The two top teams on the third day at the Scotties B.C. women's curling championship each have Prince George connections.
Sarah Wark of Abbotsford improved to 5-1 at the eight-team tournament in Quesnel, finishing with a three-ender in the 10th to cap an 8-6 win Thursday night over Karla Thompson of Kamloops.
Wark's team includes third Kristen Pilote, second Carly Sandwith, lead Michelle Dunn and fifth Jen Rusnell and is coached by Rick Fewster. Rusnell and Pilote, and their father, Fewster, are from Prince George.
Wark recorded her fourth win Thursday morning, beating Corryn Brown of Kamloops 8-5 in nine ends.
Meanwhile, Brette Richards and her combined Prince George/Kelowna/Victoria rink were trying to keep within striking range of Wark for first place with one day left in round-robin play. Richards took on Diane Gushulak of New Westminster (2-2) in the ninth draw Thursday night and lost 7-6. Gushulak scored the decisive point holding the hammer in the 10th to improve to 3-2, moving her into second place just ahead of Richards, who also has a 3-2 record.
Richards and her team of third Blaine de Jager (her sister from Prince George), second Steph Jackson Baier (Kelowna) and lead Heather Tyre (Victoria), coached by Doug Dalziel (Prince George), needed a little overtime to beat their previous two opponents.
Richards scored one in the 11th end in the late draw Wednesday in a 7-6 victory, handing Wark her only loss of the tournament. Then in the morning draw Thursday, Richards blanked the ninth and 10th ends and put up one in the 11th in a 6-5 triumph over Thompson to improve their second-place record to 3-1.
Richards and de Jager captured the B.C. title in 2017 as part of a team skipped by Marla Mallet. Jackson Baier teamed up with Kesa Van Osch to claim the B.C. championship in 2014. Van Osch, of Nanaimo, is the defending champion.
Richards and her crew will be back on the ice in Quesnel today at 9 a.m. to play Kim Slattery of Vernon in the 10th draw, then face Lindsay Hudyma of Vancouver at 2 p.m.
Wark has a bye this morning and is matched against Gushulak in today's final round-robin draw. The playoffs start Saturday at 9 a.m. with the two top teams facing each other. The winner advances to the championship game Sunday at 2 p.m., while the loser of 1-versus-2 game faces the winner of the 3-versus-4 playoff Saturday at 7 p.m., with the winner advancing to the final.
At stake is the right to represent B.C. in the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Sydney, N.S., Feb. 16-24.
The B.C. provincial men's tournament is also on this week in Quesnel. Jim Cotter of Vernon beat Jason Montgomery of Victoria 7-5 in the A-final Thursday morning. Montgomery will face Dean Joanisse of Victoria in the B final tonight at 9. Cotter will play the winner of that game Saturday at 9 a.m. The winner advances to the championship game Sunday at 10 a.m. The men's champ will go on to the Tim Hortons Brier in Brandon, Man., March 30 to April 7.
