Team Saskatchewan downs Team Ontario 9-5 in pivotal Pool A matchup at 2025 Seniors

Team Saskatchewan took a big step forward towards seeing itself in the playoff picture at the 2025 Canadian Senior Curling Championships with a 9-5 win over Team Ontario’s Mike Harris (3-1; Brantford) Monday afternoon at the Ottawa Hunt & Golf Club.  

The now 3-0 Nutana Curling Club squad, rounded out by vice-skip Darrell McKee, second Kory Kohuch, lead Rory Golanowski, and alternate Arlen Hall, now hold the interim outright lead in Pool A, overtaking the previous leader, Team Ontario. 

It’s a win that Team Saskatchewan vice-skip Darrell McKee knows will go a long way in the standings as the event heads toward the Championship Round, beginning Thursday, Dec. 4.  

“Mike and his team are going to be there at the end, for sure,” said McKee. “We really wanted to get that one and get that edge. Got to get that one game up on them right away.”

With the top four teams in each pool qualifying for the Championship Round, each win gives Team Saskatchewan a little more breathing room in the standings. 

“If you ever drop one that you don’t expect to drop, then there’s a little bit of a cushion,” said McKee. “Not every game is a ‘must-win’, but certainly the higher that you finish up helps. It’s nice to get first or second if you can.” 

Team Saskatchewan carried momentum out of the gate in the feature match, but it was a cat-and-mouse affair for the first half. Team Saskatchewan was forced in the first before nearly surrendering a deuce in the second, but Ontario skip Mike Harris’ draw for the extra point would pull up light, knotting the match at one each. 

In the third, Team Saskatchewan had pressure on Team Ontario with hammer, setting up for what could have been a score of three or more, before Harris made an exceptional triple to force the Saskatoon team to a single.  

And while the third end didn’t pan out Team Saskatchewan, the team kept itself patient.  

That patience paid off in the fifth. After giving up a two in the fourth end to fall behind 3-2, Team Saskatchewan managed to crack a five-score thanks to some savvy ice-reading and rock positioning that had Team Ontario chasing. 

“Things were changing a bit more than what we’ve seen,” said McKee of the conditions. “It was running a bit in a spot and (Team Ontario) kind of chapped off a couple times. They had a couple chances to get out of it with a freeze and they bounced off. We made our hit and rolls.” 

Team Ontario would rally back in the sixth with a deuce of its own, but it was too little too late. Team Saskatchewan reclaimed hammer in the seventh, scored two, which then led to handshakes and a 9-5 final. 

In other men’s action Monday afternoon, Team New Brunswick’s James Grattan (3-1; Saint John) bested Team Newfoundland and Labrador’s Keith Ryan (1-2; Labrador City) 8-2 and Team Northern Ontario’s Al Belec (2-2; Sault Ste. Marie) made short of work of Team Nunavut’s Peter Mackey (1-3; Iqaluit) 12-1. Team Alberta’s James Pahl (1-2; Sherwood Park) doubled up Team Northwest Territories’ Greg Skauge (1-3; Yellowknife) 8-4 while Team British Columbia’s Neil Dangerfield (3-1; Victoria) finessed Team Manitoba’s Dave Boehmer (2-1; Petersfield) 7-6 and Team Québec’s Robert Desjardins (2-1; Chicoutimi) beat Team Nova Scotia’s Alan O’Leary (1-2; Bridgewater) 11-3.  

In women’s action from Monday morning, Team Alberta’s Delia DeJong (2-1; Okotoks) blanked Team Nunavut’s Geneva Chislett (0-2; Iqaluit) 13-0 while Team New Brunswick’s Shelly Graham (1-1; Fredericton) edged Team Manitoba’s Marlene Lang (1-2; Winnipeg) 6-5 and Team Yukon’s Rhonda Horte (1-1; Whitehorse) earned its first win over Team Northern Ontario’s Valerie MacInnes (0-3; Schumacher) 9-2. Team Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh (3-0; Barrie) confirmed a 10-4 win over Team Nova Scotia’s Andrea Saulnier (2-1; Kentville) while Team Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland (3-0; Saskatoon) posted a 5-4 win over Team Prince Edward Island’s Shelly Bradley (1-2; Cornwall) and Team Newfoundland and Labrador’s Jody Saunders (1-1; St. John’s) downed Team Québec’s Nathalie Gagnon (0-3; Chicoutimi) 6-4. 

After the Championship Pool round robin wraps up on Friday, Dec. 5, the playoffs will start Saturday, Dec. 6, at 10 a.m., (all times Eastern) with the semifinals, pairing the first-seeded team against the fourth-seeded team and the second- and third-ranked teams in the second semifinal.   

The winners advance to their respective gold-medal final, while the losers will play for bronze. The medal games for both genders will be at 3 p.m.

Action from the 2025 Canadian Senior Curling Championships resumes this evening at 6 p.m.

For live scores, live streaming, team rosters, and the draw schedule, CLICK HERE.