Townsman Staff
Kimberley Curling Club's Team Buchy, skipped by Tom Buchy, is off to the 2015 Canadian Direct Insurance B.C. Men's Curling Championship in Vernon.
Team Buchy opened the tournament with an 8-7 victory over Team Montgomery of Duncan on Wednesday afternoon.
Buchy's rink is rounded out by lead Darren Will, second Dave Toffolo and third Dave Stephenson.
The top 16 men’s curling teams in the province will battle it out to be crowned the best in British Columbia.
The field represents all corners of the province and includes defending champions and Canadian silver medallists Team Cotter, as well as 2000 World Champion Brent Pierce and many other former provincial champions.
Lining up alongside Team Cotter, who play out of Vernon Curling Club and Kelowna Curling Club, will be a diverse group of competitors that includes veterans of the event as well as teams who are making their debut.
The 2014 runners-up, Team Montgomery will be hoping to go one step further this year. The team from Duncan are joined at the Championship by fellow Islanders Team Dangerfield, Team Baier and Team Craig who all play out of Victoria Curling Centre.
Kelowna’s Team Pierce will be hoping to recreate past successes that have seen skip Brent crowned World Champion and third Jeff Richard and second Tyler Orme win the 2010 B.C. Men’s title.
The lower mainland will be well-represented as six teams based there will be competing in the event including Team Geall which contains two member of the 2009 B.C. Men’s Championship winning team.
They will be joined by fellow Royal City Curling Club rink Team Joanisse which contains three former Canadian Junior Champions including skip Dean who also won the 2001 and 2007 B.C. Men’s title. Another Royal City rink is Team McArdle which includes three provincial junior champions.
Golden Ears Winter Club will be represented by Team Dezura. Skip Grant Dezura’s team is full of experience with all of the members having previously won silver or gold at the B.C. Men’s Championship.
Reigning Canadian Gay Curling Champion Stephen Schneider, from Vancouver Curling Club, and his team will make their debut at the event. Another team competing for the first time is Team Wenzek who are the youngest team in the event and play out of Royal City Curling Club, Victoria Curling Centre and Langley Curling Club.
Fellow debutants Team, Nelson will be representing Kamloops Curling Club alongside clubmates Team DeCap, a rink which contains former Mixed and Junior provincial champions.
Buchy wished to thank the sponsors that helped get him and his rink to the provincial championships, including, the Kimberley Curling Club, Sparwood Curling Club, Stephen Rota Managament Inc., Coal Valley Motor Products, Assante Wealth Management, Prestige Hotels and Resorts, ABC Country Restaurant, B and B Glass, Caliper Machine and Hydraulics, Canadian Tire, Kootenay Insurance Services, Sun Life Financial - Frank Vanden-Broek, Coors Light and Avenue.
The top three teams will be featured on live Sportsnet broadcasts of the semi-final at 7 p.m. on Feb. 7 and the final, which will air at 12:30 p.m. on Feb. 8. Visit http://www.curlbc.ca/communications/tv-schedules/ for the broadcast schedule.
The 2015 Canadian Direct Insurance B.C. Men’s Curling Championship, takes place at the Vernon Curling Club from Feb. 3 to 8.
The winner will go on to compete in the 2015 Tim Hortons Brier, which takes place in Calgary from Feb. 28 to March 8, 2015.