It was a historic victory as a team of curlers from Langley and Cloverdale became the first-ever B.C. women’s team to win the Canadian masters crown.
Team B.C. stole a crucial point in the eighth end to defeat Team Ontario 4-3 and capture the 2015 Canadian women’s master curling championships.
The gold medal game was on Sunday in Whitehorse, Yukon.
Skip Karen Lepine and her team — third Susan Beuk, second Donna Christian and lead Agnes Sigurdson — had lost to Ontario earlier in the week before bouncing back when it mattered most.
“I felt very calm going into the final,” said Lepine.
“I had been runner-up in the Canadian seniors and the mixed, so it was nice to have a chance to be able to play in a Canadian final again.”
The Lepine rink curls out of the Langley and Cloverdale Curling Clubs.
“In the eighth end, we had to steal. We all made our shots and we had a piece of the button, with two perfect guards, forcing Ontario to draw to the button on the other side,” Lepine said about the crucial end.
The rink had a 7-2 record through the pool stages and qualified for the gold medal match after an impressive 7-0 victory over Manitoba in the semifinals.
Team Lepine had qualified for nationals after winning the 2015 B.C. master championships in Nanaimo last month.
“We are proud to be able to say that B.C. brought home the gold,” Lepine said.
“It was very special to play with my sister, Susan, my long time friend Agnes and my new friend Donna who stepped in to play with us four days before the zone playdowns started after a team mate was injured.
“I also appreciated having my hubby Craig there to coach us along as he was a calming factor for me.”