Regional curling competitions across Manitoba on the past weekend have earned 18 teams an invitation to compete in the Manitoba Men’s Viterra Championship in Neepawa, February 7-12, 2023. The teams are from 15 different communities and curling clubs.
Assiniboine Memorial (Brett Walter & JT Ryan), Fort Rouge (Tanner Lott & Jordan Peters), and Beausejour (Wayne Ewasko & Justin Richter) Curling Clubs each won two regional playoff berths.
Single berths were captured by teams from Baldur (Grant Shewfelt), Burntwood (Tuffy Seguin), Deer Lodge (Sean Grassie), Carberry (Rob Van Kommer), Gladstone (Jeff Stewart), Granite (Mark Franklin), Morris (David Hamblin), Pembina (Daniel Birchard), Pilot Mound (Steve Pauls), Portage (Ryan Hyde), Riverview (Cale Dunbar), and Virden (Jace Freeman)
Forty teams representing 28 Manitoba communities and curling clubs entered regional Viterra Championship playoffs. They were competing to join the 10 teams already pre-identified for the 2023 championship in Neepawa.
The pre-qualified teams were Braden Calvert (Deer Lodge), who earned the Canadian Team Ranking (CTRS) berth awarded at the end of last season and the top three Manitoba teams on the CTRS on November 22, 2022 skipped by Matt Dunstone (Fort Rouge)., Reid Carruthers (Morris), and Ryan Wiebe (Fort Rouge). In addition, the four Manitoba Curling Tour (MCT) berth teams are skipped by Steve Irwin (Brandon), Riley Smith (Thistle), Steen Sigurdson (AMCC), and Corey Chambers (Fort Garry).
Jordon McDonald (Deer Lodge) and Kelly Marnoch (Carberry) won the Minnedosa Viterra Berth bonspiel invitations earlier this season.
The final four entries in the Neepawa Viterra Championship will be berth winners in the Brandon (1 berth) and Manitoba Open (3 berths) Bonspiels in early January.
THE COMPLETE LIST OF QUALIFIED TEAMS TO DATE IS:
2021-22 SEASON CTRS: Braden Calvert (Deer Lodge)
2022 MCT CHAMPION: Steve Irwin (Brandon)
2022 MCT POINTS: Riley Smith (Thistle)
2022 MCT POINTS: Steen Sigurdson (AMCC)
2022 MCT POINTS: Corey Chambers (Fort Garry)
NOVEMBER 22, 2022 CTRS: Ryan Wiebe (Fort Rouge)
NOVEMBER 22, 2022 Matt Dunstone (Fort Rouge)
NOVEMBER 22, 2022 Reid Carruthers (Morris)
BERTH: Kelly Marnoch (Carberry)
BERTH Jordon McDonald (Deer Lodge)
NORTH REGIONAL: Tuffy Seguin – Burntwood
WEST 1 REGIONAL: Jeff Stewart (Gladstone)
WEST 2 REGIONAL: Cale Dunbar (Riverview)
WEST 2 REGIONAL: Jace Freeman (Virden)
WEST 2 REGIONAL: Rob Van Kommer (Carberry)
SOUTH 1 REGIONAL: Ryan Hyde – Portage
SOUTH 1 REGIONAL: Steve Pauls (Pilot Mound)
SOUTH 1 REGIONAL: Grant Shewfelt (Baldur)
SOUTH 2 REGIONAL: David Hamblin (Morris)
EAST REGIONAL: Justin Richter (Beausejour)
EAST REGIONAL: Wayne Ewasko (Beausejour)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Sean Grassie (Deer Lodge)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Tanner Lott (Fort Rouge)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Brett Walter (AMCC)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: JT Ryan (AMCC)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Mark Franklin (Granite)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Daniel Birchard (Pembina)
WINNIPEG REGIONAL: Jordan Peters (Fort Rouge)
MANITOBA OPEN: TBD
MANITOBA OPEN: TBD
MANITOBA OPEN: TBD
BRANDON SPIEL: TBD
