Lukowich perfect at Manitoba Open

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This article was published 19/01/2016 (3786 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Believing is at least half the game and for former provincial men’s champion Mark Lukowich, the news is good once again.

Lukowich and his Granite Curling Club rink capped a perfect week at the 128th Manitoba Open, outlasting Thistle’s Scott Ramsay 6-5 at the Heather Curling Club Monday night for an eighth straight victory and the overall championship of the event.

“It was a slow start to the season for me,” the 51-year-old champion said Monday. “I don’t curl that much anymore or that well in the club but I do practise and I’ve started to feel a bit more confidence.

“When you play in the bonspiel, you build confidence because as you’re playing a few games, it just helps you play better.”

Is that like riding a bike then, for former Manitoba champions?

“Well, you can go out and slide and that’s riding the bike,” Lukowich smiled. “But to get the momentum, to keep on winning, it’s the little things. You don’t know which little thing will make you win, but if you practise, you might just start doing that little thing that puts you over the top.”

The Asham final was sloppily played at times but it was Lukowich who prevailed with deuces in the third, fifth and seventh ends.

“The best thing that happened for us, we were playing the style of game we wanted to play,” he said. “We were in control of our games and we just kept on playing a game that keeps us comfortable.

“We weren’t necessarily making other teams face hard shots near the four-foot but we were making them face two or three rocks for last rock.”

Lukowich, with third Stu Gresham, second Chris Chimuk and lead Kevin Wiebe, had a berth at the Viterra Championship (the new name for the Manitoba men’s provincials) in Selkirk secured before Monday’s game because Ramsay had already qualified.

Is this title worth momentum en route to Selkirk?

“Three years ago I won the bonspiel and I can tell you it certainly makes you feel a lot better going into provincials,” Lukowich said. “But provincials are a whole new level so it’s hard to compare.”

None of Monday’s finals had any bearing on the three invites to Selkirk that were available from the Open.

Along with Lukowich, Derek Oryniak of the Granite and Troy Hamilton of Fort Rouge, who played off for the Free Press title, were declared in before Monday’s action.

Oryniak and Hamilton had gone through with only one loss prior to Monday night and since both finalists in the next highest event (Assiniboine’s Dennis Bohn and Granite’s Doug Harrison) already had berths, they were awarded the other Selkirk spots.

Oryniak captured the Free Press event title with a hit and stick on the final stone of an extra end, prevailing 7-6.

Also Monday, Bohn captured the Nott Autocorp title with a 5-4 win over Harrison, and Shannon Birchard’s Pembina team won 8-5 over Travis Cayer of St. Vital, becoming, Curl Manitoba officials believe, the first all-female team to capture an event since the bonspiel format was changed three years ago.