Joey Payeur
Chris Silver came within hailing distance of a provincial junior men’s championship last year.
He and his rink won’t come anywhere close to that this year.
The Fort Frances skip and his quartet of third Kurt McGuire, second Taylor Schotroff (Kenora), and lead Davis Jackson ended up on the wrong side of a 6-5 score in the finale of the best-of-three series with Zach Warkentin (Keewatin) in the Region 1 junior men’s playdowns here over the weekend.
After placing fifth at last year’s provincials, Silver only could shake hands and wish Warkentin well at the provincial round Jan. 2-5 in Kakabeka Falls.
“We played nine ends well and then we fell apart for one end,” said Silver, referring to Warkentin’s steal of three in the eighth that was precipitated by two key misses by the local rink.
“It just didn’t go our way but I think we out-curled them up to that point,” he noted.
Silver was up 4-2 after six ends in the third-and-deciding game and it appeared likely he would have last-rock advantage, if not the lead, heading into the last end.
But after Warkentin drew to the four-foot around cover with Silver lying three to eke out a single in the seventh, it was Silver’s crew that stumbled in the eighth.
First, McGuire’s attempted take-out wound up putting two Warkentin rocks into scoring position.
Then facing three Warkentin stones before his last shot in the end, Silver tried a tricky hit-and-stick that wound up bouncing off Warkentin’s rock and out of the rings.
That handed Warkentin the pivotal steal of three and a 6-4 lead.
“I was a bit outside of the broom and it didn’t curl enough,” said Silver, who executed a tap-back in the ninth to grab one but having to give up the hammer for the 10th.
Warkentin, the Region 2 junior men’s champ last year who had Schotroff as part of his crew, kept a mostly clean house throughout the last end.
That left Silver’s draw on his last shot to the top of the eight-foot almost fully exposed behind a high guard.
The Kenora-based skip didn’t worry about the fate of his shooter, which spun out—along with Silver’s rock—to blank the end and ice the victory.
“This just gives me more motivation for next year and for the upcoming NorWOSSA season,” reasoned Silver, who will skip the Muskie boys’ team this year.
Silver lost the opener of the series 8-4 on Saturday afternoon.
But in a Game 2 that evening, it was Silver making the big shot at the right time.
With Warkentin lying two, Silver had just the right weight to tap back his opponent’s rock to score one and pull out a 5-4 victory to force the third-and-deciding game.
“I like how we regrouped after the first game,” said Silver.
“It was a big loss but we came together quick after that.
“Our spirits were high even if we were down in the game and we never gave up, and gave it all right to the end,” he added.
