Team Shantz and Team Craig finished at the top of the pole at the BC Curling Masters, held this weekend past in Cranbrook.
Wes Craig’s rink, who went 5-1 over the weekend, defeated Team Wright 8-5 in seven ends Sunday, Feb. 25, at the Cranbrook Curling Centre.
Penny Shantz defeated Cranbrook’s Pat Sanders in the Women’s final, scoring two in the final end to win 6-3.
The two teams are now off to the Canadian Masters Championships in Chicoutimi Quebec.
The Shantz-Sanders matchup featured two former Canadian champions. Sanders had won their round-robin game on Friday 8-0, but Team Shantz was able to regroup for the final, even coming back from being three down, scoring four in the sixth end.
However, Team Sanders was beset by injuries all weekend, and curling with only three in the final, with one sweeper.
“Cranbrook’s been very good to us, last weekend and this weekend,” Shantz said after the match. Her team of Cindy Curtain, Danielle Shaughnessy and Donna Mychaluk won the Cranbrook Curling Club’s Shades of Green bonspiel on the previous weekend.
“We just held in there — down 3-0, we just didn’t give up.”
Shantz said the previous 8-0 loss to Team Sanders was motivation.
“The big highlight was the game we lost . We kind of got blown off the sheet — it was by Pat. So we regrouped, and tried to put it together, and came back strong the next games.”
Sanders’ Cranbrook rink was hit hard by injuries. Both Joan Fiedler and Joy Walker had to pull out. Lynn Lee was brought in.
“The girls played so well all weekend,” Fielders said. “We’ve just been beset with injuries. But we were in the game right until the last rock.”
Team Craig, of Duncan, B.C., is composed of Skip Craig, Third Ron Schmidt, Second Tony Anslow, and Lead Victor Gamble.
Final standings on the Men’s side (after the final): 1) Team Craig 2) Team Wright 3) Team C. Lepine 4) Team van Yzerloo 5) Team Ingram 6) Team Karbashewski9 7) Team L. Lepine.
Final standings on the Women’s side (after the final): 1) Team Shantz 2) Team Sanders 3) Team Deputan 4) Team Erdos 5) Team Berry 6) Team Devlin.