“The teams were evenly matched. It could be any team winning any game,” said skip Andrew Hay of the Saskatchewan team.

But it wasn’t any team in any game at the 59th Dominion Command Curling Championship held March 14-18 in Birch Hills, Sask. It was the British Columbia/Yukon team that sailed through the bonspiel, winning all seven games in the eight-team round-robin tournament.

That one team would dominate the tournament was not so obvious at the start. The Saskatchewan team from Nutana Branch in Saskatoon, the Prince Edward Island team from George Pearkes VC Branch in Summerside and the Quebec team from Hudson Branch were strong contenders in what may have been the final Dominion Command curling event.

Activities started on Saturday as teams began to arrive. While some teams drove to the competition, most flew into Saskatoon’s airport and were picked up by the Local Arrangements Committee and driven 175 kilometres to hotels in Prince Albert.

A meet-and-greet was held that evening at the Birch Hills Curling Club. Birch Hills, a town of 1,000 people, is 30 kilometres southeast of Prince Albert near the Muskoday First Nation.

The next morning, a pancake brunch was held at the Birch Hills Civic Centre. Opening ceremonies followed with a marching-in of the colours led by the Prince Albert Highlanders Pipes and Drums and a solemn remembrance service. Dominion Command Sports Committee Chairman André Paquette brought greetings from the dominion president and declared the championship open.

A short parade from the civic centre to the curling club followed. Because of high winds, the parade did not stop at the cenotaph outside the branch a block away. Paquette and branch President Don Lypchuk placed wreaths in a small ceremony later in the afternoon.

Back at the curling club, a ceremonial first rock was thrown by 95-year-old branch member Tom Hunter. His wife Joyce, 83, swept the rock easily into the house.

Little time was wasted before play started with both afternoon and evening draws. Six commands entered teams: B.C./Yukon, Saskatchewan, Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario, Quebec, Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia/Nunavut. To complete the roster with eight teams, two open category spots were filled by teams from Birch Hills and Meadow Lake, 275 kilometres northwest of Prince Albert.

Spectators did not know it at the time, but the first game proved to be the most exciting of the bonspiel. In it, the team from Chilliwack, B.C., consisting of skip Kevin Britz, his brother Ken Britz as mate, second Darin Jarvis and lead Gord Bradley took on the Saskatchewan team of skip Andrew Hay, mate Rick Middleton, second Darren Clancy and lead Trevor Yousie.

The lead shifted back and forth as the game progressed. Finally, it was Saskatchewan ahead when Hay ran out of rocks. Britz had the hammer and eased his rock toward the centre. Both teams rushed into the house to see who had won. Officials were asking if they were needed when Hay conceded the B.C. rock was ahead, giving B.C. the win, 5-4.

“They got off to a good start and then we came back. It was only decided by a matter inches,” said Hay.

The other strong players had also showed well in that first round, as the Quebec team consisting of skip Robert MacLean, mate Dan Belliveau, second Allan Jones and lead John Burgess beat the Nova Scotia/Nunavut team from A.H. Foster MM Memorial Branch in Kingston, consisting of skip Dayle Murray, mate Les Smith, second Dave Murray and lead Gary Spinney, 7-0. Likewise, the Prince Edward Island team of skip Mel Bernard, mate Louis Nowlan, second Blair Jay and lead Allan Montgomery beat the local Birch Hills Branch team of skip Robyn Ganes, mate Leon Pratchler, second Diane Ganes and lead Jodie-Lynn Gordon 10-1.

B.C. won again in the evening draw, beating Quebec 7-4, and P.E.I. beat Meadow Lake 7-2.

Monday proved a long day with three draws. B.C. stayed on top, winning games against Nova Scotia, Birch Hills and Manitoba. P.E.I. remained strong with wins against Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia but lost 9-3 to Quebec in the afternoon.

Tuesday morning, all eyes were on only one match, B.C. versus P.E.I. B.C. was undefeated with five wins. P.E.I. was close on its heels with four wins. Quebec and Saskatchewan were just behind with three wins each. Should P.E.I. win, the bonspiel’s title would be up for grabs.

P.E.I. scored one point in the first end but then B.C. came back, eventually rattling the Islanders’ confidence. The end score was 7 for B.C. to 2 for the Islanders. By then, B.C. could not be beaten.

The final draw was light-hearted. B.C. won easily against Meadow Lake while P.E.I. got its game back, winning 9-2 over Manitoba.

The final standings were B.C./Yukon (Chilliwack Branch) 7-0; P.E.I. (George Pearkes VC Branch, Summerside) 5-2; Saskatchewan (Nuntana Branch, Saskatoon) 5-2; Quebec (Hudson Branch) 4-3; N.S./Nunavut (A.H. Foster MM Memorial Branch, Kingston) 3-4; Manitoba-Northwestern Ontario (Carman Branch) 2-5; Meadow Lake Branch 2-5; and Birch Hills Branch 0-7.

It was the first time curling at dominion level for Kevin Britz, who has been curling for about 40 years. “I didn’t really have a choice. My father was into curling and he got my brother and I interested.”

Playing at dominion level was nothing new for Andrew Hay and the Saskatchewan team. It was his fifth time playing at that level and he has won the championship twice. “This championship was great. We could feel that it was a very even playing field,” said Hay.

There was a certain tension throughout the tournament as curlers knew they could be playing in the final championship sponsored by Dominion Command. Dominion President Tom Eagles used his authority to suspend curling and eight-ball as member-participation sports in 2016, pending decisions to be made at the 2016 dominion convention.

“I’ve been at dominion playoffs quite a few times. It is a great way to see Canada,” said Mel Bernard of the P.E.I. team. “When you play in a small community like this, you can see everybody coming out to help. You can see the pride in the community.”

Bernard said he hoped the Legion could find a way to keep curling going. “It is all about Canadians being aware of other Canadians. I think this what the country is about and it is what the Legion is about,” he said.

Throughout the bonspiel, volunteers from Birch Hills Branch and the community helped with transportation and supplying meals.

With St. Patrick’s Day falling on the Tuesday of the event, the branch was host for a party at the Flute and Fiddle Heritage Dance Hall. Green-clad guests were treated to barbecued steaks while community members put on a comic dance and demonstrated line dancing. The highlight of the evening was a presentation by the Ashden School of Irish Dance in Prince Albert. The appreciative crowd raised more than $700 to help the young dancers travel to competitions.

A banquet and closing ceremonies were held at the civic centre to wrap things up. Lypchuk thanked all the volunteers, co-ordinated by Local Arrangements Committee co-chairs Ian and Carol Pryznyk.

The following morning, teams piled into their vehicles or were driven to the airport, uncertain as to when they would meet again.