlManitoba, ReMax professionals Gord & Kristi Green, Best Western Plus Winnipeg West, and Shaw TV.

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<December 9, 2014>

Grassie Foursome Top Seed in MCT Men’s Championship Presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries

Sean Grassie and his Deer Lodge team (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells – with Dennis Bohn subbing for Janzen) won the Thistle Integrity Stakes, the final qualifying event for the 2014 Manitoba Curling Tour Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. The team’s third bonspiel championship of the season, along with earlier victories at the Granite’s Mother Club Classic and the Sunova Spiel at East St. Paul, gave them the top seed position for the MCT championship which begins Friday, December 12 at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club.

In the Thistle final Team Grassie defeated William Kuran-Heather who moved up the rankings list to the 10th position. Semi-finalists Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall and Steen Sigurdson-Granite also improved their championship seed position to 5th and 9th respectively.

With the win, Grassie took the top rankings spot away from Scott Ramsay-Granite, who is seeded #2 for the championship. Steve Irwin’s Brandon foursome is seeded #3 and Matt Dunstone’s Granite junior team rounds out the top four.

The Manitoba Curling Tour Championship gets underway with eight men’s games at 9AM, Friday morning. The draw features top-seed Grassie against the #16 seed clubmate Cliff Beaulieu-Deer Lodge . Other first round games include:

#2 Scott Ramsay-Granite vs #15 David Bohn-Assiniboine Memorial
#3 Steve Irwin-Brandon vs # 14 Justin Stanus-Granite
#4 Matt Dunstone-Granite vs #13 Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge
#5 Jared Kolomaya-Stonewall vs #12 Kelly Marnoch-Carberry
#6 Daley Peters-West Kildonan vs #11 Ray Baker-Dauphin
#7 William Kuran-Heather vs #10 Steen Sigurdson-Granite
#8 Richard Muntain-Pinawa vs #9 William Lyburn-Granite

The  Men’s and Women’s Championships will feature five draws Friday (9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm); four draws Saturday (9am, 12:15pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm); and three draws Sunday (9:30am, 1pm-Men’s final, 4:30pm-Women’s final).

Admission is free at Assiniboine Memorial. Both the Women’s and Men’s finals will be delay-broadcast on Shaw TV (Channel 9 in Winnipeg), on Shaw outlets across Manitoba, and on WCG-TV (Westman Communications Group) in western Manitoba with the Men's game to be aired at 5:00pm and the Women’s final immediately after.

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<December 8,2014>

Draw Announced for MCT Women`s Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries

Three Assiniboine Memorial teams are ranked in the top four teams among the 12 which have accepted invitations to compete in the Manitoba Curling Tour Women`s Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. The event will be hosted by their home club, Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, Dec. 12-14 and will also include two other Assiniboine Memorial teams: Joelle Brown and Rachel Burtnyk, whose Junior team has qualified for the Canola Junior Provincials to be played at Assiniboine Memorial two weeks later.

Top ranked is Barb Spencer and her team who have earned the #1 seed in the championship as the MCT’s season long rankings leader, Kristy McDonald and her Granite team will be playing in the Canadian Open in Yorkton, SK that weekend.

The rest of the top five seeds are Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (#2), Colleen Kilgallen-Roland (#3), Janet Harvey-Assiniboine Memorial (#4) & Kim Link-East St. Paul (#5). Harvey and Link were tied for the fourth ranked position and  Harvey defeated Link in a Sunday evening playoff for the fourth seed position.

Montford, Spencer, Kilgallen, and Harvey have first round byes in the 12-team triple knock out championship. They will play their first games Friday, December 12 at 3:00PM at Assiniboine Memorial against first game winners from the noon draw.

On the noon draw, the game match-ups are:
#5: Kim Link-East St Paul vs #12: Kristy Watling-East St Paul
#6: Kerri Einarson-East St Paul vs #11:Rachel Burtnyk-Assiniboine Memorial
#7: Joelle Brown-Assiniboine Memorial vs #10 Terry Ursel-Lansdowne
#8: Darcy Robertson-Fort Rouge  vs #9: Jennifer ClarkRouire-Carman

The Women’s and Men’s Championships will feature five draws Friday (9am, noon, 3pm, 6pm, 9pm); four draws Saturday (9am, 12:15pm, 3:30pm, 7:30pm); and three draws Sunday (9:30am, 1pm-Men’s final, 4:30pm-Women’s final)

Admission is free at Assiniboine Memorial. Both the Women’s and Men’s finals will be delay-broadcast on Shaw TV (Channel 9 in Winnipeg), on Shaw outlets across Manitoba, and on WCG-TV (Westman Communications Group) in western Manitoba with the Women’s game to be aired at 5:00pm and the Men’s final immediately after.

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<December 2,2014>

Montford Wins First SUNOVA SPIEL AT EAST ST PAUL

Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (Lisa DeRiviere, Sara Van Walleghem, Sarah Neufeld, Courtney Blanchard) defeated clubmate Barb Spencer(Katie Spencer, Holly Spencer, Sydney Arnal) 7-5 to win the inaugural edition of The Sunova Spiel at East St. Paul. Montford and Spencer moved up the Women’s Rankings of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries and now hold down the 2^nd and 3^rd ranking positions respectively. Both teams have already earned invitations to compete in the Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto.

Team Montford earned $2,600 and the Spencer foursome picked up $1,800.

Semifinalists Janet Harvey (5-3 loss to Spencer) and Darcy Robertson (6-5 EE loss to Montford each earned $1200. Harvey improved to #5 on the MCT Rankings while Robertson improved to #9.

Quarterfinalists Kerri Einarson-Gimli, Kim Link-East St Paul, Rachel Burtnyk–Assiniboine Memorial and Kristy McDonald-Granite all earned $800. McDonald retained her top spot on the MCT Women’s Ranking list while Linkand Einarson improved their MCT Ranking positions to 5th& 7^th respectively. Burtnyk moved into the top 20 for the first time this season, the highest ranking enjoyed by a team still eligible for the provincial junior women’s championship.

Next on the MCT Women’s schedule will be MCT Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, December 12-14 at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club.

Pending final confirmation of Ranking positions, invitations to compete in the December 12-14 MCT Championship will be issued later in the week.

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Grassie Foursome Wins New SUNOVA SPIEL at EAST ST PAUL

Sean Grassie’s Deer Lodge team (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) posted their second bonspiel championship of the season when they won the Men’s Division of the new Sunova Spiel at East St Paul, December 1^st. Team Grassie picked up $2,600 and moved into second place on the Men’s Rankings of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries thanks to their 6-4 victory over Travis Bale-East St. Paul

Bale (Brad Van Walleghem, Ronan Gueret & a rotating spare corps subbing for Ryan Bay) earned $1,800 and moved in to the top 20 for the first time this season.

In the semifinals, Grassie defeated Richard Muntain-Pinawa (6-0) while Bale defeated Wayne Ewasko-Beausejour (7-1). The semifinalists each cashed cheques for $1,200. Muntain moved into fifth position on the MCT Rankings while Ewasko made a significant move up the rankings and can move into the top 15 with a strong showing at the Thistle Integrity Stakes next weekend.

Quarterfinalist Trevor Loreth& Scott Ramsay-Granite, William Kuran-Heather, and Daley Peters-TBA all earned $800. By qualifying for the playoff round, Ramsay moved into the top position on the MCT Rankings. The other quarterfinalists improved their respective positions on the Rankings list and the likelihood of earning invitations to the season ending MCT Championship presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, December 12-14 at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club.

Next on the MCT schedule will be the Thistle Integrity Stakes, an Open Event, December 5-8. Based on results of that event, the final rankings will be used to issue invitations to the MCT Championship the weekend later.

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<November 29,2014>

Granite to Host NEW Women’s Cash Spiel

The Granite Curling Club, on the heels of a successful new cash spiel to start the 2014-15 curling season, is adding a second Women’s Cash Bonspiel to their schedule of events.

The new GRANITE LADIES CASH SPIEL is set for January 8-11, 2015 with the timing selected to allow teams some competitive preparation for the 2015 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Winkler later in the month.

The bonspiel will be a 16 team event with eight qualifiers advancing to playoffs. With a $500 entry fee, and 100% payout of entry fees, the event will meet CTRS eligibility standards. It will also be an MCT affiliated event, allowing teams to begin accumulating MCT Rankings points toward the 2015-16 season rankings.

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<November 24,2014>

HORGAN Beats JONES in Extra End DEKALB Women's Final

 

Tracy Horgan and her Sudbury, ON team (Jennifer Horgan, Jenna Enge, Amanda Gates) forced Team Jennifer Jones to take an eighth end single point and then had an open last rock hit on an extra end to win the Women’s Division final of the DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris. (Team Horgan is pictured with l-Andrew Kaminsky-DEKALB and r-Doug Eidse-Meridian Manufacturing).

The Horgan foursome’s 8-7 victory earned the team the bonspiel’s $10,000 first prize. The Jones team payday was $6,000.

When Horgan and Jones went to an extra end in the final game, it was the second extra end match of the day for both teams.

Jones needed an extra end and a steal to win her quarterfinal game (7-6) over Joelle Brown Monday morning in Morris before posting a 6-3 victory over Kristy McDonald to advance to the final. For Tracy Horgan's Sudbury team, the first extra end of the day came in the semifinal, a 6-5 victory over Jill Thurston. Horgan had defeated Breanne Meakin-ON 8-2 in the quarterfinal. Both extra end points were steals.

Thurston defeated Michelle Montford 8-5 and McDonald beat Cathy Auld-ON 7-3 in their quarterfinals.

In addition to winning $4,000, reaching the semi-final moved the McDonald team into the top ranking position on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries while Thurston moved to the #5 position on the rankings list.

Quarterfinalists Brown, Meakin, Montford and Auld all picked up $2,500 cheques for their efforts.

 Dunstone Captures Mens Dekalb

Matt Dunstone’s University of Manitoba team, the current Canadian University Men’s champions, have won the Men’s Division of the DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris. With the win, the team has added $10,000 to the bank account they are accumulating to fund their trip to the World University Championship in Spain in February. (Pictured with the team are Town of Morris rep Bill Ginter (l) and Darrel Penner-Rocky Mountain Equipment/Case IH)

With the 7-3 win over Scott Ramsay-Granite, the Dunstone U of M  team(Jim Coleman, Dan Grant, Chris Gallant) moves into the top 20 on the Rankings list of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. This creates the unique situation of one skip being ranked in the top 20 with two completely different teams as Dunstone’s junior team is currently ranked #4.

Ramsay and his team earned $6,000 and improved their ranking from #4 to #2 for the season.

Dunstone defeated a USA national High Performance Team skipped by Craig Brown in the semifinals while Ramsay beat Tommy Sullivan-NS. The semifinalists earned $3,000 each.

Quarterfinalists Daley Peters-TBA, William Lyburn-Granite, Cliff Beaulieu-Deer Lodge, and Jeff Hartung-SK all earned $2,000.

The playoffs in the Women’s Division of the DEKALB SuperSpiel will be played Monday in Morris.

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<November 18, 2014>

Bryden Tops Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Spiel; Spencer Wins Scotties Berth

Five Manitoba teams and three from Saskatchewan qualified for the playoff round of the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Cash Bonspiel on the November 14-17 weekend with Randy Bryden’s Regina team taking home the bonspiel championship and top prize of $10,000 with a 6-5 extra end win over Scott Ramsay (Mark Taylor, Kyle Werenich, Ross McFadyen).

Ramsay, who had beaten the other two Saskatchewan teams in the playoff round, earned $5,000 and the finalist finish moved the Granite team into the fourth position on the Men’s Rankings of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Bryden’s championship moved his team onto the rankings list, and into the top 20, for the first time this season. (Pictured with BarretProcyshyn is the Bryden foursome Trent Knapp, Kelly Knapp, Troy Robinson, RandyBryden).

Semifinalists Greg Todoruk-Dauphin and Scott Bitz-SK earned $3500. Quarterfinalists Steve Irwin-Brandon, Ryan Hyde-Portage, Ray Baker-Dauphin, and Jeff Hartung-SK all cashed $2,500 cheques. Qualifying for the playoff round solidified Irwin’s season-long hold on the top spot in MCT Rankings.

The next scheduled MCT event is the dual venue DEKALB SuperSpiel in Morris, which will also have games played in the Rosenort Community Arena. The November 20-23 event features 32 Women’s teams with a prize purse of $40,000 and 16 Men’s teams playing for $30,000.

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<November 11, 2014>

Stoughton Wins White’s Drug Store Classic; Bohn Tops at Rossmere

Jeff Stoughton (Rob Fowler, Alex Forrest, Connor Njegovan)-Charleswood defeated David Murdoch’s Scottish team 8-2 in the final game of the White’s Drug Store Classic in Swan River, capturing the $9,000 first prize and moving into the sixth position on the Manitoba Curling Tour’s rankings. Murdoch’s payday was $7,000

The Swan River event was one of two of the weekend events featured on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

At Rossmere in the Ken Kurbis Memorial Galaxy Bonspiel presented by Fort Garry Industries, Dennis Bohn and his team (Bryan Galbraith, David Bohn, Larry Solomon, Shane Walker) scored a pair of five enders in a final game victory over Trevor Loreth-Granite. The Bohn team, playing their first event of the season took home the winner’s purse of $2,500 while the Loreth foursome earned $1,600.

The victory moved the Bohn team into the top 20 on the MCT Rankings list to start their season.

At Swan River, the semifinalists were Kevin Marsh-SK and Clint Dieno-SK ($4,000 each) while the quarterfinalists were Brent Scales-MB, Mario Freiberger-SUI, Drew Heidt-SK and Jeff Hartung-SK ($3000 each).

At Rossmere, semifinalists Ryan Thomson-Morden and Daley Peters-TBA earned $1000 each while quarterfinalists Scott Ramsay-Granite, Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge, Murray Woodward-TBA, and Scott Madams-TBA all cashed $600 cheques.

The next scheduled MCT event is the Dauphin Clinic Pharmacy Cash Spiel (Open) November 14-17.

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<October 28, 2014>

Jones Wins First Canad Inns Women’s Classic; Link Wins in La Salle

Jennifer Jones-St Vital (Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn McEwen) (pictured with Leo Ledohowski, Executive Chairman Canada Inns) and Kim Link-East St. Paul (Karen Fallis, Angela Wickman, Renee Fletcher)were the champions as a pair of MCT/WCT events were on the calendar on the October 24-27 weekend. Team Jones posted a 9-4 victory over Jill Thurston-Granite (Brette Richards, Briane Meilleur, Krysten Karwacki)in the inaugural Canad Inns Women’s Classic in Portage. Team Link was a 6-5 extra end winner over Colleen Kilgallen-TBA (Susan Baleja, Janice Blair, Kendra Georges)in the La Salle Curling Classic.

As a result of the weekend play, their third consecutive bonspiel final game, Colleen Kilgallen and her team have moved into the top position on the Women’s Rankings for the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Team Link moved to the fourth ranked position. Thurston moved up to the seventh position in the rankings while Jones, playing in her first Manitoba event of the season, appears for the first time in the rankings – moving in at #11. Second in the rankings is Kristy McDonald’s Granite team. Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial dropped out of first place for the first time this season, but remains at #3.

At Portage, the semi-finalists were Kristy McDonald-Granite (6-2 loss to Jones) and Margaretha Sigfridsson-Sweden (10-5 loss to Thurston) and the quarterfinalists were Chantelle Eberle-SK, Michelle Englot-SK, Nina Roth-USA, and Ayumi Ogasawara-Japan.

At La Salle, in their second annual bonspiel, the semi-finalists were Kristy Watling (6-5 loss to Kilgallen) and Terry Ursel-Arden (5-4 loss to Link) and the quarterfinalists were Jennifer Clark-Rouire-Granite and Kaileigh Strath-Winkler.

The season end rankings, based upon each team’s best five results, will determine invitations to the MCT Championship at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, December 12-14. Final rankings on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will determine who earns one of the available invitations to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in Winkler in January. The Champion, if eligible, plus the top two ranked teams after the championship earn provincial invitations.

The next scheduled MCT events are the White’s Drug Store Classic (Men’s) in Swan River and the Ken Kurbis Memorial Galaxy Bonspiel presented by Fort Garry Industries at Rossmere (Open), both November 4-7.

MCT Women`s Rankings, TOP TEN as of October 28: (Rank-Skip-Club-Points)
1. Colleen Kilgallen-TBA (102)
2.Kristy McDonald-Granite (90)
3.** Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (78)
4.Kim Link-East St Paul (74)
5.Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial (64)
6.Kerri Einarson-Gimli (58)
T7.Jill Thurston-Granite (56)
T7.Janet Harvey-Assiniboine Memorial (56)
9.Darcy Robertson-Fort Rouge (52)
10.Jennifer Clark-Rouire (42)
11.** Jennifer Jones-St. Vital(40)
12.Terry Ursel-Arden (32)
13.KaileighStrath-Winkler (30)
T14. Beth Peterson-TBA (28)
T14. Joelle Brown-Fort Rouge (24)
T14. Kristy Watling-TBA
T14. MaragarethaSigfridsson-Sweden
** Denotes teams already qualified for the Provincial Championship – Scotties Tournament of Hearts

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<October 21, 2014>

Team Harvey Captures Atkins Curling Supplies Classic Title

Janet Harvey’s Assiniboine Memorial team (Cherie-Ann Sheppard, Kristin Napier, Carey Kirby)  defeated Colleen Kilgallen-MB 7-3 in the final to win the 2014 edition of the Atkins Curling Supplies Charity Classic, the past weekend’s women’s event on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries.

With the championship, the Harvey foursome took home the champion’s purse of $4,500 as well as 40 Manitoba Curling Tour Rankings points, moving them into the MCT Women’s Rankings Top Ten. Team Kilgallen’s payday was $2,500 and their 34 MCT Rankings points moved them into second place in the Rankings.

Semifinalists Beth Peterson-MB (7-4 loss to Harvey) and Kerri Einarson-Gimli (8-7 loss to Kilgallen) both earned $1,500 with Einarson improving to #4 and Peterson appearing in the Top Ten (#9) for the first time.

Quarterfinalists Darcy Robertson-Fort Rouge(9-3 loss to Harvey); Kristy McDonald-Granite (8-5 loss to Kilgallen); Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial (5-3 loss to Peterson);  and Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (7-1 loss to Einarson)  all earned $900 and solidified Top Ten Rankings positions with Team Montford remaining at #1.

Money earnings were increased as well by a per win payout of $40 to all teams for round robin victories.

The season end rankings, based upon each team’s best five results, will determine invitations to the MCT Championship at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, December 12-14. Final rankings on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will determine who earns one of the available invitations to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in Winkler in January. The Champion, if eligible, plus the top two ranked teams after the championship earn provincial invitations.

The next scheduled MCT events are the October 24-27 Canad Inns Women’s Classic in Portage and the October 24-26 La Salle Women’s Classic.

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<October 21, 2014>

Team McEwen Wins Fourth Canad Inns Men`s Classic in Five Years

Mike McEwen (BJ Neufeld, Matt Wozniak, Denni Neufeld) posted a 6-4 victory over Kevin Koe-AB in the final of the Canad Inns Men’s Classic in Portage Monday evening, October 20.  The win gave Team McEwen their fourth Canad Inns championship in the past five years. It was also the third bonspiel championship of the season for the McEwen foursome which has only lost one game in three events. They were undefeated in winning WCT events in Oakville in September and in Saskatoon earlier in October. Their only loss came in Portage when they were defeated 7-5 by Jeff Hartung-SK in an A-Event game.

The win earned the team $18,000, valuable CTRS (Canadian Team Ranking System) points, and moved them into the top ten on the Men`s rankings in the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Team Koe earned $10,000.

Mike McEwen-Fort Rouge defeated William Lyburn-Granite 7-2 in their semifinal while Koe Glenn Howard-ON 6-3. Lyburn and Howard each cashed $6,000 cheques.

The quarterfinalists were Jeff Stoughton-MB (7-3 loss to Lyburn); Jared Kolomaya-MB (6-2 loss to Howard); Steve Laycock-SK (5-2 loss to Koe); and YasukeMorozumi-JPN (8-6 loss to McEwen. Each quarterfinalist team earned $4,000.

Reaching the semifinal moved Lyburn into the MCT top 15 while qualifying bumped Kolomaya into the seventh position on the rankings.

Despite going winless in three games in Portage, Steve Irwin`s Brandon team retains the top spot on the MCT Men`s Rankings list. Matt Dunstone`s Granite Junior team, with three wins in Portage, remains in second place on the Men`s rankings while Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge and Richard Muntain-Pinawa had a win each and remain tied for third in the rankings after three weekend bonspiels in the fall season.

The season end rankings, based upon each team’s best five results, will determine invitations to the MCT Championship at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, December 12-14. Final rankings on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will determine who earns one of the available invitations to the Safeway Championship in Brandon in February. The Champion, if eligible, plus the top four ranked teams after the championship earn provincial invitations.

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<October 15, 2014>

 MCT Finals to be Broadcast on Shaw TV

The Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is pleased to announce the December 14 Men’s and Women’s MCT final games at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club will both be featured as Community Access broadcasts on Shaw TV. The telecasts are possible thanks to the support of the new Presenting Sponsor, Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, and MCT’s partners; Asham, CurlManitoba, CurlingZone, ReMax Professionals Gord & Kristi Green, and Best Western Plus Winnipeg West.

The games are tentatively scheduled for 1:30pm (Men’s final) and 4:00pm (Women’s final) as the culmination of men’s 16-team triple knock-out and women’s 12-team triple knock-out competitions. The 28 teams participating in the championships will be invited based upon their season-end rankings.

The fall 2014-15 Manitoba Curling Tour season includes 17 bonspiels in 7 rural communities and 4 Winnipeg clubs. In addition, current season rankings include the results of the January 2014 Deer Lodge Cash Spiel as well as the January - March Safeway and Scotties provincial berth qualifying events in Brandon & Carman.

The results of CurlManitoba’s Safeway Berth Bonspiel in Neepawa (November 27-29) and the Scotties Berth Bonspiel in Swan Lake (November 14-16) will also be included in the calculation of MCT rankings to determine eligibility for MCT Championship invitations. The rankings also determine post championship eligibility for invitations to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in Winkler (January, 2015) and the Safeway Championship in Brandon (February, 2015).

If eligible, the winners of the televised final games will earn invitations to compete in the respective Provincial Championships. In addition, the four top ranked eligible men’s teams two top ranked eligible women’s teams after the championship will also earn provincial invitations.

Spectators at Manitoba Curling Tour events can also win! Three lucky spectators will win a special championship package which will include reserved seating at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club with hospitality & promotional merchandise compliments of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries along with a comfortable room for a one-night stay compliments of Best Western Plus Winnipeg West. The winner of these special championship packages will be drawn randomly from spectator entries at each MCT bonspiel.

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<October 13, 2014>

Peters Team Wins Nott Autocorp Classic

Daley Peters (Brendan Taylor, Taren Gesell, Greg Melnichuk) were undefeated through three round robin and three playoff games to win the Nott Autocorp Thanksgiving Charity Classic at Thistle CC, their first bonspiel together as a team. The Peters foursome scored three on the seventh end to beat Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge (Kyle Kurz, Lucas Van den Bosch, Brendan Wilson) by a final score of 7-3 in the Thanksgiving Day afternoon final.

To reach the final, Peters and his team defeated Travis Bay-E. St. Paul (Brad Van Walleghem, Curtis Bale, Ronan Gueret) 5-2 in the Monday morning quarterfinal and Steen Sigurdson-Granite (Barrie Sigurdson, Ian McMillan, Nick Curtis) by the same score in the semifinal.  The Calvert team’s two playoff victories were 7-2 over Matt Dunstone (Tanner Lott, Kyle Doering, Robbie Gordon) and 5-4 over Steve Irwin-Brandon (Joey Witherspoon, Travis Taylor, Travis Saban).

Making it to the final game moved both Peters and Calvert into the top ten in the Men’s Rankings of the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. Modest success at the season opening Granite bonspiel plus the finalist finish at Thistle moved Calvert to the sixth position in the rankings while Peters is at number nine after only one event.

Steve Irwin and his team retained top spot in the MCT Rankings while Steen Sigurdson’s team moved up to the fifth position as a result of their semifinalist finishes.

Along with Dunstone and Bay, Richard Muntain-Pinawa  (Mike McCaughan, Curtis Atkins, Rodney Legault) and Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) reached the quarterfinals. This result kept Dunstone at #2 with Grassie and Muntain tied at #3 in the rankings while Bay’s playoff result moved his team into the ranking for the first time, at #19

The season end rankings, based upon each team’s best five results, will determine invitations to the Championship at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club, December 12-14. Final rankings on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries will determine who earns one of the available invitations to the Safeway Championship in Brandon in February. The Champion, if eligible, plus the top four ranked teams after the championship earn provincial invitations.

Including the results at the Nott Autocorp Classic, and revisions based upon lineup clarifications, the MCT Top Ten Men’s Teams as of October 13 are:

(Rank-Skip-Club-Points)

1.       Steve Irwin-Brandon                                 (84)
2.       Matt Dunstone-Granite                               (63)
T3.     Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge                            (57)
          Richard Muntain-Pinawa                              (57)
5.       Steen Sigurdson-Granite                             (48)
6.       Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge                          (37)
7.       Justin Stanus-Fort Rouge                            (35)
8.       Kelly Marnoch-Carberry                                (34)
9.       Daley Peters-TBA                                         (30)
T10.   Scott Ramsay-Granite                                  (28)
          Ray Baker-Dauphin                                      (28)
          William Kuran-Heather                                 (28)

Despite being in third position on the MCT Men’s Rankings list, Sean Grassie’s Deer Lodge team leads the MCT fall bonspiel money winners list. A championship at the Mother Club Fall Classic and quarterfinal finish in the Nott Autocorp Classic have earned Grassie and his Deer Lodge team $3,000 since late-September. Steve Irwin’s Brandon team, with finalist and semifinalist finishes in the two events, is close behind at $2,800 in winnings.

MCT Men’s Cash Winnings, as of October 13:

(Rank-Skip-Club-$$$$)

1. Sean Grassie - Deer Lodge                                $3,000
2. Steve Irwin-Brandon                                         $2,800
3. Daley Peters-TBA                                              $2,500
4. Matt Dunstone-Granite                                      $1,750
5. Braden Calvert-Deer Lodge                               $1,500
6. Richard Muntain-Pinawa                                    $1,300
7. Scott Ramsay-Granite                                       $1,250
8. Steen Sigurdson-Granite                                   $1,000
T9. Ray Baker-Dauphin                                          $   800
T9. Justin Stanus-Fort Rouge                                $   800
T9. William Kuran-Heather                                     $   800
12. Travis Bale-East St. Paul                                  $   500

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<September 28, 2014>

Grassie Foursome First Winner of Granite’s Mother Club Men’s FallClassic

Sean Grassie’s Deer Lodge team has won the Mother Club Men’s Fall Classic, the first event of the fall season on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, with an 8-5 victory over Steve Irwin-Brandon in the final.

The victory earned Grassie (Corey Chambers, Kody Janzen, Stu Shiells) the winner’s purse of $2,500 plus 40 MCT Rankings points while Irwin (Joey Witherspoon, Travis Saban, Travis Taylor) picked up $1,800 and 34 MCT points. (Pictured are bonspiel Honourary Chair Cathy Gauthier and Granite President Pat Bourassa with Team Grassie)

In the semi-finals, Irwin defeated Matt Dunstone-Granite (7-1) while Grassie defeated Scott Ramsay-Granite (5-3). Dunstone and Ramsay each earned $1,250 while the four quarter-finalists (Justin Stanus-Ft. Rouge, Richard Muntain-Pinawa, Ray Baker-Granite, and William Kuran-Heather) started the season with $800 paycheques.

The Mother Club Fall Classic attracted 18 men’s teams for the first-time event which was co-sponsored by Asham, Assiniboine Dental Group, Dakota Lock & Safe, Enns Brothers, Exchange Income Corporation, and Lake of the Woods Hotel.

The results of the Granite Bonspiel, combined with results from the January-March 2014 events, place Irwin’s Brandon foursome at the top of the Men’s MCT Rankings. The top ten ranked teams on the Men’s Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, as of September 28, 2014, are:

Rank-Skip Name-Club-Points

1. Steve Irwin – Brandon (64)                                    
2. Sean Grassie-Deer Lodge (40)                                                        
3. Richard Muntain-Pinawa (38)                                                        
4. Steen Sigurdson-Heather (32)                                                        
T5. Matt Dunstone-Granite (28)                                                      

T5. Scott Ramsay-Granite (28)

T5. Kelly Marnoch-Carberry (28)

T5. Justin Stanus-Ft Rouge (28)

T9. Wes Jonasson/Ray Baker-Dauphin (22)

T9. William Kuran-Heather (22)

The MCT Rankings are significant for Manitoba curlers as invitations to the season ending Championship, to be played  at Assiniboine Memorial, December 12-14,are based on the rankings. The champion that weekend plus the four top-ranked teams after the championship weekend will all earn invitations to compete in the Safeway Championship in Brandon in February 2015. The rankings are based upon a team best five finishes over the season.

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<September 28, 2014>

McDonald Wins First Mother Club Women’s Fall Classic at Granite

Kristy McDonald and her new Granite team have won the Mother Club Women’s Fall Classic, the first event of the fall season on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, with a final game 6-3 victory over Colleen Kilgallen.

The victory earned McDonald (Kate Cameron, Lesley Wilson-Westcott, Raunora Westcott) the winner’s purse of $2,500 plus 40 MCT Rankings points while Kilgallen (Susan Baleja, Janice Blair, Kendra Georges)  picked up $1,800 and 34 MCT points. (Pictured are Honourary Chair Cathy Gauthier & Granite CC President Pat Bourassa with the McDonald team)

In the semi-finals, McDonald defeated Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial (7-2) while Kilgallen defeated Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (6-5 EE). Spencer and Montford each earned $1,250 while the four quarter-finalists (Kim Link-East St Paul, Jill Thurston-Granite, Kerri-Einarson-Gimli, and Darcy Robertson-Ft Rouge) started the season with $800 paycheques.

The Bonspiel attracted 18 women’s teams for the first-time event which was co-sponsored by Asham, Assiniboine Dental Group, Dakota Lock & Safe, Enns Brothers, Exchange Income Corporation, and Lake of the Woods Hotel.

Despite not advancing to the final, the results of the Granite Bonspiel, combined with results from the January-March 2014 events, place Montford’s Assiniboine Memorial foursome at the top of the Women’s MCT Rankings. The top ten ranked teams on the Women’s Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries, as of September 28, 2014, are:

1. Michelle Montford-Assiniboine Memorial (48)                  
2. Kristy McDonald-Granite (40)                                           
3. Colleen Kilgallen-TBA (34)                                               
4. Barb Spencer-Assiniboine Memorial (28)               
T5. Kerri Einarson-Gimli (22)                                               
T5. Darcy Robertson-Fort Rouge (22)

T9. Jill Thurston-Granite(22)
T9. Kim Link-East St Paul (22)
T10. J. Brown-Fort Rouge (20)
T10. J. Clark-Rouire-Granite (20)

The MCT Rankings are significant for Manitoba curlers as invitations to the season ending Championship, to be played  at Assiniboine Memorial, December 12-14,are based on the rankings. The Champion that weekend plus the two top-ranked teams after the championship weekend will all earn invitations to compete in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto in January 2015. The rankings are based upon a team’s best five finishes over the season.

The next scheduled event is the Nott Autocorp Thanksgiving Charity Classic, October 10-13, at the Winnipeg Thistle Curling Club.

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<September 23, 2014>

MCT Announces Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries Partnership

The Manitoba Curling Tour (MCT) is pleased to announce that an agreement has been reached with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries which will see the tour renamed the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries for the 2014-15 season.

First established in the 1991-92 season, the Manitoba Curling Tour provides a coordinating function for the fall cash bonspiel season across Manitoba. The Tour will conclude with a December 12-14 championship event at Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club featuring 16 men’s teams and 12 women’s teams invited based on rankings points for the top five finishes by each team in cash bonspiels and CurlManitoba berth bonspiels.

The fall season opens September 25-28 with a Men’s event and a Women’s event at Winnipeg’s Granite Curling Club. Subject to confirmation of event affiliation, the tour season continues with 13 more bonspiels hosted by Thistle (2) and Rossmere in Winnipeg as well as Swan River, Dauphin, Portage (2), Morris (2), LaSalle and East St Paul (3) in rural Manitoba. A bonspiel at Winnipeg’s Deer Lodge club in January 2014 was actual start of the 2014 season. The event will go again in January 2015 as a kick-off to the next competitive season.

Plans for support of the individual tour bonspiels as well as for the championship event at Assiniboine Memorial are being finalized and will be announced in the near future.

"Curling is not only one of Manitoba’s most popular winter sports, but our competitive edge is world class and places us on the podium,” said Winston Hodgins, President & CEO of Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries. “We have sponsored some of the most notable curling championships in the country, with home grown talent leading the field. We are honoured to partner with the Manitoba Curling Tour to help all curlers in the province reach for new levels of success."

The bonspiels on the Manitoba Curling Tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries provide an opportunity for Manitoba teams to qualify into the Men’s Safeway Championship and Women’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts presented by Monsanto. The champions at Assiniboine Memorial on December 14, if eligible, will earn provincial championship invitations. In addition, the four men’s teams and two women’s teams at the top of the rankings, after the championship, will earn provincial championship invitations.

“We look forward to working with Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries,” says Tour Coordinator Resby Coutts. “The new partnership enhances Manitoba curling’s competitive season at the same time as it provides support for Manitoba curling clubs in their effort to provide competitive opportunities as well as great curling entertainment for curlers and curling fans.”

The first bonspiel of the fall season is the new Mother Club Fall Classic, September 25-28 at the Granite CC, Winnipeg. The complete bonspiel schedule and other information about the Manitoba Curling tour presented by Manitoba Liquor & Lotteries is available at www.mancurltour.ca.

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<August 25, 2014>

Assiniboine Memorial to Host MCT Championships

The Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club (AMCC) will serve as host club for the Manitoba Curling Tour’s Men’s and Women’s Championships, December 12-14, 2014.

“The AMCC is excited to host many of Manitoba’s top curlers over three days of what we expect to be the best Men’s and Women’s curling competition Winnipeg curling fans will be able to see in-person this season,” says Club Manager Paul Batchelor. “Matt Rankine, our Ice Technician, delivers championship calibre ice all season long so we know the curlers will have the kind of surface they want for making all of the shots.”

Batchelor says facility upgrades in recent years have made the AMCC an excellent venue for championship curling. From improved ice-shed lighting, reverse osmosis water, very recent installation of a dehumidifier and a replacement chiller to installation of a public lift and fully accessible washrooms facilities, AMCC will provide an enjoyable championship experience for both competitors and spectators.

The Manitoba Curling Tour Championship events will feature a 16-team Men’s Division and a 12-team Women’s division. Each is scheduled to play a triple knock-out with a playoff round. The teams will play for a cash prize pool plus the opportunity to add to their chances of earning Men’s Safeway Championship invitations and Women’s Scotties Tournament of Hearts invitations. In addition, the MCT Championships will be CTRS (Canadian Team Ranking System) eligible in order to allow interested teams to earn coveted points on the national competitive scene.

Teams will be invited to compete in the MCT Championship based on their season-long MCT rankings. Each team’s top five finishes in MCT bonspiels are counted in the determination of the rankings. The champions plus the four top ranked men’s teams and two top ranked women’s teams will qualify for their respective provincial championships.

The MCT’s fall season begins with the September 25-28 Mother Club Classic at the Granite Curling Club.

For information contact MCT Coordinator Resby Coutts (204-799-2250)
AMCC Manager Paul Batchelor (204-479-7528

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<August 13, 2014>

DEKALB SuperSpiel expands to the Rosenort Arena and World Class Ice!!

 
The DEKALB SuperSpiel, presented by Meridian, Rocky Mountain Equipment and official host Sponsor, the Town of Morris, is excited to announce the expansion of the DEKALB SuperSpiel into the Rural Municipality of Morris and the Rosenort Arena.(15 minutes north west of Morris) on November 20-24.

With the expansion to 48 teams (32 women-16 men) the DEKALB SuperSpiel needed more ice. The event will now be held at the Morris Curling Club Nov 20-24th and at the Rosenort Arena Friday, Nov 21 and Saturday, Nov 22.

“This is exciting news for the Rural Municipality and gives us the opportunity to showcase the RM, the Rosenort arena and the sport of curling to the World.” said Reeve Ralph Groening of the RM of Morris.

World Class Ice maker Greg Ewasko will provide 4 sheets of Olympic quality ice for the teams..

The prize money (subject to full entry) will increase to $40,000 for the women and $30,000 for the men, bringing the total DEKALB SuperSpiel purse to $70,000. 32 women’s teams also increases the value of the CTRS Points for teams hoping to qualify for the 2018 Olympics.

The DEKALB SuperSpiel welcomes Team Jennifer Jones-2014 Olympic Gold Medalist and many others from around the world and Canada !! 

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<August 13, 2014>

Granite Looks to Expand Men's Event

 
Response has been positive to the new Mother Club Classic, the Granite Curling Club's first bonspiel of the new season, according to organizer Darryl Gunnlaugson. The men's event has already posted 17 entries, one more than the original target and Gunnlaugsoon says they will expand the bonspiel to 18 if they get one more entry. In the event of a change, the 18 teams will play in groups of six - guaranteeing them five games in the opening spiel of the year and a minimum $10,000 purse.

On the Women's side of the bonspiel, there are 11 entries at this stage but lots of time before the event for it to fill up as well.

Interested teams are encouraged to contact Darryl Gunnlaugson - [email protected]

Entry fee checks, payable to Granite Curling Club, are requested for the full amount ($500) but may be post-dated to September 1, 2014.

Mail to: MOTHER CLUB FALL CURLING CLASSIC
One Granite Way, Winnipeg Manitoba, R3C OY9

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