LAC LA BICHE - A sea of hockey jerseys filled the inside of the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club at the Bold Center on Jan. 18, as teams from across the area gathered for the annual Men’s Curling Spiel.
Each year, the competition has a hockey theme. Many of the curlers who participated wore the jerseys of their favourite teams, with the Edmonton Oilers’ orange and blue being a common sight in the rink.
In the evening, curlers gathered to watch a game between the Edmonton Oilers and the Vancouver Canucks.
Dylan Maskalyk, president of the Lac La Biche and District Curling Club, said the 2025 edition of the long-running bonspiel drew a strong attendance.
“It was a really good turnout . . . we had eight teams, all local that participated all day Saturday curling . . . everyone had fun,” he told Lakeland This Week.
This year’s Men’s Curling Spiel used a skins format, and teams had the opportunity to win money in every end throughout the tournament. Some teams, Maskalyk explained, came away with a good chunk of change.
The top teams were those led by Lac La Biche-area residents Kevin Gaberel, Randy Andrashewski, and Ken Beniuk.
“Every team came out with some money and prizes.”
The Men’s Curling Spiel, Maskalyk continued, is hosted each year as a social event that gets people out for a day of competition and friendship.
“Unfortunately, [the Oilers] lost, but it was lots of fun.”
