Joey Payeur
Raymond Roy made the shot he needed to.
Unfortunately for him, he also provided the blueprint Steve Gushulak needed to make the same and most crucial shot.
Gushulak pulled off a carbon copy of Roy’s final delivery by running Roy’s stone back far enough to score the clinching point in a 7-6 triumph to repeat as winner of the men’s ‘A’-event final of the Fort Frances Curling Club’s playoffs.
“We got some breaks both years,” admitted Gushulak, who teamed with third Aaron Bisson, second Todd Moxham, and lead Bill Gushulak for his second career club championship.
“It’s nice to have an open shot for the win,” he added.
Roy stole a single in the opening end via a measurement after Gushulak hogged his final stone.
But when Roy whiffed on a take-out in the second, Gushulak drew in for a deuce and a 2-1 lead.
The teams traded singles the next two ends before Roy went up 4-3 with a steal of two in the fifth when Gushulak hit and rolled out with his shooter facing three Roy shot rocks.
Gushulak rebounded with a hit for two in the sixth before making a fantastic shot to steal one in the seventh.
With Roy having split the house and lying three, Gushulak was just thin enough on his take-out to roll behind cover and be shot stone.
Roy tried his own take-out but was wide left to give up the single and trail 6-4.
“The steal in seven was key,” agreed Gushulak.
“We were in trouble but I tried to just throw it hard and hit the broom, and it worked out good.”
Roy could have won it in the eighth had he opted for a more daring plan of attack.
Gushulak’s last stone came up short of the house–leaving Roy a tricky hit for three if he chose.
But after stating at the time, “You can’t get the win if you don’t get the tie first,” he decided for discretion over dangerous and settled for a draw for two to force the extra end, where Gushulak ultimately would prevail.
“[Roy] is always right up there and we’ve seen him often,” noted Gushulak.
“It’s a little more satisfying to play a good team and win it.
“Everyone held in there all week and we didn’t give up big ends, which is very important because in an eight-end game, you give that up and you can be out of it all together,” he stressed.
Roy’s three-year run as the grand aggregate champ also came to an end Saturday as his Wednesday night league champions lost to the Thursday night kingpins skipped by Moxham by a 7-5 score.
The men’s ‘B’-event final also came down to the last shot, which culminated with unintended but effective results.
John Yellowega and his rink of third Scott Avis, second Kevin Webb, and lead Travis Green was up 8-5 against Adam Bolen–and also had last rock.
But Bolen’s crew worked the end in its favour and was lying three with Yellowega down to his final shot.
Yellowega powered a shot down the ice, which busted through the traffic in front and moved Bolen’s one rock just enough to limit him to a steal of two and hold on for an 8-7 win.
Ron Silver’s Wednesday and Thursday night teams, which differ by just one player, wound up in the ‘C’-event final.
But Silver and his four other teammates agreed to share the honour rather than figure out how to decide it on the ice amongst themselves.
There is one more bonspiel slated for the Rainy River District this season, as the Stratton Curling Club will host a ‘funspiel’ this weekend.
