Coronach -
Members of the Coronach Curling Club put in a busy week of curling to wraps things up for the year.
The weekly square draw consisted of 16 teams that played six ends, once a week on beginning at the end of November. In order to give every team a chance to play each other, a number of draws were added to the schedule.
When the season drew to a close, most teams had completed a majority of their games, two teams completed all of their games: Richard and Jesse Pratchler, together with Morris and Leanne Kuski and the team of Wayne Giraudier, Deb Malesh, Corwin Jepson and Emily Clauson.
The curling club executive had decided at the beginning of the season to try playoffs to wrap up the year.
Twelve out of the 16 teams agreed to participate in a double knock out playdown the week of March 9-11.
The 12 teams that participated were seeded according to their finish in the league.
The Skinner team of Scott and Denise Skinner and Carmen and Wayne Koski along with the Barrett team of Denise Barrett, Amberley Kabrud, Shannon Jenson and Twyla Gording sat atop the league with 20 points each. Skinner and Barrett tied in their regular season game. Skinner was awarded first place with a higher number of wins versus ties and losses.
Barrett's team declined to participate in the play downs.
Second spot was then awarded to Danny Malesh with his team of Shirley Strachan, Wayne Giraudier and Austin Florell. Malesh was deadlocked with his parents on the Wayne Giraudier team. Malesh and Giraudier met once during the season and the game ended in a tie. Malesh was awarded top spot with a higher number of wins versus ties and losses than the Giraudier foursome.
Third went to the Giraudier team with fourth place awarded to Doug Seidel, Cathy Seidel, Donna Ross and Tom McLay.
The top four teams received a bye in the first draw and teams 5-12 played their first draw.
In first draw action, fifth place Dallas Elder team of Calvin Holbrook, Jared Vancuren, Dillon Briens and Brett Winter defeated 12 place Debs Country Kitchen. Eleventh place Collin MacLean team upset sixth place Neil Gent.
Seventh place Beaulieu defeated tenth place Richard Pratchler and eighth place Kelly Elder slipped past ninth place Garth Hiltz.
The Winners advanced to play the 1-4 teams on Wednesday night, in order of their placement in league play.
Skinner went up against lowest seeded MacLean, with Skinner sending MacLean to the B side.
Malesh played Kelly Elder with Elder winning that match.
Giraudier defeated Beaulieu and Seidel sent the Calvin Holbrook foursome to the B Side.
The losers of the 1-4 games went back out onto the ice to take on the losers from the night before.
Teams scrambled to fill empty spots on their teams, many playing with spares.
Losers of the second draw Wednesday were eliminated from play. MacLean eliminated Debs; Malesh sent Gents packing; Pratchler moved on to the B semis after Beaulieus withdrew and the Calvin Holbrook team, ended Garth Hiltz's season.
Thursday night saw the A and B semifinals.
The Kelly Elder team was up against the the Skinner team on Wednesday night.
The Kelly Elder, Grant Elder, Ron Mamer and Patti Mamer team suffered from work and illness absences and picked up Denise Barrett whose team was not playing, played one game short, and picked up Neil Gent for the last day, after his team was eliminated.
On Ice C, the Giraudier team saw the Doug Seidel foursome in the A semis. Giraudier, skipped by Corwin Jepson, defeated Seidel to advance to the final.
In B event action, Malesh eliminated MacLean and Calvin Holbrook stopped Richard Pratchler's playoff hopes.
The B final saw Calvin Holbrook, Dallas Elder and spares Kevin and Danette Holbrook who were taking the spots of Brett Winter, Dillon Briens and Jared Vancuren defeat Danny Malesh for the B side win.
The A final saw the Kelly Elder team up against Corwin Jepson, Emily Clauson, Deb Malesh and Jerry Nordick, who was sparing for Wayne Giraudier. A six ender by the Elder team proved to be the turning point and after five, Elder was declared the winner.
The club was very happy with league participation over the year and with playoffs, but will reconsider the double knockout format after a busy week of curling for many teams.
The club ended the curling season with a wind up bonspiel on Saturday, March 6. Eleven teams participated in a fun spiel with three three end games, with three teams agreeing to play four games to even the schedule.
The teams played one game of glo-curling after a delicious pot luck supper. The lights went back on for the last draw of fun curling.
