Manitoba misses shot at fifth consecutive junior curling title

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 27/01/2017 (3412 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It would take a little bit of luck and an extra end, but neither resulted in a chance for Manitoba to compete for a fifth consecutive Canadian junior curling title.

Manitoba, a foursome made up of skip J.T. Ryan, third Jacques Gauthier, second Graham McFarlane and lead Brendan Bilawka, fell 8-7 to Ontario in a tiebreaker Friday night and were eliminated from the 2017 Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Esquimalt, B.C.

Tied 7-7 after Manitoba scored a single in the 10th, Ontario took the hammer into the 11th, where it scored the deciding rock to move on to the semifinal against North Ontario tonight.

It was a disappointing finish for Ryan and Team Manitoba, who went a perfect 6-0 in round-robin play, knocking off Newfoundland and Labrador, Northwest Territories, Alberta, Quebec, P.E.I and New Brunswick through the first four days of the tournament to advance to the championship pool.

From there, Manitoba dropped four of its next five games, including a tight match against top-ranked B.C., 9-7, early Friday.

Because only the games against teams that qualified for the championship pool carry over, Manitoba finished the second pool with a record of 4-3.

Looking as if they may not move on, the Manitobans had a bit of luck on their side. Ontario, which had strung together four consecutive wins heading into Friday, was upset 5-4 by P.E.I., which had lost its previous four, of which the last three were conceded.

The loss dropped Ontario to 4-3, setting up the tiebreaker game with Manitoba.

It’s the first time in five years Manitoba will not be in the winner’s circle.

Matt Dunstone won in 2013 and 2016, while Braden Calvert, who Ryan defeated in the provincial championships to earn an invite this week, won in 2014 and 2015.

On the women’s side, Manitoba, led by skip Laura Burtnyk, was unable to qualify for the championship pool after going 2-4 in round-robin play.

The foursome, which also includes third Hailey Ryan — J.T.’s sister — second Sara Oilver and lead Rebecca Cormier, moved over to the seeding pool where they reeled off three convincing wins.

Manitoba defeated New Brunswick, Yukon, and Nunavut by a combined score of 37-9 to finish 10th.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton