聽 聽 聽When round robin play in the Duck Mountain Super League of men's curling concluded in Benito January 3, Don Bowes and Ken Newell, each with records of four wins and two losses, were tied for top spot.
聽 聽 聽Four teams were tied for second place, and Randy Trofimenkoff, with a single victory, was the low man on the totem pole.
聽 聽 聽The logjam of teams with three wins and three losses was to be broken in Norquay on Monday when Kamsack's Fred Perepiolkin was to go against Terry Dennis of Canora and Rick Kinaschuk of Benito was to face Jeremy Hrycenko of Arran.
聽 聽 聽The winner of that tie-breaker draw was to advance to the A-side semi-final play in Benito on Tuesday. One team that lost in Norquay was to play against Trofimenkoff in the B-side semi-final, also scheduled for Benito on Tuesday.
聽 聽 聽The other team that lost in Norquay was to advance to the B-side final.
聽 聽 聽How did all this happen?
聽 聽 聽Let's go back to Kamsack for Draw No. 6 played December 20, when Don Bowes, sponsored by Cottenie and Gardner Inc., was engaged in a close game with the Hrycenko brothers, backed by Rawhides Bistro and Saloon. Bowes blanked the seventh end and had the hammer coming home with a rock buried in the four-foot circle. The game was tied 3-3. After much deliberation, Jeremy Hrycenko, throwing his last stone, attempted a raise takeout and missed, giving Bowes the win.
聽 聽 聽Fred Perepiolkin and his Kamsack crew, sponsored by Nykolaishen Farms, showed remarkable poise in defeating Ken Newell's Norquay team in seven ends. At one point Newell had three rocks counting in the four-foot ring that were cancelled when Perepiolkin calmly drew the button.
聽 聽 聽The final game in the sixth draw saw Terry Dennis squeak by Randy Trofimenkoff 5-4 after eight ends.
聽 聽 聽Duck Mountain Super League curling resumed in Benito January 3 when Newell clipped Hrycenko and Dennis, sponsored by Pioneer Hi-Bred Seeds of Canora, won his game against hometown favourite Rick Kinaschuk, bankrolled by W.F. Schneider and Son Ltd.
聽 聽 聽A third round-robin game scheduled for Benito was conceded to Bowes when the Trofimenkoff foursome could not ice enough players.
聽 聽 聽This winter of 2016-2017 marks the 30th anniversary in the history of the Duck Mountain Super League of men's curling.
