OUT OF THE HACK: Chudley right at home

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This article was published 24/03/2016 (3663 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Jerry Chudley is used to home games.

The Neepawa skip was one of two local teams — Kelly Robertson was the other — to play in the 2013 provincial men’s curling championship when it was held at the Yellowhead Centre. He expects the thrill of participating in another provincial event in his hometown will be similar this weekend.

Starting Friday, Chudley and 15 other teams will take to the ice at the Neepawa club at mixed provincials.

It’s a stacked field that features plenty of Westman representation — including fellow Neepawa skip Jeff Stewart, Dauphin’s Ray Baker, who lost last year’s final 6-5 to Bob Sigurdson, Carberry’s Kelly Marnoch, Brandon’s Shayne MacGranachan and Lee Robins, and Carberry product Braden Calvert and his team from the Fort Rouge in Winnipeg.

“It definitely gave us more inspiration to get there,” Chudley said of knowing mixed provincials was being played in Neepawa. “It should be good. I’m looking forward to it, for sure.”

It’s the third trip to provincials in four years for Chudley, whose team features Tina Kozak at third, Brent McKee at second and Andrea Smith at lead. It may be one of the tougher fields as well with reigning Manitoba women’s champion skip Kerri Einarson, former women’s world curling champion Cathy Overton-Clapham and former provincial mixed curling champion Tanya Enns, who throws third stones for Robins there.

Derek Samagalski, whose third is Einarson, is seeded first; Sigurdson is the No. 2 seed; Alex Forrest of East St. Paul is third; Calvert is fourth and Corey Chambers, also of East St. Paul, is fifth.

“I’d say of all the ones we’ve played in, this is the toughest looking one on paper,” Chudley said. “We have pretty good expectations and we should be able to do pretty good on our home ice, but it’s definitely going to be a challenge.”

He added that knowing the ice probably will not be that much of a benefit.

“I don’t think it takes these teams long to catch on to tendencies in the ice,” Chudley said. “Maybe a slight advantage, but I don’t think it will be very big at all.”

The biggest thing for his team, like many others in the field, is being consistent, limiting big ends for opponents and capitalizing on ends when there’s a chance to score multiple points.

It will not be a home game for April McKean, but she’s glad mixed provincials are taking place in Westman for the first time since Melita hosted the event in 2009.

The top Westman team that year was Brandon club’s Terry McNamee, who fell in the semifinal.

“It’s nice that the playdowns are not in the city and that will give our family a chance to come out and watch us play,” McKean said.

McKean, who throws third stones for Marnoch, is no stranger to provincials having competed at the women’s and junior women’s level. This, however, will be her first chance at the Buffalo in mixed.

Joining Marnoch and McKean is second Branden Jorgensen and lead Kailey Kowalick, who will be making her provincial debut at any level.

The foursome curled together last year as well, but fell just shy of earning a berth at provincials with an 8-7 loss to Killarney’s Don Chatham in their B-side qualifier. The goal this year was to make amends for giving up that deuce in the 10th end and advancing to provincials.

With a 6-3 win over Kyle McCannell of Pilot Mound in an A-side qualifier at last month’s Central regional it was mission accomplished.

Like Chudley, McKean also looked at the field’s depth in amazement, but believes if her team can get hot at the right time they can challenge for the title and a trip to nationals from Nov. 12 to 19 in Yarmouth, N.S.

“There will be a few of my old teammates there,” she said, noting D’Arcy Maywood, who throws lead stones for Forrest is among them.

“But there’s definitely a lot of people there that make you look and go ‘holy crap.’”

McKean and company, along with the other Westman teams will aim to win the region’s first mixed provincial title since McNamee won his fifth in 2012 with Einarson, her husband Kyle and Stacey Fordyce.

EXTRA ENDS: Killarney is hosting an open bonspiel from April 1 to 3. Contact Derek McGill at 204-523-6663 for more information … Pilot Mound is hosting an open bonspiel from April 7 to 10 to celebrate the club’s 125th anniversary. Adult teams cost $120 and junior teams cost $60. Contact Kristen Friesen at 204-835-8288 for more on the open event and Jackie McCannell at 204-825-8285 for more on the junior event.