It was a night for upsets in Original 16 Cash League action on Wednesday, as two of the top teams in the standings were handed losses at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
With only two nights remaining in the regular season and six teams within two wins of second place, things will be plenty interesting down the stretch as playoff positions start to get settled.
KalTire (Dustin Woloschuk, 8-8) kept his hopes for a top-six finish alive with a 4-3 victory over KMS Construction (Ben Gamble, 9-3), and as the score would indicate, it was a close one throughout. In fact, Gamble had the only multiple-point end in the third, with his deuce taking a 2-1 lead at the time. Woloschuk got on a roll from there, though, taking a single point in the fourth and stealing one the next two ends to lead 4-2. Gamble got one back in the seventh but would get no closer, and Woloschuk had his one-point win.
Pro-Tec Electric (Stan Barnsley, 7-7) used a run of steals of their own to upset Protec Studios (Tyler Krupski, 10-5). The teams were tied 2-2 through three ends when Barnsley scored one in the fourth and then proceeded to reel off single points the next three ends, taking a 6-2 win.
BTN Chartered Accountants (Penny Barker, 14-0) narrowly avoided an upset of their own in their match-up with Matt Froehlich (9-6). Froehlich got off to a great start, scoring single points in each of the first three ends and leading 4-2 through five ends. Barker got all that back and then some with three in the sixth, though, and a steal of two in the seventh would secure their 7-4 victory.
John’s Music (Ryan Wenarchuk, 8-8) also had a run of success without the hammer in their 6-3 win over R.K. Sunview Farms (Dayne Heisler, 0-15). The teams exchanged deuces the first two ends before Heisler took a 3-2 lead out of the third. They’d be unable to hold on for their first win, though, as Wenarchuk tied the game in the fourth and would put together three straight steals to take their three-point win.
Pup’s Parlour (Jaedon Miller, 8-7) kept pace with the leaders by taking a 6-2 win over EMJ Marketing (Joe Gunnis, 4-12). Like every game on the night, things were close early: neither team scored more than a single point in the first four ends, and things were all tied up at two. It all changed in the fifth, though, as Miller scored three to take control of the game, followed by a steal in the sixth to bring things to an early end.
The contest between Rod Montgomery (7-9) and Fountain Tire (Barry Silk, 6-10) was the only one to go the distance, with Silk using a three-ender in the fifth to eventually take a 7-4 win. The teams were tied 2-2 through four ends and Montgomery picked up single points in the sixth and seventh to get back within striking distance, but Silk would put the hammer to good use and get his deuce in the final end.
Original 16 Cash League action takes place every Wednesday night at the Moose Jaw Curling Centre.
