After all the games had been played (68), all the entry fees taken from the 36 rinks (around $6,480), and a number of drinks poured and consumed (yet to be determined), Glen Edwards and his crew walked away from the 11th-annual “Icebox Days” bonspiel with the ‘A’ title in tow.
“We’re very pleased. We curled very, very well all tournament,” said Edwards, whose rink included Doug Currie, Dana Kosowick, and Steve Kosowick for the three-day tournament that wrapped up Sunday at the Fort Frances Curling Club.
“Dougy threw skip rocks and I threw third rocks, and he played well for us and so did the whole team,” added Edwards.
The team obviously had taken a page from the successful Randy Ferbey rink, which has won a few national and world titles implementing the same system with David Nedohin.
“We copied it from them. It worked for them and it worked for us,” laughed Edwards, who won 7-2 in the ‘A’ final over the local Terry Lee rink, which included Ron Martinuk, Bob Fretter, and Ted Stewart.
Both teams went undefeated in four games to make it the ‘A’ final. Edwards beat Tom Fry, Bob Johnson, Tom Mayer, and Al Holt while Lee got past Graham Matheson, Sheldon Kelly, Bill Gushulak, and Clare Brunetta.
“We got a lot of breaks. One big break in each game,” Edwards said. “Usually in the first end we would struggle.
“And I think in three of the five games, we were looking at four or five opponent’s rocks and then we’d bury one and come out of the end, and that’s more good luck than good playing.
“We escaped three times like Houdini, and I think you need breaks to win something like this,” he added.
Defending champion Lorne Jackson won the ‘B’ event with a new team, which included Kathie Jackson, Don DeBenedet, and Diane DeBenedet.
They stumbled in their first match, losing to the Ed Vold rink, but then strung together three-consecutive wins over Sherri Armstrong, Matheson, and John Cann.
Jackson then faced Ken McKinnon, whose rink featured Travis Enge, Sandy Haney, and Bill Enge, in the ‘B’ final and emerged with a narrow 7-6 victory.
McKinnon had opened with a loss to Greg Plumridge, but followed that with wins over Greg Tighe, Will Windigo, and Adam Bolen to be still playing Sunday afternoon.
“We come in for fun,” said Jackson. “I mean, it would have been nice to have repeated, but we didn’t, but that’s okay because we did win one event.
“We made a few shots at the right time. We didn’t play overly well all weekend, it’s just when we had to make a good shot, we did,” added Jackson, who will join Don DeBenedet, Derek Jackson, and Mike Kjerulf at the Northwestern Ontario men’s playdowns this week in Terrace Bay.
The ‘C’ final turned out to be the closest match of the afternoon, with Plumridge nipping Dave Bondett 5-4 in extra ends.
Plumridge, whose team included Jackie Savage, Ron McKinnon, and Mike Pawlikowski, had opened with a win over Ken McKinnon, but then fell to Bill Gushulak in the second draw.
But they roared back with wins over Kelly and Everett Jackson to reach the ‘C’ final.
Bondett, whose team included Donna Kowalchuk, Mark Kowalchuk, and Mary Lynne Bondett, began with a win over Windigo, a loss to Brunetta, and then victories over Vold and Loreen Holt.
“We’re pleased. Three games in one day is too much for these old people, though, but the point of this bonspiel is to have fun, and if you win, then it’s just a bonus,” smiled Plumridge, who added he looks forward to the bonspiel each year more for the social aspect than playing.
“It’s a party atmosphere,” he remarked. It’s a social thing because you get to see people that you haven’t seen all year.”
And in the ‘D’ event, Raymond Roy beat the Dan Herman rink of International Falls by a 6-1 score, who was joined by Robert Henderson, Tighe Erickson, and Adam McIntire.
“Just winning a game was a highlight because we didn’t win too many of them over this weekend, so that was good,” said Roy, whose team included Roz Broman, Dave Broman, and Kim Roy.
Roy opened with losses to Brunetta and Windigo, but followed with wins over Dave Kaun and Tighe.
Herman, whose team featured Robert Henderson, Tighe Erickson, and Adam McIntire, took a longer road to get to the ‘D’ final. He opened with losses to L. Holt and Hudson, then strung off wins over Armstrong, Les Davis, and Judy LaBelle.
“It’s just a fun event, that’s for sure. These guys put on a great bonspiel,” said Roy.
“We look forward to this tournament because it’s a fun tournament and the emphasis is on fun,” agreed Edwards. “Nobody loads up their team to win, there are a lot of mixed teams, and it’s a fun ’spiel.
“And if you win a few games, then great, and if you don’t, then you still have a good time,” he added.
Fort Frances Times
Local News from Across the Rainy River District
