HOG LINE: Provincial playdowns picture becoming clearer

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This article was published 20/12/2022 (638 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

While the biggest curling news in the province this week is easily Jason Gunnlaugson’s sudden departure from Reid Carruthers’ rink, the majority of the teams in Manitoba are currently planning out their schedules so that their game is in tip-top shape for their biggest events of the season.

Following regional playdowns this weekend, the full field for January’s Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts in East St. Paul has been determined and 28 out of the 32 spots for February’s Viterra Championship in Neepawa are now set in stone.

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Alyssa Calvert’s rink from Carberry will be back at the Manitoba Scotties, which runs from Jan. 25-29, as she defeated Terry Ursel’s Neepawa squad in a best-of-three series at last week’s regionals in Rivers.

Dauphin’s Lane Prokopowich is also making her second straight trip to the event as she’s now the third for Emma Jensen’s team from the Heather Curling Club.

Mikalyah Lyburn — who was born in Brandon but now calls Winnipeg home — and Dauphin’s Makenna Hadway will be playing for Katy Lukowich’s Fort Garry Curling Club rink that won the women’s championship at the Sun Life Financial Junior Challenge at the Brandon Curling Club last month.

Lukowich is one of two junior skips that have qualified for the Manitoba Scotties. Grace Beaudry’s St. Vital squad joined her in clinching a spot this past weekend at the regional playdowns in Winnipeg.

Defending champion Mackenzie Zacharias is back to defend her title as part of her five-person rink that is led by six-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts champion Jennifer Jones.

Kaitlyn Lawes, who won four provincial titles with Jones in the last decade, is returning to the event as the skip of her own rink.

The rest of the 12-team field consists of Kristy Watling, Beth Peterson, Lisa McLeod, Abby Ackland, Chelsea Carey and Darcy Robertson.

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With one spot still up for grabs at the Brandon men’s bonspiel, which runs from Jan. 6 to 8, and three berths coming from the Manitoba Open bonspiel next month, the exact lineup for the Viterra isn’t quite known yet.

However, there’s a solid group of Westman rinks that will be at the event.

Steve Irwin’s Brandon side nabbed their spot earlier this month by winning the Manitoba Curling Tour championship, while Kelly Marnoch’s Carberry rink came through a Viterra berth bonspiel in Minnedosa in November.

Gladstone’s Jeff Stewart, Riverview’s Cale Dunbar, Virden’s Jace Freeman and Carberry’s Rob Van Kommer all qualified last weekend at regional playdowns.

Carberry product Braden Calvert and his rink from the Deer Lodge have already earned their spot as they were the highest-ranked eligible team from last year’s Canadian Team Ranking System standings.

The two main favourites for the Viterra, which runs from Feb. 8-12 at the Yellowhead Centre, are Carruthers and Matt Dunstone.

They clinched their spots in the provincials by being the top-ranked teams from Manitoba in this season’s CTRS, which is also how last year’s semifinalist Ryan Wiebe earned his spot in Neepawa.

Riley Smith, Steen Sigurdson, Corey Chambers, Jordon McDonald, Tuffy Seguin, Ryan Hyde, Steve Pauls, Grant Shewfelt, David Hamblin, Justin Richter, Wayne Ewasko, Sean Grassie, Tanner Lott, Brett Walter, JT Ryan, Mark Franklin, Daniel Birchard and Jordan Peters have also qualified for the event.

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On the senior men’s front, Kevin Paramor (Arden/Lansdowne), Butch Mouck (Minnedosa), Brad Edwards (Carberry) and Murray Warren (Brandon) have qualified for the provincials, which will be held in Dauphin from March 22-27.

The last spot in the provincials will be up for grabs at Brandon Curling Club on Jan. 27-29 during the Neil Andrews Legends Classic

Warren’s rink will also be defending their men’s masters title at the Thompson Curling Club from March 8-13.

They will be joined at the competitive by Mouck, Lawrence Daniel and Dale Brooks of Hamiota, Dauphin’s Ray Baker, and Brandon’s Jim Renwick and Gerry Haight.

The final chance for rinks to earn a spot at the masters men’s provincial will be during Compass Credit Union Brandon Masters Bonspiel on Jan. 3 and 4.

Entries are still being accepted for the masters and senior women’s playdowns, which are being held at the same time as the men’s masters and senior events in Thompson and Dauphin.

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The last major curling event in Manitoba for 2022 is the under-18 men’s and women’s provincials, which gets underway next Tuesday in Altona and wraps up on New Year’s Eve.

Two men’s and women’s teams will advance to the U18 nationals in Timmins, Ont., from Feb. 6-11.

Jace Freeman’s rink from Virden, which has already earned a spot at the 2023 Canada Winter Games in Prince Edward Island, is taking part in the men’s event.

Shayna Benson and her quartet from Dauphin are in the women’s competition.

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