Joey Payeur
Isaac Keffer is proving to be one cool customer on the ice.
The former Muskie, who now plays out of the Port Arthur Curling Club in Thunder Bay, improved to 2-1 by doubling clubmate Matthew Smith 8-4 in eight ends at the Northern Ontario junior men’s provincial curling championship in Longlac.
Keffer and his rink of third Zacharia Warkentin, second Joshua Sjaewski, and lead Mike Zsakai entered today in a six-way tie for second behind fellow Port Arthur curler Jordan Potter (2-0).
Potter pushed his mark to 3-0 with a 7-4 win over Sudbury’s Sam Cull this morning.
Meanwhile, Cody Tetreault of Thessalon (7-2 over Nick Dawson of Sault Ste. Marie) and Tanner Horgan of Sudbury (10-1 in eight ends over Longlac’s Cedric Lachance) joined Keffer in a three-way tie for second.
No messing around appeared to be Keffer’s philosophy this morning as he scorched Smith for a four-ender in the second to take a sizable early lead.
Smith countered with one in the third but Keffer fired back with a single in the fourth and then a steal of two in the fifth to vault ahead 7-1.
A deuce by Smith in the sixth was followed by a single by Keffer in the seventh.
Smith took his own single in the eighth but decided to shake hands at that point.
Keffer, who finished second at last year’s provincials, stumbled out of the gate yesterday by falling 8-5 to Cull in the opening draw.
Trailing 5-4 after seven, Cull snatched a single in the eighth to tie the game.
Keffer blanked the ninth to give himself last-rock advantage in the 10th. But Cull turned that plan upside down when he stole three to yank the victory out of Keffer’s grasp.
A better fate awaited Keffer in the second draw as he was the one staging the rally in an 8-5 win over Tetreault.
Trailing 5-4, Keffer again blanked the ninth—and this time it paid off as he racked up a huge four-ender for the win.
Keffer tangled with Lachance this afternoon, then will face Potter tonight at 6:30 p.m. (all times CST).
He then will battle Horgan at 8 a.m. (CST) tomorrow before closing out the round-robin against Dawson at 1:30 p.m.
Tie-breakers, if necessary, are scheduled for tomorrow night.
The semi-finals will take place Sunday at 8 a.m., with the final slated for 12:30 p.m.
