The SHSAA provincial curling championships leave you little margin for error.
Stacey Light and Kaitlin Corbin learned that a year ago.
The Vanier curlers wished it was a reality they only had to experience once.
History repeated for Vanier at the SHSAA mixed provincials in Moose Jaw Saturday.
After winning their first three games Friday, Vanier lost their final two games and finished out of the medals.
The Vanier rink of Light, Corbin, Jonathon Wells and Devon Schweiger lost 6-5 in the semifinal to Debden and then lost 6-5 to Spiritwood in the bronze medal game. They had beaten both teams Friday when they qualified for the semis by winning the A event.
“I’m really proud of my team and how they played all weekend,” said Vanier skip Stacey Light. “Hopefully we get over it soon.”
Adding to the disappointment was the fact that Light and Corbin were both members of Vanier’s girls team a year ago that did the same thing at provincials — winning the A event and then finishing fourth.
“It’s disappointing. I think it’s harder for Kaitlin and I because we finished fourth last year and the same thing happened to us: we only lost one game all season then we got to provincials and lost our last two,” said Light.
Unlike in many other spiels, there’s no added benefit to qualifying through the A event. In fact it was the two C event winners — Frontier and Debden — that won the semifinals. Frontier beat Debden 7-5 in the final.
In the bronze medal game, Vanier was leading Spiritwood 5-4 coming home without the hammer. Spiritwood was facing two with their final stone and had an open takeout to tie the game. Instead they made a great double to score their two and end the game.
“We felt we played great, but it was a couple of errors in the last end set them up for the win,” said Light. “It was a hard double and he made it. Good for him, because that was a hard double.”
Schweiger is the only senior on the Vanier team, with the other three members still in Grade 11. Light said they hadn’t decided on a plan for next season.
* * * *
Assiniboia’s boys claimed the SHSAA provincial title with a thrilling win on their home ice.
They prevailed 7-6 over Saskatoon Walter Murray in the final in an extra end.
Walter Murray led 5-3, but Assiniboia battled back. They stole a point in the final end to tie the game and stole another point in the extra end to win.
It was a similar story in the semifinal as Assiniboia beat Swift Current 8-7 on the final shot. Assiniboia skip Lucas Richards drew to the four-foot with his final stone to win the game.
