Dundas hanging in with the best

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This article was published 23/01/2025 (427 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PILOT MOUND — Cassidy Dundas is getting a crash course on elite curling this week.

The Onanole product is skipping the youngest team in the RME Women of the Rings.

While she lost 9-5 to Beth Peterson on Thursday, dropping to 1-2 and sitting on the verge of elimination entering the late draw at the provincial women’s curling championship, she’s making the event’s top teams sweat at a chilly Pilot Mound Millennium Recreation Complex.

“It was great to be able to hang with them and compete and learn from them,” Dundas said following handshakes after nine ends.

“Lasting that long in the game, we got to see some of their strategy and how to learn from that. I think we’ll just take it as a lesson on how to play (moving) forward and take it against other teams.”

Team Dundas, which includes third Lauren Evason, second Eryn Czirfusz and lead Tessa Terrick, is still primarily focused on the Manitoba Junior Curling Tour.

They nearly put together a perfect game against Peterson, who’s ranked No. 6 in the Canadian Team Ranking System (CTRS).

Dundas flipped the hammer in three ends. She forced a single, then made a solid hit for two in a crowded second end. Peterson came up light on a draw for her deuce in the third.

She took a single in the fourth, then took over with a steal of two in the fifth to lead 5-2.

Dundas forced another single, but gave two more in the seventh and eighth, heading to the ninth tied 5-5.

Peterson (2-1) packed the house, leaving Dundas with the choice of hitting to give up one or drawing against three. She missed her line and raised another Peterson stone for the game-sealing fourth point.

“I could definitely feel them pushing for the steals later in the game there and the momentum shift, so we were trying to keep playing our game, taking our chances when they came and it just didn’t go our way in the end,” Dundas said, adding it’s a big adjustment from the junior game.

“It’s a much more aggressive game… You don’t get as many chances to throw to your corner and use it, it’s chasing at the centre a lot, so we get to play some angles and learn some harder shots, so it’s good.”

Not only is Dundas’s team young, it’s their first year as a group. She played third for Terrick’s older sister Zoey last year, finishing second at under-18 provincials and earning a trip to nationals in Oakville, Ont.

Dundas admits she’s still finding her way as a skip.

“It’s a lot more than I thought coming in. As a third, you get to learn some of the strategy side but you’re… supporting your skip,” Dundas said.

“Now my team’s really supportive, they help me out a lot, which is super helpful because I’m still learning.”

They’ve already been successful on the Manitoba Junior Curling Tour, as the top-ranked women’s squad by a significant margin.

They won the MJCT event at their home Heather Curling Club in October, then captured the Kyle Flett Memorial tournament title and Brandon’s Sun Life Financial Junior Challenge in November.

Now it’s just about getting the job done on a bigger stage.

They pushed Kristy Watling to an extra end in a 7-6 loss before the No. 3 seed steamrolled its next two opponents.

Team Dundas won its first game 9-7 over Dauphin’s Lane Prokopowich on Wednesday night.

Whatever happens, the team is growing up quickly.

“We feel young but we feel mature,” Dundas said. “It’s good to have these competitive, tight games. Hopefully, we keep carrying it forward for the rest.”

Meanwhile, Calvert bounced back from two opening-day losses to deliver Robertson her first loss, 8-2 in nine ends.

Calvert stole one in the fourth and put the pressure on the veteran to grab a piece of the four-foot against two in the fifth. When Robertson came up light, Calvert went up 5-1 at the break and was able to control the game from there.

She blanked the sixth, then stole another single after Robertson missed a routine double-takeout and rolled too far on a hit for one, making it 6-1 through seven and out of reach.

“Darcy’s a great player, great person to play against,” Calvert said.

Watling (3-0) comfortably kept her undefeated run going through three games, stealing four in the third end en route to a quick 11-2 triumph over Prokopowich and her team from the Granite Curling Club.

Prokopowich dropped to 0-3 with no shot at the championship round entering Thursday’s late game against Peterson, while Watling was the lone unbeaten team through three games.

“We’re just staying in our own bubble and focusing on our process. It’s really working for us so far,” Watling said.

The increase in parity this year was expected as the top two teams, Kerri Einarson and Kaitlyn Lawes, were exempt from provincials due to their CTRS rankings.

While it opens the door for an upstart team to capture the Buffalo, Watling doesn’t feel this week is any easier to get through.

“The talent pool in Manitoba is so deep. As you can see, any of these teams are going to give you their best game,” Watling said.

“It feels the same. It’s just as much of a grind as a year ago with (Tracy) Fleury, (Jennifer) Jones and Einarson here.

“That hasn’t changed. We know this week’s going to be a grind.”

The top three teams from each pool keep their record and enter a three-game championship round starting Friday at 6 p.m. and continuing through Saturday.

From there, the top three advance to Sunday’s playoffs, with a semifinal at 9:30 a.m. and final at 2 p.m.

— The Brandon Sun