Ferguson, Schut rinks win under-18 titles

Both rinks to represent P.E.I. at nationals

The Lauren Ferguson and Mitchell Schut rinks are the provincial under-18 curling champions.

Ferguson clinched the girls’ title on Monday morning, and Schut captured the boys’ crown in the afternoon as the championships, sponsored by P.E.I. Credit Unions, wrapped up at the Silver Fox.

Both rinks will represent P.E.I. at the 2018 Canadian under-18 boys and girls curling championships in St. Andrews, N.B., from April 9 to 14.

The Ferguson team from Cornwall, Crapaud and Charlottetown edged Cornwall’s Emily Sanderson foursome 5-4 in the deciding game. A steal in the seventh end gave Ferguson a 5-2 lead coming home. Sanderson scored a deuce in the final end, but needed a triple to tie. Sanderson would have needed to win twice on Monday while Ferguson, who won two out of the three section finals in the event, only needed to win once.

Other members of the David Murphy-coached Ferguson rink are third stone Katie Shaw, second stone Alexis Burris and lead Lexie Murray. Rounding out the Sanderson team are third Emma Coffin, second stone Kaylee Stewart, and lead Anna Maria MacDonald, with coach Edgar Coffin.

Boys

The boys’ championship round, between teams skipped by brothers Mitchell and Devin Schut, required a deciding game. Mitchell had won two of the three event sections, and was looking good to wrap up the title with a win Monday morning. It looked promising as he led 6-1 after five ends in the eight-end contest. However, older brother Devin pulled off a tremendous finish, taking a deuce in the sixth, stealing a single in the seventh and a deuce in the eighth to tie the game 6-6, and force an extra end. Devin picked up three points in the extra for a 9-6 win.

The winner-take-all final was tied 3-3 at the fourth-end break, but Mitchell scored a pair of triples in ends five and seven, and kept Devin to a single in six to bring the game to handshakes with a 9-4 final score.

The Mitchell Schut team also includes third stone Nick Johnston, second stone Liam Kelly and lead Colin MacKenzie, with coaches Bill Hope and Lori Robinson.

The Roger Gavin-coached Devin Schut team also included third stone Alec Huestis, second stone Tyler Garnhum, and lead Dylan Moase.