Malanchuk, Westcott top masters curlers

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This article was published 04/03/2014 (4529 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The provincial masters curling crowns have been awarded, as Ron Westcott’s men’s team and Pat Malanchuk’s women’s rink curled their way to victory.

It’s the third masters provincial title for Westcott, who skipped his Fort Rouge foursome to an 8-2 victory over Doug Armour’s team from Souris in the Manitoba Men’s Masters Curling Championship final at the Assiniboine Memorial Curling Club on Monday. The Westcott team, which includes Ken Dusablon, Bob Boughey, Ron Toews and fifth Gary Smith, curled unbeaten through the field.

On the women’s side, the St. Vital rink of Malanchuk, third Karen Sheldon, second Nancy Scammell and lead Ruth Wiebe curled out a 7-3 win over Rita VandeVyvere’s Heather Curling Club team on Sunday to claim the 2014 Manitoba Credit Unions Master Women’s crown. Both teams will now prepare for the Canadian Masters Championships in Coaldale, Alta., which kicks off on March 31.

Wesmen wrestlers saluted

TWO University of Winnipeg wrestlers grappled out a big week at nationals, earning nods as the Wesmen’s Garbonzo’s athletes of the week.

In men’s competition, Kyle Nguyen captured a silver medal in the 130-kilogram weight class at the CIS Wrestling Championships in Fredericton, N.B. The second-year athlete won two of his three matches. He was also named a second team all-Canadian and won the CIS men’s wrestling Student Athlete Community Service Award.

On the women’s side of the competition, Wesmen rookie Rachel Alder finished fourth in the 51-kilogram weight class at nationals. She opened the two-day event with a pin-fall victory in her first match on Friday.

Pistons player running hot

STEINBACH Pistons forward Hayden Goderis could hardly be any hotter heading into the Manitoba Junior Hockey League playoffs, after racking up five goals and three assists in just four games last week.

For that offensive outburst Goderis, an 18-year-old Winnipeg product, was named the MJHL Recycle Everywhere player of the week as the Pistons get ready to open the playoffs on Friday against the Portage Terriers.

Runners-up for the weekly honour were Winkler Flyers forward Travis Marit, 20, and 19-year-old Selkirk Steelers forward Soren Fredericksen.

Canadian curlers advance

FLIMS, Switzerland — Canada’s Kelsey Rocque edged South Korea’s Kyeong-Ae Kim 7-6 to advance to the women’s final at the world junior curling championship Monday.

Canada and South Korea played in the Page 1-2 playoff game. South Korea will now face Sweden in the semifinal.

Rocque, of Edmonton, finished tied with South Korea atop the overall standings, both with 7-2 records. But the Koreans claimed first place after beating Canada 8-6 during the round robin.

“It’s amazing. It’s unexplainable right now, it’s so exciting,” said Rocque following her win. “We really just wanted to come here and hopefully medal.

“Now that we’re guaranteed one, we are so excited. Hopefully the gold but we’ll be happy either way… It was an exciting game to play in.”

Canada led 5-4 after eight ends but got into trouble in the ninth when Rocque slid wide on a draw that allowed South Korea to steal two.

But in the 10th end, Rocque faced a draw for two and the win and this time made the shot.

“I’m just so proud of the girls, they’ve played so well,” Rocque said.

On the men’s side, Winnipeg’s Braden Calvert takes on Switzerland in the men’s Page 3 versus 4 contest today. The Canadians finished third with a 6-3 record.

Skaters skipping worlds

OTTAWA — Olympic silver medallists Patrick Chan and ice dancers Tessa Virtue and Scott Moir of Canada are skipping the world figure skating championships in Japan this month.

Chan won the last three world titles and the silver medal in Sochi, but is uncertain about continuing to compete. Virtue and Moir, two-time world winners who took the gold medal at the 2010 Vancouver Olympics and silver in Sochi, are expected to retire.

Chan and Virtue and Moir also led Canada to silver in the inaugural team event at the Sochi Olympics.

Olympian Kevin Reynolds, who was 15th at the Games, will lead Canada’s three-man singles team at the event in Saitama from March 24-30.

Both of Canada’s women from the Sochi Games are entered in the worlds: Kaetlyn Osmond, 13th at Sochi, and Gabrielle Daleman, 17th.

Other Canadian Olympians who will compete at Saitama are Meagan Duhamel and Eric Radford, Kirsten Moore-Towers and Dylan Moscovitch, Paige Lawrence and Rudi Swiegers, Kaitlyn Weaver and Andrew Poje, and Alexandra Paul and Mitchell Islam.

Witness heard screams

PRETORIA, South Africa — The first witness in the Oscar Pistorius murder trial testified Monday to hearing “blood-curdling” screams from a woman before she heard four gunshots on the night the double-amputee Olympian killed his girlfriend.

Michelle Burger, who lives about 180 metres from Pistorius’ house, said the screams woke her in the pre-dawn hours of Feb. 14, 2013, when Pistorius killed Reeva Steenkamp by shooting four times through a toilet door.

Pistorius, 27, says he killed Steenkamp by mistake, thinking she was a dangerous intruder.

The Olympian’s trial is being broadcast live on TV in South Africa and across the world.

— staff / news services