It worked for Brad Gushue, so why wouldn’t things turn out just as well for Penny Barker and her BTN Professional Accountants rink in the Original 16 Cash League championship final?
Despite taking the ice with only three players -- herself, third Derek Owens and second Danielle Sicinski -- Barker would go on to an 8-3 victory over Matt Froehlich in the title game on Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre.
Gushue, of course, won the Brier final this past weekend playing with only three players after third Mark Nichols went down with COVID prior to the men’s national curling championship final.
The Original 16 final was exceptionally close in the early going, as the two teams followed a similar path: Barker scored one in the first and stole another in the second, Froehlich came right back with one in the third and a steal of his own in the fourth.
Barker would break things open in the fifth end, though, putting up a three-spot to take a 5-2 lead. Froehlich got one back the next frame, but that would mark the last good news for the eventual runners-up, as Barker picked up a single point in the seventh before stealing two more in the final end for her 8-3 victory.
There were also plenty of consolation games on the ice on the final night of league competition.
Pro-Tec Electric (Stan Barnsley) scored two in the second end and added steals of two and three the next two frames for a 7-2 lead, and they’d go on to a 7-4 victory over Walchuk Masonry (Tyler Krupski).
John’s Music (Ryan Wenarchuk) got off to a fast start against Motion-Golden Mobility (Lorraine Arguin) by building a 4-0 edge in the first two ends and would go on to a 6-3 win.
Fonger Wealth Management (Nick Cornea) scored three in the third end to build a 4-0 lead against KalTire (Dustin Woloschuk) and would lead 6-2 through four before securing a 7-3 win.
KMS Construction (Ben Gamble) picked up a default win over EMJ Marketing (Joe Gunnis).
The curling season is quickly coming to a close at the Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre, but there’s still one big event on the schedule -- the 16th annual Scott McKenzie Memorial Year-End Bonspiel, which takes the ice this weekend.
