A curling team with Foothills roots served up a memorable run at the Boston Pizza Cup.
Team Harty earned the second seed into the playoff round at the Alberta Men’s Curling Championship and were twice just one win away from a berth in the final before ultimately bowing out in the semifinal round on Jan. 8 in Grande Prairie.
The Glencoe Curling Club team — with skip Jeremy Harty, Okotokian Kyler Kleibrink at third, Foothills County’s Joshua Kiist at second and Kurtis Goller throwing lead stones — punched its ticket to the page-playoff at the championships through a 4-1 record in round-robin.
Team Harty dispatched St. Albert’s Nathan Molberg 9-4 before taking an 8-4 defeat to eventual champions Kevin Koe.
The foursome rebounded with three straight victories over Edmonton’s Ryan Jacques and Karsten Sturmay and Sexsmith’s Scott Webb to earn the second seed into the playoff round and a rematch with Koe.
In the page-playoff, with the winner advancing through to the final, Koe took the second meeting by a 10-3 count.
In the semifinal, Edmonton’s Ted Appelman held off a late surge from Harty by a 7-6 score through 10 ends to punch his ticket to the gold medal game where Koe hit the button on his seventh provincial title.
At the Sentinel Storage Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts, also held in Grande Prairie, Edmonton’s Laura Walker defeated Casey Scheidegger to earn her second provincial title in the past three years. Walker won the 2020 Alberta Scotties in Okotoks to kickstart a run of three straight qualifications for nationals.
The provincial action continues this week with the boys and girls Alberta Optimist U18 Championships held Jan. 12-16 in Hinton.
The Okotoks Curling Club’s Team Chloe Johnston and Team Ben Kiist are among the squads competing for the U18 title.
For more information go to curlingalberta.ca.
