The West Kootenay and the Kootanay Savings Super League will be well represented at the BC Mens Masters Playdowns in Duncan the first week of March.
The Bill van Yzerloo rink from Castlegar went through the Kootenay Regional Playdowns in Invermere undefeated, but not without a few tense moments along the way.
The van Yzerloo rink, consisting of third Myron Nichol, second Garry Beaudry of Nelson and lead Richard Faunt of Trail defeated Alan Bressanutti’s Super League rink, with third Larry Kotyk, second Murray Walsh and Lead Wolfgang Koban in their first game 8-4.
Bressanutti was leading 3-2 after the fourth end break, but van Yzerloo started with a deuce in the fifth, then a steal of two in the sixth to grab control on their way to the win. In the A qualifying game, van Yzerloo played former BC Champions Ken McHargue and Gerry Kent, who had recruited Super Leaguers Brian LeMoel and Bill King to play front end.
The game started cautiously at first, with van Yzerloo taking one in the first, then McHargue blanking the second. It was pedal to the metal after that, with McHargue putting up a field goal in the third, followed by van Yzerloo responding with a three spot of their own in the fourth.
Team van Yzerloo looked to be in the drivers seat after stealing the fifth and sixth ends to be four up with two to go, but a couple of missed shots later, McHargue tied the game with a huge 4-ender, and looked to be on their way stealing the win, before third Nichol made a triple, clearing the two front guards plus the buried rock off the button. A couple of peels later, and van Yzerloo had a clear path draw to the 4-foot for the qualifying win.
Team Bressanutti played local Invermere Team Reg Reinhardt in their second game, and were all tied at four all at the fourth end break. Unfortunately, just like their first game, things just slipped away in the second half, giving up a three-ender in the fifth, followed by a single steal in the 6th. Bressanutti manufactured a deuce in the seventh, but got run out of rocks in the 8th to be eliminated 8-6.
In the B qualifying game, Team McHargue had little trouble against Team Reinhardt, stealing the first four ends, cruising to a 7-2 win, and the second BC Masters spot. The teams will join perennial Championship competing skips Wes Craig from the Island and the Lower Mainland’s Craig Lepine in the tough field of eight.
