Source: leaderpost.com
Darwin Bender could barely contain his excitement Sunday at the Callie Curling Club.
Bender and Team Saskatchewan won the Canadian wheelchair curling title with a 5-2 victory over Northern Ontario’s Doug Dean — and the fact that Bender and his team claimed gold at their home club left the skip giddy.
“I’m at a loss for words,” said Bender, who also won the Canadian title in 2012 when the tournament was in Thunder Bay.
“It’s so great to be doing this in front of your home (crowd) and all of your fans and supporters here in Saskatchewan. It’s awesome!”
Bender and his team of Marie Wright, Gil Dash, Larry Schrader and alternate Moose Gibson went 7-2 in the round-robin portion of the tournament. Dean’s team also went 7-2, but it earned first place due to a 6-5 victory over Bender on Thursday.
The teams met in Friday’s 1 vs. 2 Page playoff game, which Bender won 9-6. Dean advanced to the final by beating Nova Scotia’s Trendal Hubley-Bolivar 9-6 in Saturday’s semifinal.