Burnaby skip Brent Pierce is wondering how many more opportunities he will have to earn a berth to the Canadian men's Brier curling championships.
The Royal City Curling Club skip lost a provincial men's championship final for the fifth time, falling 7-5 to defending B.C. champ Jim Cotter of Kelowna at the Parksville Curling Club on Sunday.
Down by one and with shot rock in the 10th end, Pierce missed a raised takeout on Cotter's shot rock to allow the Okanagan skip a steal and a return ticket to the men's Brier in Saskatoon in March.
It was Pierce's eighth appearance in a provincial men's curling championship final since 1990.
"We blew R everyone away in the tournament. The difference was a quarter-inch on the rock," said Pierce on a shot he would normally make seven times out of 10.
"I expected to make it, but that's the game," Pierce said.
The Pierce rink of third Jeff Richard, second Kevin Recksiedler and lead Grant Dezura opened with a single in the first end.
He then tied the game 2-2 with a single in the fifth and again with a deuce in the seventh.
Pierce led 5-4 following a steal in the eighth, but Cotter struck back with two in the ninth to take a lead of one heading into the final end.
"It's tough losing and devastating for the team," said Pierce, who won a Canadian and world title with Greg McAulay in 2000.
Pierce also returned to the Brier as a third behind skip Sean Geall in 2009.
"I've won my share, and I've won the Brier. It's something he (Cotter) hasn't done yet, so go do it," Pierce added.
The Pierce rink swept the A event with a perfect 5-0 record, including a 12-6 win over Jay Tuson of Victoria in the A final, to earn a spot in the playdowns.
Pierce then overwhelmed Cotter 9-2 in just seven ends in the quarterfinal in the first meeting between the two skips.
Cotter got a second chance at Pierce on account of his B event standing later in the playdowns, after edging Royal City's Chris Baier 7-6 in the semifinal on Saturday.
Cotter's third Kevin Folk and lead Rick Sawatsky won a B.C. championship with Bob Ursel in 2008.
The Cotter rink is coached by four-time provincial champ Rick Folk, who won a string of three consecutive B.C. men's titles between 1993 through '95.
The Baier rink of third Mike Johnson, second Jay Wakefield and lead John Cullen earned a spot in the playdowns with a 9-4 win over Tuson in the first of two C event finals on Saturday.
Geall edged 2004 provincial champion Jay Peachey of Royal City 6-5 to steal the final C event berth.
Baier lost 5-2 to Tuson after a three-rock seventh end in the semifinal of the A event. Baier then dropped an 8-7 squeaker in an extra end to Cotter in the semifinal of the B event.
Baier defeated Geall 9-8 in his quarter-final playdown, with a single in the 11th end.
Baier then lost another close single-point match with Cotter in an extra end in the playdowns.
The Peachey rink of third Ron Leech, second Bryan Kedziora and lead Dwayne Uyede advanced to the B final following a 6-5 win over Tuson.
Peachey then lost 7-2 to Cotter in the B final.
