Dave Leaderhouse
Herald Staff
Prince Albert’s Deb Thierman came within a whisker of winning another provincial curling championship when she lost 8-5 to Merle Kopach of Saskatoon in the championship final of the Saskatchewan Curling Association’s Master Women’s final in Saskatoon on Sunday.
Thierman, who is a former provincial senior women’s champion, was a perfect 4-0 in round-robin play and then defeated Jacqueline Swiderski of Prince Albert 8-5 to advance to the championship final.
Thierman had Maxine Montgomery, Debbie Cripps and Ellen Berscheid on her rink while Swiderski, who was 3-1 in preliminary round-robin action, was backed by Iris Penner, Shirley Gange and Margaret Hubbard.
Kopach’s victory atoned for her loss in the provincial senior women’s final last weekend and the same scenario unfolded in the provincial master men’s event, also held in Saskatoon this weekend.
Eugene Hritziuk from Saskatoon lost the provincial senior men’s event last weekend, but got back to the top of the podium in Saskatoon with a 6-3 victory over Ken Archer of Saskatoon.
Ted Olson was Prince Albert’s top team as he reached the qualifying event before falling to both Hritziuk and Archer by identical 9-4 scores. Larry Ruszkowski and Phil England were also at the event, but their 2-3 records in preliminary play did not get them into the qualifying round. Ed Fusick, who was representing the Birch Hills Curling Club, was also entered and managed just one win in five preliminary games.
At the Saskatchewan High School Athletic Association curling championships in Assiniboia, St. Mary High School posted a 1-3 record in the boy’s event and did not qualify for the championship round.
The St. Mary rink, which featured Andrew Heleta, Mitch Kokotailo, Michael Fraser, Austin Oleksyn and Luke Buettner, beat Montmarte 8-6, but suffered losses to Saskatoon Holy Cross (7-6), Estevan (8-5) and Shellbrook (8-6).
Assiniboia beat Saskatoon Walter Murray 7-6 in the gold-medal game.
