A local curling team has earned a place at the Ontario Tankard.
Jon St. Denis' Listowel rink has advanced to the provincial championship after defeating Brent Ross' Harriston rink 7-6 at the regional qualifiers in Wingham.
St. Denis and his team were at a loss for words, now with a shot at qualifying for the Brier.
"It was quite a battle." An emotional St. Denis said. "We knew we had to hang in and make a lot of shots, I can't believe it."
The competition in Wingham brought curlers from throughout Southwestern Ontario. Joe Frans of St. Thomas went undefeated on Saturday, also qualifying for the Tankard.
It was a much longer journey for the St. Denis skipped team, that features Belgrave native Shawn Cottrill. Curling out of Listowel Curling Club, Team St. Denis played five draws in just two days. Earlier on they had actually lost to the same Team Ross by a convincing 10-2 margin. St. Denis said they made some adjustments for the second meeting.
"We just couldn't get around guards(in the first meeting) we knew we needed to bury a few rocks when we play against them."
The sights are now set on Dorchester, the host site of the 2015 Tankard. A chance to take on the best curlers in the country at the Brier is in the cards with a strong showing.