Trites team number one Canada Games qualifier

The Sackville curling team of Alex Trites, skip, Andrew O'Dell, mate, of the Gage Curling Club, William Lautenschlager, second, of the Sackville Curling Club, and Zac Robichaud, lead, of the Bathurst Curling Club played in Moncton at the MCA for the Canada Games qualifier, which was held Jan 23-25.
This team won the number one spot for the Canada Games final to see who will represent New Brunswick at the Canada Games 2011 in Halifax.
There were 10 boys teams and seven girls teams that played off for the two spots to go to the Canada Games final.
The Trites team had a very difficult first game against Scott Babin from Dalhousie where they were down by one going home with the hammer. Trites then got a single in the eighth end to tie the score to go into extra ends.
In the ninth end, Robichaud put up the guards while Lautenschlager did a come-around to sit in the back eight-foot to sit number one.
The rest of the end Babin tried to remove the guards but he only replaced them. In the end, Trites protected the four-foot by putting a rock top 12- foot and then the guard against a draw. Babin was unable to make his draw to the house so the Trites team stole four points to win the game.
Trites second game was a little easier against the Kennedy Team from the CWC in Fredericton with a score of 8-2.
The final team they played was against the Case Team from the Thistle St. Andrews Club. This game was a little closer than expected with it going to extra ends as well. Trites in the ninth end had to make a come-around draw to the button and win, which he did with a final score of 5-4.
These four players only started to play as a team in Sept. 2008 but have had great success in the couple of cash spiels that they've entered. The Trites team will play for the next two years with the goal to be the Canada Games Team in 2011.
The second boys qualifier was the Case team from Thistle St. Andrews Club in Saint John. The two girls teams that qualified this past weekend were the Daigle Team from TSA in Saint John as well as the Barry Team from the CWC in Fredericton.