Tbaytel Major League of Curling
214 Egan St P7A 2W7 Thunder Bay, ON, Canada

The Tbaytel Major League of Curling plans to resume play and complete its 45th season, if the current lockdown ends February 11. There are five round robin draws to complete regular season. It would be followed by the playoffs, a one-day event. Here is the proposed schedule that includes playing games on two Saturdays at the Port Arthur Curling Club.... Wed Feb 17 KFCC 630 Sat Feb 20 PACC 100 Wed Feb 24 KFCC 630 Sat Feb 27 PACC 100 Wed Mar 3 KFCC 630 Playoffs Sat Mar 6 PACC

Team Dylan Johnston top the standings with Major League play to resume next week pending the lift of the current lockdown..., The Tbaytel Major League of Curling was slated to resume play with draw 14 tonight at the Port Arthur Curling Club. However, that is not happening. Those six games will be rescheduled with league officials looking at a Saturday afternoon draw later this month either the 16th, 23rd or 30th. ... The local competitive league has five round robin draws left to end regular season play and hopes to resume action with four games next Wednesday 6:30 pm at Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. The league is planning to move up their playoffs dates to February with plans to host a Championship Saturday event at the Port Arthur Curling Club pending confirmation of ice time. The league playoff will once again feature a championship and consolation seeding with the top seven teams after round robin to play for the Tbaytel title. The first team overall will earn a bye to the final four semi-finals with the remaining six teams to meet in quarterfinal matches. The consolation side will have a similar format with the eighth place team overall earning a bye to the semi-finals. League Front Runners The Dylan Johnston rink, the defending league champions are the current the front runners in the 14-team competitive loop. Johnston and his five person team of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd sport a 7-2 record, one win a head of Bryan Burgess. Burgess, who won the league title two years ago at skip, has his Kakabeka Falls club team of Mike Vale, Tristen Vale and Greg Hollins in second place at 6-2 . Trevor Bonot and Krista McCarville are tied for third place with records of 6-3. Frank Morissette sits in fifth place at 5-3, while three teams Mike Desilets, Al Hackner, and Ben Mikkelsen currently hold the top seven spots tied for sixth place at 5-4. Mike Pozihun at 4-4 and Gary Weiss 4-5 remain in the hunt for a championship playoff berth but need wins as all teams complete their 12 game schedules. It looks like seven wins may be the magic number to qualify for the top seven and a shot at the Tbaytel title.

Now undefeated in four starts, Bryan Burgess moves into second place....

The Bryan Burgess continued their challenge for first place in the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Club. Burgess and his rink of Mike Vale, Tristen Vale and Greg Hollins steamrolled Gary Weiss with a convincing 8-0 win in four ends. The Kakabeka Falls Curling Club squad set the tone early, cracking a four in the first end. Burgess then put three straight steals on the board to end the match. It was the fourth straight win for Burgess... to remain one of two rinks with two losses. Burgess is in second place with a 6-2 record while Dylan Johnston moved back into top spot in the 14-team league at 7-2. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark and Chris Briand held off Jonathon Vellinga 7-4. Johnston after giving up a single to open the game took the lead with a deuce in the second end and then stole one in the third to go up 3-1. The defending league champs held Vellinga to a single in the fourth end, and then the teams traded deuces with Johnston running the young U21 squad out of rocks in the eighth end. The Trevor Bonot rink came to play against Krista McCarville posting their sixth win of the season. Bonot playing with Liane Fossum, Andrew Hackner and Troy Avis set the tone with a big four ender in the first end. Team McCarville who had their six-game win streak snapped by Dallas Burgess last week were unable to close the gap managing only a single in the second end. Bonot restored the four point edge with one in the third end and then stole one more in the fourth end to go up by five. The game ended when McCarville could only manage a single point in the sixth end. Bonot and McCarville are now tied for third place with 6-3 records. Team Frank Morisette stayed at three losses mounting a dramatic comeback to beat Al Hackner 8-7 in a draw to the button. Morissette and his rink of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Rob Skinner found themselves down 5-1 to Hackner after four ends. Morissette clawed their way back into the game with a deuce in fifth end followed by a steal of two more in sixth to tie the game. Hackner took the lead again with a deuce in the seventh end but Morissette tied it with a two of their own in the eighth. In the draw to the button, Morissette shot first getting a piece of the button. Hackner was just a touch heavy on his draw giving Morissette the win. Morissette with the win improved to 5-3 good for fifth place alone. Hackner is now 5-4 in a three way tie for sixth place. The Tbaytel Major League now takes a break for the Christmas holidays and will not return to action until January 13th at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club due to the current Ontario Covid-lockdown.

February 17 is new potential start date for resuming play in Tbaytel Major League of Curling.

Dylan Johmston, Krista McCarville and Bryan Burgess have the opportunity to move in first place as the Tbaytel Major League of Curling continues with the final round robin draw before the Christmas break with four games tonight at the Port Arthur Curling Club. Johnston, McCarville and Burgess all have two losses with Johnston and McCarville currently tied for first place with 6-2 records, while Burgess at 5-2 is one win back having played one less game. The three front runner...Continue reading

Big win for Burgess. Dallas Burgess hits win column...

McCarville grabs first place, while Hackner stays in playoff hunt....

Team Krista McCarville extend their win streak to six games on a night Team Dylan Johnston lost to take over sole possession of first place in the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Club. McCarville were full marks for a 5-3 win over Mike Pozihun to run their record to 6-1 in draw 11 round round action, while Johnston lost 8-5 to Bryan Burgess to fall to second place at 6-2. McCarville and her rink of Jordan Potts, Ashley Sippala and Sa...rah Potts made Pozihun pay for early miscues stealing their way to a 5-0 lead after five ends. Pozihun and his senior squad of Dennis Malette, Rob Shubat and Andy Peloza rallied for a bit of a comeback with a hit for two in the sixth end and a steal one in the seventh. However, in the eight end, McCarville limited Pozihun's opportunities to run them out of rocks for the win. The loss ended Pozihun's three game win streak leaving the PACC squad with a 4-4 record good for a tie for eight place with Mike Desilets. Meanwhile, Burgess and his Kakabeka Falls Curling Club rink of Mike Vale, Tristen Vale and Greg Hollins were full marks for the win over Johnston. Burgess needed a double take out for two to score three in the eighth end for the win in game that they controlled. Burgess with the win improved to 5-2 for sole possession of third place. In other games, Al Hackner and Ben Miikkselsen posted wins to sit in a two-way tie for fourth place at 5-3 behind Burgess. Hackner ended a two-game skid icing the young Dallas Burgess rink 8-2 in six ends, while Mikkelsen held off Britney Malette's U18 squad 6-4 to extend a win streak to three games. The losses by Burgess and Malette left the two juniors teams winless in seven starts. In other action on the six-game slate, Desilets senior squad needed a draw to the button to edge Gary Weiss 7-6 in an extra end, while Mike McCarville found their game to knock off Frank Morissette 7-2 in seven ends. McCarville improved their record to 3-5, Morissette dropped to 4-3. Delisets with the win sits at 4-4 while Weiss is 3-4. The Tbaytel Major League of Curling switches back to the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club for draw 12 with four games next Wednesday 6:30 pm.

The Dallas Burgess rink scored their first win of the season edging Krista McCarville 6-5 in the first versus last matchup in draw 12 action of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. Burgess and his U18 squad of Matt Duizer, Jackson Dubinsky and Brayden Sinclair found their game breaking up a 4-4 tie by scoring a deuce in the fifth end and then stole two in the sixth end to go up 6-4. McCarville and her rink of Jordan Potts, A...shley Sippala and Sarah Potts who scored a three ender in the fourth to go up 4-2 fell short in their comeback bid to keep their six-game win streak in tact. McCarville had to draw for a single against two in the seventh end but Burgess held the one point edge with hammer running McCarville out of rocks in the eighth end. With the loss, McCarville are once again tied for first place with Dylan Johnston in the 14-team league both teams at 6-2. Meanwhile, Ben Mikkelsen missed an opportunity to move into sole possession of third place with Bryan Burgess 5-2 and Al Hackner 5-3 both idle with byes. Mikkelsen dropped a 7-4 decision to Mike Desilets. Desilets senior squad with the win are now one of five teams with five wins with their record 5-4. Trevor Bonot is in the log jam with five wins as they improved their record to 5-3 winning by a 7-4 count over Mike McCarville. Bonot used a four ender in the second end to go up 5-1 after three ends and then hung on for the win. The loss dropped McCarville to 3-6. In the night's other game, Gary Weiss playing with a three-man of Mark Blanchard and newcomer Ryan Wiolford made the most of a a steal of four in the six end to defeated a pesky Britney Malette 8-3. Malette and her junior girls trying to end an 7-game winless season put up a good fight first tying the game in the fourth end after giving up a 3-0 in the second end. Weiss with the win evened their record at 4-4. Malette falls to 0-8. The Tbaytel Major League has one more draw before the Christmas break with draw 13 next Wednesday at the Port Arthur Curling Club.

Big wins by big scores....

Major League win streaks on the line tonight.... Krista McCarville and Mike Pozihun meet in a clash of two teams riding win streaks as the Tbaytel Major League of Curling continues round robin play with draw 11 tonight 6:30 pm at the Port Arthur Curling Club. McCarville and her rink of Jordan Potts, Ashley Sippala and Sarah Potts have not lost since their opening game against Mike Desilets dating back at the end of September. Riding a five game win streak, Team McCarville at ...5-1 is trying to keep pace Dylan Johnston at 6-1 in the battle for first place in the 14-team competitive league. Meanwhile, Pozihun and his senior squad of Dennis Malette, Rob Shubat and Andy Peloza started off slow but have rattled for three straight wins and are the back in the heat of the race to challenge for the championship playoff as one of four teams tied for fifth place with 4-3 records. The top seven teams after round robin play in early February will qualify for the championship playoff round, while the bottom seven teams will play for the consoltation crown. The first place team earns a bye to semi-finals in the playoff round and Team McCarville have their sites set on top spot as they chase the defending league champions. Johnston and his talented squad of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd are back in action coming a lopisded win over Desilets and his Northern Ontario senior champions last week at Kakabeka. Johnston expects a tougher test this week as they face Bryan Burgess who enters draw 11 tied for third place at 4-2 with Frank Morissette and with both teams very much in the race for first place. Burgess and his rink of Kakabeka Curling Club rink of Mike Vale, Tristen Vale and Greg Hollins shoot for a third straight win coming off a strong performance in a 7-3 victory over Hackner two weeks ago. Meanwhile, Morissette and his rink of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Rob Skinner at 4-2 are coming off a bye week as they draw the struggling Mike McCarville at 2-5. Ben Mikkelsen and his rink of Greg Doran, Carter Morash and Devin Doran are out for a third straight win to improve on their 4-3 record. Their opponents are the young junior girls' rink of Britney Malette. Malette and the junior boy’s squad of Dallas Burgess sit at the bottom of the league standings winless in six starts. Burgess draws the veteran Hackner out to get back on the winning track after two straight losses. Hackner is also one of those teams at 4-3. The other game in draw 11 has the Gary Weiss squad 3-3 coming off a bye week to face Desilets and his senior squad needing to find their game at 3-4. Both teams are fighting to stay in the race of a top seven finish.

Mike Pozihun and Bryan Burgess posted big wins by big scores on a night players were mandated to wear masks as the Tbaytel Major League of Curling continued with draw eight Wednesday night at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. Pozihun iced Trevor Bonot 7-1 in five ends, while Burgess stopped Al Hackner 7-3 in six ends. Pozihun with the victory snapped Bonot's three-game win streak while Burgess spoiled Hackner's bid to take over sole possession of first place with a fifth win. ...Burgess and his rink of Mike Vale, Tristen Vale and Greg Hollins were on fire early jumping out to a 4-1 lead on Hackner with text book deuces in the first and third ends. Burgess then put the game away with a big three ender in fifth to improved their record to 4-2 and into a two-way tie with Hackner for fourth place. Dylan Johnston, Frank Morissette and Krista McCarville with byes Wednesday stand tied for first place with 4-1 records. Pozihun and his mates Dennis Malette, Rob Shubat and Andy Peloza were full marks for their second win in five starts against Bonot. Pozihun posted a three in the first end when he actually came up short on a draw four. The veteran Port Arthur Curling Club squad put the pressure on Bonot in the fourth end after the teams had traded singles. Bonot forced to a miracle in off against three rocks buried in the four foot just missed ending in a steal for two more for Pozihun to go up 6-1. Pozihun improved to 2-3 while Bonot sits even at 3-3. In other action, Mike McCarville score seven points in the second and third ends to ice Mike Desilets 7-2 in four ends, while Ben Mikkelsen stole a single in the eighth end to edge Gary Weiss 6-5. Weiss and Mikkelsen are now at 3-3 while McCarville 2-4 and Desilets 2-3. The Tbaytel Major League moves back to the Port Arthur Curling Club for draw nine next Wednesday.

https://www.tbnewswatch.com//hackner-rebounds-to-win-for-t

Team Dylan Johnston and Team Frank Morissette are the only undefeated teams through five draws of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling. Johnston ran their undefeated record to 4-0 while Morissette is 3-0 one win back as two teams top the standings in the local 14-team competitive league. Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Club, Johnston downed Dallas Burgess 6-2, while Morissette was a 9-2 winner over Gary Weiss.... Krista Mccarville and Al Hackner improved their records to 3-1 with wins Wednesday. McCarville double up Bryan Burgess 8-4, handing the Burgess rink their first loss of the season. Hackner bounced back from a loss to McCarville last week shellacking Team Desilets 11-3. Mike McCarville found the win column with a 6-2 victory over Britney Malette while in the nights other game Mike Pozihun scored their first win of the season with a 7-5 decision over Ben Mikkelsen. The Tbaytel Major League moves back to the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club for draw six this coming Wednesday.

The McCarville matchup, a highlight of draw seven....

Battle for playoff positions, making the top seven....

Bryan Burgess will look to deliver a third straight win when the Tbaytel Major League of Curling resumes play with draw five at the Port Arthur Curling Club Wednesday night at 6:30 pm. Burgess, Dylan Johnston, and Frank Morissette put undefeated records on the line as the three undefeated teams atop the standings of the 14-team competitive league. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd look to add to their first place 3-0 record as th...ey face Dallas Burgess. The young Kakabeka rink of Matt Duizer, Jackson Dubinsky and Bryden Sinclair are winless in three starts. The Johnston rink, the defending league champions, started the season posting two lopsided wins but last week had to come from behind to post a last rock victory over Ben Mikkelsen. Bryan Burgess and Morissette look to improve on 2-0 records with both teams coming off a bye week. Burgess and his rink of Mike Vale, Tristan Vale and Greg Hollins take on Krista McCarville, McCarville had a big win over Al Hackner last week and is one of four teams with 2-1 records. Morissette and his squad of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen, Rob Skinner and B.J. Skinner are matched against the Gary Weiss rink at 1-1. Team Morissette in their last outing in draw three needed a dramatic come from behind win stealing three in the last end against Mike Pozihun. Al Hackner and Mike Desilets meet in a showdown of senior shooters. Team Hackner is out to rebound from their first loss of the season last week a lopside setback to Krista McCarville. Team Desilets is out improve on a 1-1 record after a shellacking at the hands of Jonathon Vellinga two weeks ago. The game should mark the return of skip Desilets who sat out the first two draws with a knee injury. Mikkelsen looks to rebound from their first loss of the season. Mikkelsen draws the veteran Pozihun rink looking for their first win in three starts. Mike McCarville (0-3) and Britney Malette (0-2) are two other squads out to hit the win column. They are matched against in each other to round out the six-game schedule. McCarville is coming off back-to-back heart breaking extra end losses, while the young Malette U-18 girls rink face another tough test after opening their major league rookie season with games against Krista McCarville and Hackner. The Port Arthur Curling Club is limiting the number of people in the building. Aside from players, coaches and media, fans are welcome to watch in limited numbers but all people entering the building are asked to abide by the rules put in place due to Covid. This means wearing masks where required and physical distancing at designated seating.

Luck is part of winning as Team Krista McCarville maintained a share of first place with Dylan Johnston...

Trevor Bonot showed his intensity that he was up for the challenge against the undefeated Dylan Johnson rink in draw seven action of Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Club, Team Bonot was full marks for a 6-3 victory handing Johnston their first loss in five starts. Bonot playing for the second straight week with Joel Adams at third and Andrew Hackner and Troy Avis on the front end this week made a big angle raise take out to score t...hree for the final blow in sixth end. Team Bonot scored a third straight win as they got the early jump on Johnston opening up a 3-0 lead with a key steal of two in the fourth end. The win improved Bonot’s record to 3-2 good for a five-way tie for fifth place in the 14-team league. Johnston with the loss maintain a tie for first place at 4-1 with three other rinks Al Hackner, Frank Morissette and Krista McCarville. Hackner had an easy night for their fourth win icing Jonathan Vellinga 8-2. Morissette and Krista McCarville both had to go to shootouts to secure their wins. Morissette edged Ben Mikkelsen 5-4 while Krista McCarvile won by a similar 5-4 count over Mike McCarville. Gary Weiss won for a third time edging Dallas Burgess 5-4 while in the night’s other game Bryan Burgess out scored Britney Malette 7-5. The local competitive league switches back to the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club for draw eight next week.

Trevor Bonot knocked Frank Morissette from the undefeated ranks in draw six action of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. Bonot playing with Joel Adams, Brian Adams Sr. and Andrew Hackner posted an 8-3 victory handing Team Morissette their first loss in four starts. A steal of four in the seventh end was the deciding points when Morissette missed on a wide angle in off removing his own rock. It was the second straight win f...or Bonot as they evened their record at 2-2. The loss dropped Morissette and his rink of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Rob Skinner into a four team log jam for second place at 3-1 behind the front runners Dylan Johnston. Johnston at 4-0 had a bye. In other action, Jonathon Vellinga ran their record to 3-1 with 9-2 win over Britney Malette in a showdown of junior teams. Malette with the loss fell to 0-4. Gary Weiss and Mike Desilets posted wins to run their records to 2-2 in the night's other two games on the four game schedule. Weiss were 5-3 winners over Mike Pozihun, while Desilets downed Bryan Burgess 6-2. Burgess with a second straight loss fell to 2-2 while Pozihun dropped to 1-3. The Tbaytel Major League shifts back to the Port Arthur Curling Club for draw seven this coming Wednesday at 6:30 pm with six games on the slate.

It is now a two-way tie for first place as Dylan Johnston and Krista McCarville posted wins in draw nine action of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Port Arthur Curling Club. Johnston outscored Frank Morisette 7-5 in what was a first place showdown between two of three front runners in the 14-team competitive league, while McCarville needed a draw to button to edge Jonathon Vellinga 7-6. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won and Kurtis By...rd took advantage of a shaky start by Morissette to jump out to a 4-0 lead after two ends. Morissette who had came up just short on a draw against three in the first end with hammer found his game in the fourth end as his team of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Rob Skinner battled back to crack a four to tie the game. The veteran Morissette this time making good on his final draw. The teams then trade singles over the next three ends before Johnston came up with a big steal to go up 7-5. Morissette's struggles continued in the eighth end as they were setup to score two in eighth end to force a tie. However, a freeze attempt to lie two on his first stone was heavy sliding through the house. The miss opened the door for Johnston to close out blasting the other Morissette shot stone frozen to one of his own for the win. Johnston moved to 5-1 good for a first place tie with McCarville while Morissette fell back into a three-way tie for third at 4-2 with Al Hackner and Bryan Burgess two teams sitting out with byes. Krista McCarville's 7-6 win was a bit of a gift against the young Vellinga squad skipped by Myles Harding. McCarville and her three person team of Jordan Potts and Ashley Sippala missed an opportunity to win the game with a deuce in the eighth end when her control weight tap back just missed rolling away. McCarville threw first in the draw to the button and barely bit the top twelve foot ring. Harding who's rink had scored three in the seventh end had a golden opportunity for the win but his draw to the button was heavy sliding through the rings. McCarvillle escaped to maintain their first place standing, while the loss slipped Vellinga into a group of six teams tied with 3-3 records. In the night's other games, Mike Desilets senior squad needed four ends to ice Britney Malette's junior squad 8-1 in four ends, while veteran Mike Pozihun used their experience stealing three straight ends enroute to a 7-2 victory over Dallas Burgess. Desilets and Pozihun even their records to 3-3 through six games, while the two junior squads Dallas Burgess and Malette find themselves winless in six starts. All 14-teams in the Tbaytel Major League have now played six games. Round robin play continues next Wednesday with four games as action switches back to the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club.

Team Dylan Johnston made the most of the opportunity to take sole possession of first place in the Tbaytel Major League of Curling as round round robin play continued with four games at Kakabeka Falls Curling Club Wednesday night. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won, and Kurtis Byrd made quick work of Team Mike Desilets needing only four ends to post a 7-1 victory. Johnston got the jump on the defending Northern Ontario senior champions with an opening deuce a...nd then a crucial steal of one in the second end to go up 3-0 when Desilets was light on a draw to score one. The Desilets squad made up of Scott Henderson, Dale Wiersema and Bill Peloza had a shot for a deuce in the third end, but on an open hit for two was unable to hold the shooter settling for a single point. Johnson put the game out of reach with a three in the fifth end and a steal in the sixth end to run their record to 6-1 and first place alone in the 14-team standings. Team Krista McCarville who had a draw10 bye are alone in second place one win at 5-1. Frank Morissette and Bryan Burgess also with byes Wednesday are now tied for third at 4-2 after a loss by Al Hackner. Trevor Bonot bounced back to score a close 4-3 win over Hackner as the former two-time world champion also lost bragging rights to his son Andrew playing second for Bonot. Bonot and his squad with Kent Maarup and Troy Avis had a shot for a potential three in the first end but missed on a split attempt settling for a single point. Hackner playing with Jamie Childs and Gary Champagne responded with a deuce in the second end to go up 2-1. However, Bonot, the former Canadian mixed champion, took the lead with a single in the third end and then with back to back steals went up 4-2. Hackner managed a single in sixth end to cut the lead to 4-3 but Bonot, then blanked the seventh to have hammer coming home. Hackner missed on a freeze attempt with out hammer and Bonot did not have to throw his last rock on what was a hit for two for the win. Bonot moved to 4-3 in a four-team deadlock for fourth place with Hackner, Mike Pozihun and Ben Mikkelsen as Pozihun and Mikkelsen also came out winners. Pozihun and his rink of Dennis Malette, Rob Shubat and Andy Peloza posted a third straight win pounding a shorthanded Mike McCarville 9-2 in seven ends. Meanwhile Mikkelsen and his three-man squad of Greg Doran and Devin Doran downed Team Vellinga skipped by Myles Harding 7-4. The loss dropped Vellinga to 3-4 while Mike McCaarville falls to 2-5. The Tbaytel Major League of Curling resumes the December series with draw 11 this coming Wednesday 6:15 pm and 6:30 pm at the Port Arthur Curling Club.

The Tbaytel Major League of Curling resumes play with draw six tonight 6:30 pm at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. The Frank Morissette rink take the ice as one of two teams still undefeated in the 14-team league. Morissette and his team of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Rob Skinner put their 3-0 record on the line against Trevor Bonot in one of four games at rural rink in Oliver Paipoonge.... Bonot and his rink of Kent Maarup, Andrew Hackner and Troy Avis is coming off a bye week looking for a second straight win to even their record to 2-2. A win for Morisette will move them into a first place tie with Dylan Johnston, the other undefeated rink at 4-0. Johnston the defending league champions have a bye. In other games,. Bryan Burgess, at 2-1 looks to rebound from their first loss last week as they take on Mike Desilets. Desilets sits at 1-2. Jonathan Vellinga one of the other teams with one loss plays Britney Malette shooting for their first win in four starts while Gary Weiss draws Mike Pozihun in a showdown of two teams at 1-2.

Great coverage by TBNewswatch and watch TBT Sports Thursday for a full report.

Dylan Johnston has an opportunity to take sole possession of first place when Tbaytel Major League of Curling resumes with four games at Kakabeka Falls Curling Club tonight at 6:30 pm. Entering draw 10, Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd take on Mike Desilets looking to break a first place deadlock with the idle Krista McCarville. Johnston and McCarville stand tied for first place with 5-1 records entering the four-game Winter L...eague series of round robin play in December. Desilets and his rink of Scott Henderson, Dale Wiersema and Bill Peloza, the reigning Northern Ontario senior champions, are one of six teams deadlocked at 3-3 for sixth place in the 14-team league standings. The top seven teams after round robin play wraps up in early February will qualify to play for the Tbaytel Major League title with the playoff round tentatively scheduled for March 20 at the Port Arthur Curling Club. The bottom seven teams will battle for the consolation crown. There is a big advantage to finish first overall as the top team receives a bye to the playoff semi-finals. Aside from Johnston and McCarville, Al Hackner, Bryan Burgess and Frank Morissette are only win back of the leaders in the battle for first place sporting 4-2 records heading into the December series. Hackner is back in action tonight while Burgess and Morissette have byes this week. Hackner draws Trevor Bonot, one of the teams at 3-3. Bonot and his rink of Kent Maarup, Andrew Hackner and Troy Avis are back in action after they had a three win streak snapped two weeks ago by Mike Poziun on Kakabeka ice. Poziun and his rink of Dennis Malette, Rob Shubat and Andy Peloza at 3-3 are riding a modest two-game win streak as they draw Mike McCarville. Team McCarville with Jordan Potter, Zach Warkentin and Travis Potter struggled through the six-game Fall series and at 4-2 need a string of wins to get back in the race to make the top seven. Rounding out the four game schedule tonight, Ben Mikkelsen and Jonathon Vellinga meet in a showdown of two teams at 3-3. Mikkelsen is coming off a bye week, while the young Vellinga squad of Myles Harding, Ethan Desilets and Owen Riches look to rebound from a heart breaking loss in a shootout draw to the button against Krista McCarville last week.

The Dylan Johnston rink won the battle of undefeated teams in draw 4 action of Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Kakabeka Curling Club. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won and Kurtis Byrd came from behind to a steal a 7-6 victory over Ben Mikkelsen. Johnston and Mikkelsen entered the night as one of five undefeated teams along with Al Hackner, Frank Morissette and Bryan Burgess. Mikkelsen playing with Devin Doran, Carter Morash and Taylor K...allos got the lead early with a single in the first end and a steal of one more in the second. The teams trade deuces before Johnston nailed a three in the fifth end to go up 5-4. Mikkelsen battled back with two in sixth end to regain the lead 6-5. Johnston was held to a single with the hammer in the seventh end to tie the game but then made most of early guards to generate the steal for the win in the 8th end. Johnston sits atop the standing with a 3-0 record while Mikkelsen drops back into a group of four teams at 2-1. Krista McCarville needed only five ends to knock off Al Hackner 7-1. McCarville was full marks handing Team Hackner their first loss of the season. McCarville and her rink of Jordan Potts, Ashley Sippala and Sarah Potts got the early jump against Hackner's veteran squad with a steal of three in the second end to go up 4-0. Hackner playing with Jonah Dupuis, Brian Adams Sr. and Gary Champagne got a single in the third end but McCarville closed out the game with a single in the fourth end and then a steal of two in the fifth to end it. McCarville with the win improve their record to 2-1, the same as Hackner. In other action, Jonathon Vellinga staged a dramatic comeback to steal an extra end 8-6 win over Mike McCarville. Vellinga generated a three ender to the tie the game in the eight end to force overtime. The young Kakabeka squad used the momentum to steal the winning points to improve their record to 2-1. McCarville in a bit of a surprise is now winless in three starts. In the night's other game, Trevor Bonot won the battle of two winless teams edging Dallas Burgess 4-3. Bonot is now 1-2 while Burgess dropped to 0-3. The Tbaytel Major League of Curling switches back to the Port Arthur Curling Club next Wednesday with six games on the slate. The draw is again a 6:30 pm start.

Ben Mikkelsen has proven himself as a top skip in Thunder Bay curling circles. Mikkelsen has won Northern Ontario titles at the junior level and most recently in curling club championship play. Mikkelsen and his teammates Greg Doran and Devin Doran wore green and gold at the Canadian Curling Club Championships held in Leduc, AB in November 2019. He is also a recent past champion of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling. Mikkelsen and his rink of the Doran brothers and Carter M...orash at second is one of five teams tied for first place with 2-0 records heading into draw four of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling tonight 6:30 pm at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. Mikkelsen and his Port Arthur Curling Club squad battle Dylan Johnston, the defending league champions in a showdown of two of the three undefeated teams seeing action in one of four games. Mikkelsen will be in for a true test as Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Oye Sem Won-Briand, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd have posted lopsided wins in their first two starts. Team Johnston are showing early they are the team to beat in their search for a second straight Tbaytel title in the local 14-team competitive loop. The veteran Al Hackner and his rink look for a third straight win in a marquee matchup with Krista McCarville who comes into to play at 1-1. Bryan Burgess and Frank Morissette, the two other unbeaten teams have fourth round byes. Meanwhile Mike McCarville, Dallas Burgess and Trevor Bonot are three rinks looking for their first wins of the season. McCarville takes on Jonathon Vellinga at 1-1, while Burgess and Bonot face each other.

The Frank Morissette rink staged a dramatic comeback with a steal of three in the eighth end to remain one of five teams undefeated through three draws of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling. Morissette and his rink of Pat Berezowski and Kris Leupen salvaged a 6-5 win over Mike Pozihun as action in the local 14-team competitive league switched back to the Port Arthur Curling Club for six games Wednesday night. Al Hackner, Bryan Burgess and Ben Mikkelsen all scored wins to rem...ain undefeated along with Dylan Johnston who had the night off. Burgess prevailed 6-5 over Mike McCarville in an extra end. Burgess did not have to throw his last rock what was a relief after giving up a three in the eighth end that tied the game. Mikkelsen and his rink of Greg Doran, Carter Morash and Devin Doran made the most of steals for a 7-2 win over Dallas Burgess and his young junior squad. Mikkelsen stole singles in the fifth and sixth ends to go 5-2 before ending the game with a steal of two more in the seventh end. Experience prevailed over youth as Al Hackner improved their record to 2-0 needing six ends to ice the Britney Malette rink 8-1. It has been a tough start for Malette's young junior girls squad in their rookie season in the major league as they lost by a lopsided score to Krista McCarville last week. Playing Hackner and McCarville in back to back draws is not an ideal schedule for any team. Gary Weiss downed Trevor Bonot 9-2 in six ends to even their record at 1-1 in a showdown of two teams looking for their first win of the season. Weiss started the game shorthanded but rallied to break out a close game with a steal of two in the fifth end and one more in the sixth end to go up 6-2. The teams shook hands when Weiss stole three more in the seventh end. In the night’s other game, Jonathon Vellinga made the most of three three-enders to knock off Team Desilets 9-4 in six ends. It was a lesson for the Northern Ontario Senior champions who played without skip Mike Desilets for a second straight game. The Tbaytel Major League returns to the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club for draw four this coming Wednesday. Again a 6:30 pm start.

The Mike Desilets rink skipped by Scott Henderson is one of five rinks looking for a second straight win in draw three action of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling at the Port Arthur Curling Club tonight. Experience prevail over youth as Al Hackner improved their record to 2-0 needing six ends to ice the Britney Malette 8-1. It has been a tough start for Malette's young junior girls squad in their rookie season in the major league as they lost by a lopsided score to Krista M...cCarville last week. Playing Hackner and McCarville in back to back draw is not an ideal schedule for any team. Mikkelsen and his rink of Greg Doran, Carter Morash and Devin Doran made most of steals for a 7-2 win over Dallas Burgess and his young junior squad. Mikkelsen stole singles in the fifth and sixth ends to go 5-2 before ending the game with a steal of two more in the seventh end. Gary Weiss downed Trevor Bonot 9-2 in six end toeven their record at 1-1 in a showdown of two teams looking for their first of the season. Weiss started the game shorthanded but rallied to break out a close game with a steal of two in the fifth end and one more in the six end to go up 5-2. The teams shook hands when Weiss stole three more in the six end.

The matchup between Frank Morissette and Mike Pozihun is one of the games to watch as the Tbaytel Major League of Curling shifts back to the Port Arthur Curling Club tonight with a six-game draw at 6:30 pm. Morissette has a history of playing with members of the Pozihun squad over the past few years. Morissette and Pozihun along with Pozihun lead Andy Peloza were teammates at the Northern Ontario Senior playdowns last year, while Morissette has also played major league with P...ozihun third Dennis Malette and Peloza three years ago. They lost the major league final to Al Hackner. Morissette and his rink of Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen, Rob Skinner and B.J. Skinner are one of seven teams with undefeated records heading into draw 3 of the modified schedule for the Tbaytel Major League which switches draws between the Port Arthur Curling Club and Kakabeka Falls Curling Club this year. The Pozihun rink that includes veteran Rob Shubat at second are one of six teams looking for their first win. Ben Mikkelsen, Bryan Burgess, Mike Desilets and Hackner along with Morissette are out to post their second wins as they look to move into a first place tie at 2-0 with Dylan Johnston. Johnston the defending league champions along with Krista McCarville at 1-1 have a third round bye. The five teams at 1-0 all face opponents at 0-1. Mikkelsen draws Dallas Burgess, Bryan Burgess battles Mike McCarville, Desilets faces Vellinga while Hackner is matched against the young Malette rink. The other game to round out the six game schedule is a showdown of Gary Weiss and Trevor Bonot, two teams looking for their first win.

Al Hackner playing in his 44th year in the Thunder Bay major league used his experience to steal an 8-6 win over Mike McCarville in draw two action of the Tbaytel Major League of Curling Wednesday night at the Kakabeka Curling Club. Hackner, one of six teams playing their first games of the season, generated a steal of two in in the eighth end, when McCarville's last rock crashed on the guard out front. Hackner playing with Jonah Dupuis at third, Brian Adams Sr. at second and... Gary Champagne at lead got the early jump scoring a deuce in first end off a first rock split by the veteran Hackner. McCarville and his rink of Jordan Potter, Zack Warkentin and Travis Potter came back with a three in the second end and a steal of one more in the third end to go up 4-2. Team Hackner regained the lead with a three of their own to retake the lead in the see-saw battle. McCarville got two in six to go up 6-5, before Hackner tied the game with a single in the seventh end. Hackner is one of five teams at 1-0 while McCarville is one of seven teams at 0-1. In other games, the defending league champions, the Dylan Johnston rink ran their record to 2-0 with another convincing win, this time 9-3 over Mike Pozihun. The veteran Pozihun was making his return to the local competitive league. Team Krista McCarville gave a quick lesson to the young Britney Malette squad chalking up a 9-1 win in five ends. McCarville evened their record to 1-1 after an opening draw loss in an extra end to Mike Desilets last week. In the night's other contest, Bryan Burgess held Jonathon Vellinga to a single in the eighth end to hang on for a 6-5 victory in what was the season opener for both squads. The Tbaytel Major League of Curling resumes action this coming Wednesday after the Thanksgiving weekend with a switch of venues returning to the Port Arthur Curling Club. The draw is a 6:30 pm start as is the case for all major league draws this year.

A new season and a new venue, the Tbaytel Major League of Curling kicked off its 45th season at the Kakabeka Curling Club with the defending champions, the Dylan Johnston rink scoring a victory in the opening draw. Johnston and his rink of Brennan Wark, Chris Briand and Kurtis Byrd used back-to-back three-enders to down the Gary Weiss foursome 8-3. Johnston posted their first three in the third end, after Weiss had opened the scoring with a single in the second end. The stea...l of three in the fourth end was the key blow taking a five-point edge. Weiss and his rink of Deron Surkan, Aaron Rogalski and Mark Blanchard mounted a come back with a deuce in the fifth end and a steal in the seventh end, but Johnston brought out handshakes with two more in the seventh end. In the other three games in the opening draw, the Mike Desilets senior squad won battle of Northern Ontario champions, edging the Krista McCarville rink 8-6 in an extra end. The Desilets squad who played with a three-person team with Scott Henderson skipping Dale Wiersema and Bill Peloza needed to make a last rock hit for the winning deuce. McCarville and her squad of Jordan Potts, Ashley Sippala and Sarah Potts forced the extra end with a deuce in the eight end after giving up two three-enders earlier in the game. Frank Morissette used his years of experience to craft a five-ender in the sixth end to triple up the young Dallas Burgess rink 9-3. Morissette playing with Pat Berezowski, Kris Leupen and Brian Adams Sr. got the early jump on the young juniors playing on their home ice at Kakabeka with a steal of two in the third end and another steal in the fourth end to lead 4-1. Ben Mikkelsen needed an extra end to steal a close 5-4 win over Trevor Bonot. Mikkelsen tied the game with a single in the eight end and then took the win when Bonot came up light on a draw in the extra end for the win. The Tbaytel Major League resumes play with a second draw at the Kakabeka club this coming Wednesday at 6:30 pm. The other six teams in the 14-team local competitive league will see their first action. Play switches to the Port Arthur Curling Club for games the Wednesday after the Thanksgiving weekend.

The Tbaytel Major League of Curling slides its 45th season at a new venue with four games tonight 6:30 pm at the Kakabeka Falls Curling Club. The opening draw will feature the defending league champions, the Dylan Johnston rink matched against the experienced Gary Weiss foursome. Another key match in the season opener has Krista McCarville taking on Mike Delisets in a battle of reigning Northern Ontario champions. McCarville is current provincial Scotties champion and Desilet...Continue reading

Have you got your tickets for the Scotties yet? Close 900 all event passes have been sold and Curling Canada is putting championship weekend tickets on sale Friday March 6.

Bryan Burgess presented with the Jari Riekko award by Al Hackner at the Tbaytel Major League of Curling windup Saturday at the Port Arthur Curling Club. Jari Riekko was a talented young Thunder Bay curler who died in a car crash in the 70s. The award in his name is voted on by curlers in the Major League to the player they feel exemplifies sportsmanship, dedication to the game and a good player.