Dan Falloon
Judy LaBelle can see all the way to Blind River.
The local skip, along with her team of third Nancy Evans, second Mary-Beth Tkachuk, and lead Trudy Badiuk, finished tied for first with three other rinks at 3-2 at the senior women’s inter-region playdowns at the Fort Frances Curling Club last week.
“We had a couple of really good games, one good game, and two not-so-good games,” recalled LaBelle.
“But it was enough.”
The top five rinks of the six-team tournament advanced to the provincial playdowns, which will be held Feb. 25-28 in Blind River (located between Sudbury and Sault Ste. Marie).
LaBelle opened with a pair of wins over Port Arthur rinks, downing Marion Clark 9-1 on Thursday night before taking a 12-6 decision over Cristiene Hali-Teravainen on Friday morning.
LaBelle then fell to Kenora’s Peggy Taylor 8-1 later Friday for Taylor’s lone victory—meaning hers was the odd rink out for a provincial berth.
LaBelle was unable to recover in her next game Saturday morning against Port Arthur’s Barbara Ward, losing 9-3.
She finished on a winning note, however, edging Fort William’s Joy Lappalainen 9-7 that night to advance.
“The games that didn’t go well, we just struggled,” LaBelle reasoned. “And it wasn’t any one of us. It was all of us.
“We all struggled in those games.
“I think fatigue is a factor with us, too,” she admitted. “Most of those teams curl three or four nights a week, and we only curl one night a week.
“It makes a difference as a fatigue factor.”
Still, LaBelle was pleased with how her rink responded to a lineup change just before the tournament. Diane Bonot had to bow out with an injury, with Tkachuk coming in to take her place.
“We’d never curled together before so it worked out all right,” said LaBelle. “We didn’t have any problems at all.
“We both think the same way, call the same kind of game, so that helps,” she added. “It kinda fell together.”
The skip also raved about the ice being well made and suiting her style of game.
“The ice was really good, so that certainly helps,” she remarked. “The ice was nice and keen, and we have a stronger draw game than a hit game.
“With keen ice, it makes it a little easier for drawing,” LaBelle noted.
Heading into Blind River, the local foursome already will have had a good look at most of the competition.
“We know we can hold our own with them, so we’re going in fairly confident,” LaBelle said.
“We’re confident of at least keeping our head above water.”
On the men’s side, former Canadian and world champ Al Hackner had no trouble punching his ticket to the provincials in Blind River, cruising to a 5-0 record in the round-robin.
Deciding the second and final berth wasn’t quite so easy, though.
Bruce Melville (Port Arthur) and Larry Chepsiuk (Fort William), who both sported 3-2 records after the round-robin, faced off in a tie-breaker Sunday morning.
Chepsiuk ultimately captured the second spot at the provincials with a 10-4 thumping.
Ken McKinnon, whose Fort Frances rink included third Jim Jackson, second Ron Martinuk, and lead Sandy Haney, brought up the rear with a 1-4 record.
The locals lost their first two games—10-2 to Ken Anderson (Red Lake) on Thursday night and then 9-5 to Randy Fossum (Port Arthur) on Friday morning—before recovering with a narrow 7-6 victory over Chepsiuk that night.
McKinnon then wrapped up play Saturday with losses to Hackner and Melville by scores of 10-6 and 8-3, respectively.
“We were concerned that we weren’t going to make a respectable showing, but we did well,” McKinnon said.
“We only won one game, but we had three other games that were close.
“We basically just gave up a bad end making up the difference,” he noted. “I think our guys did an excellent job.
“In three of our losses, it was basically one shot that would make the difference and they’d get a big end,” McKinnon added. “They’d get a three-, four-, five-ender, and that calibre of curling, somebody gets a big end and it’s over.
“They get the jump on you and you just don’t get the chance to come back.
“If you can stay within one or two points, you’re always within striking distance,” he reasoned. “Any more than that, and the game’s pretty well in hand.”
McKinnon was giddy to take to the ice against Hackner—the Brier and world champion in both 1982 and 1985.
“It was quite a thrill,” he enthused. “In 1985, we were lucky enough to be there to see him win.
“Then here we are in 2010 [and] I was able to curl against him.
“We had a respectable game,” McKinnon noted. “We were able to stay in the game, fairly close for eight ends, so it was quite a thrill.”
The 73-year-old skip explained that, at this point, there was nothing he could learn from Hackner since the difference between them is just pure talent.
“Those people, that calibre, they’re just excellent shooters. They just very rarely miss,” McKinnon said.
“We’ll miss a shot and they’ll just capitalize on the miss, and next thing you’re in big trouble.”
The men’s and women’s winners in Blind River will advance to the national showdown March 20-27 in Ottawa, with the national champs to represent Canada at the worlds April 16-24 in Chelyabinsk, Russia.
