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Extra end needed to decide BP Cup champion

The best was saved for last. For five days the province’s top curlers were in Westlock competing for the provincial championship, the Boston Pizza Cup, and with it a chance to represent Alberta at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier March 4 to 12 in St.
Karrick Martin, Brendan Bottcher, Brad Thiessen and Darren Moulding of Team Bottcher hoist the BP Cup after defeating Team Appelman 6-5 in Sunday night’s final at the Rotary
Karrick Martin, Brendan Bottcher, Brad Thiessen and Darren Moulding of Team Bottcher hoist the BP Cup after defeating Team Appelman 6-5 in Sunday night’s final at the Rotary Spirit Centre.

The best was saved for last.

For five days the province’s top curlers were in Westlock competing for the provincial championship, the Boston Pizza Cup, and with it a chance to represent Alberta at the 2017 Tim Hortons Brier March 4 to 12 in St. John’s, Nfld.

In the Sunday-night final, Team Bottcher, skipped by Brendan Bottcher, took a 1-0 lead in the second end over Team Appelman, led by Ted Appelman.

The rinks traded leads throughout the match, but Appelman managed to score twice in the final frame to force an extra end.

But as he’s done all week Bottcher played lights out, taking out Appelman’s lone rock to score a 6-5 win and the provincial title.

It was a tremendous result considering the team has only been together for a little over a month.

“It was tight. For the first half I felt they out curled us by a sliver. In the second half I felt we out curled them and we just had the hammer in the extra end,” said Bottcher following the victory.

“It feels amazing to represent Alberta at the Brier. With the names that have come out of Alberta in the last 20 years … to be the up-and-coming team feels amazing.”

However, the real winner of the five-day championship was Westlock.

“This thing is showing off our town in an extremely positive manner,” said BP Cup organizer Lavern Bazin.

“I had a comment from a guy who’s been to a dozen of these events and he said that this was the best one he’s been to by far. The way we’ve catered to the players and the facility itself is spectacular.”

The Spirit Centre was not only packed but completely transformed. Suede blue carpet lined the walls of the arena, high-definition cameras hung from the ceilings and the entire upper floor morphed into a lounge.

Hotels were booked, restaurants were packed and Westlock became the jewel of the province.

“CTV was here today, picked up the trophy and drove around town with it,” said mayor Ralph Leriger. “We’ve had some awfully good coverage in the news. We’ve had a lot of good exposure for our community.”

Most impressed of all were the players themselves. Both Bazin and Leriger said that they had been approached by a number of the athletes commenting on the quality of the venue and the town’s hospitality.

“Kevin Martin called me over yesterday,” said Bazin. “He said we should do a Pinty’s Cup or a Canada Cup here. He said if we were willing to do it, he would put our name to do that.

“I think we’re willing to do that again. We’ve got a template now for our first run. I think the next time it would be even easier and better.”

Both Bazin and Leriger said they welcomed the idea, though Leriger noted he wanted to make sure credit was given where it was due.

“The credit needs to go to the entire community,” said Leriger. “It’s the organizers, it’s the volunteers. The business community that stepped up in sponsorship and it’s the community that’s come out to watch.”

Bazin concurred, commenting that the volunteers are what made the event a success.

“It’s been amazing, just running like a well oiled clock,” said Bazin. “It’s amazing, we can change from a hockey rink to a world-class curling facility really fast.”

Leriger was coy about whether he would push for another big tourney in the near future, but he noted he would get behind any grassroots initiatives to do so.

“There’s a lot of people I’ve seen here every day, working, standing outside in the cold, waving people into the parking lots, or running around with a mop or carrying flats of beer.

“So it’s the volunteers decision if the community would like to host it again. If they’re up for it, I think I certainly am.”

Bottcher said he was overwhelmed with the town’s hospitality and impressed with the facility.

“I couldn’t ask for a whole lot more. Jamie (Bourassa) did a great job with the ice, they did a good job with the event management, it was very well set up,” he said. “It’s not too far away. I think I would come back.”

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