Two Salmon Arm curlers, Brian Maurer and Bert Larmand, are competing in the 2018 Canadian Stick Curling Championships in St. Albert, Alta this week. The event, which runs from April 2-5 at the St. Albert Curling Club, brings together the top competitors in Canadian stick curling to decide the the national champions.
This year there are 48 teams of two entered into the championships, and of those 48, six hail from B.C.. In addition to Maurer and Larmand’s Salmon Arm team there are teams from Prince George, Armstrong, Parksville and two teams from Vernon, including B.C. stick curling champions Darrell Sears and John Campbell.
The Salmon Arm team of Maurer and Larmand have played six games, coming out with a record of four wins and two losses in the championships.
Their first game against Bruce Densmore and Keith Bennett of Windsor Junction, N.S. ended in a 1-4 loss, followed up by a close 3-4 loss against Tom Steele and Barbara Palmer of St. Albert, Alta.
However, the duo from Salmon Arm gained some traction in their next three matches, keeping their momentum and putting up three wins in a row. Their first win was a landslide 6-1 victory over Glen and Marjorie Thompson of Fort Assiniboine, Alta, followed up by a 6-3 win over Darren and Darrel Beach of Regina, SK. Their third victory was a rematch against Densmore and Bennett, this time triumphing in a 6-4 win against the Nova Scotia team.
Maurer and Larmand played their most recent match at 3 p.m. PST on April 4 against Mike McMullan and Don Kuchelyma of Edmonton, Alta, nailing down an 8-1 victory and advancing to the next round of the tournament against Britta and Fred Spiring of Winnipeg, MN.
The tournament is played in a triple-elimination format, meaning any team that loses three games will be eliminated from the running. Maurer and Larmand are on a winning streak but need to play flawlessly for their next games if they hope to make it to the quarterfinals on April 5.
Live tournament results and photos can be found by clicking on this link.
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