CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. – Island short track speedskaters earned medals and put up some of their fastest times of the season at a pair of recent off-Island meets.
Four of the seven Island skaters who competed at the recent Harold Joyce short track championships in Fredericton, N.B., earned medals.
The Island contingent swept the male podium in Division 3, with Thomas McQuaid edging fellow Charlottetown skater Matt Kozma for the gold medal.
McQuaid took top spot in three of four distances for the overall win, while Kozma notched a win in the 3,000-metre points race and had a pair of second-place finishes to secure the silver.
Carter Bruce nabbed the bronze with a consistent weekend of racing to round out the all-P.E.I. podium.
Also earning a bronze medal for P.E.I. was Addison Bruce in Division 4, giving the Stratford native his third medal in three meets this season.
Also representing P.E.I. were Alex Rogers, Anderson Arseneau and Jane Bruce.
The Fredericton event featured 141 skaters from a dozen clubs representing all four Atlantic provinces.
Meanwhile, Jenna Larter and Peter McQuaid represented P.E.I. among an elite field of 60 male and 60 female athletes at the inaugural short track Canada Cup event in Laval, Que.
Larter, of Brookfield, posted her best time of the season in the 1,500 metres, on her way to 25th place in the distance. A penalty in the first round of 500-metre qualifying, however, proved a costly setback to her overall standing. Larter placed 41st overall in the competition.
McQuaid, of Charlottetown, posted a seasonal best in the 500-metre distance for his best finish in Laval, but suffered a fall in the first round of 1,500-metre qualifying and a penalty in the third round of the 1,000-metre event to finish 51st overall in the strong male field.
Island speed skaters will take part in their final event of 2018 at the Charles Gorman memorial short track championships Dec. 8-9 in Saint John, N.B.
It will serve as the final qualifying event for Island skaters seeking berths on P.E.I.’s short track team for the 2019 Canada Games in Red Deer, Alta.
