Bonot, Hyatt fall short at playdowns

Bryan Bonot and Norm Hyatt will have to wait until next year to take the next step.
Representing the Stratton Curling Club and Fort Frances Curling Club, respectively, Bonot and Hyatt finished out of the running at the senior men’s and women’s association championships last week in Kakabeka Falls.
After losing four of their first five matches, Bonot and his rink of third Terry Lee, second Ron Martinuk, and lead Ted Stewart won both their games Saturday to finish tied for fifth at 3-4 with Rob Alderdice of the Eagle’s Landing Curling Club (Dryden).
Larry Pineau (Thunder Bay Country Club), who joined Glen Saari (Fort William Curling Club) at the top of the standings with similar 5-2 records, had nipped Bonot 7-5 on Friday afternoon.
But the Stratton skip topped Ken Kozmenski (Eagle’s Landing Curling Club) 8-5 on Saturday morning before playing spoiler against Elo Willman (Red Rock Curling Club) in Saturday’s late draw.
Willman needed a win to force a three-way playoff with Pineau and Saari to decided which two teams would advance to the provincial playdowns Dec. 19-21 in Iroquois Falls.
But Bonot sent Willman packing, taking a 7-4 decision to leave Willman tied for third at 4-3 with Denis Magne (Port Arthur Curling Club).
Hyatt and his rink of third Jim Jackson, second Glen Jackson, and lead Nevin Bonot started the week in good shape, winning two of their first three, but lost their final four games to finish tied for last with Kozmenski at 2-5.
Willman downed Hyatt 9-6 on Friday afternoon before Alderdice pulled out an 8-6 victory Saturday afternoon over the Fort Frances crew.
Hyatt ended the round-robin with a 9-2 defeat at the hands of Pineau.
No district teams were vying for the women’s title.