Manitoba skip Ron Westcott capped a stellar week with his first Canadian curling title in Whitehorse Sunday afternoon.

The 70-year-old from small town Douglas, Man., outduelled Northern Ontario skip Gord Williams en route to a 6-3 victory, capping a week in which his team went 11-0.

“At 70 years old, I was thinking this could be my last year,” Westcott told the Star. “So to have the run we did and go undefeated was a special treat.

“I love the ice here. I might just move here ... .”

The two opponents blanked the first end, then traded singles, before Manitoba blew the game wide open in the fourth by scoring four to go up 5-1.

Williams, 61, came up with a game-saving hit in the fifth to score one, but Manitoba responded with another single in the sixth to go up 6-2.

Williams’ attempt for two points in the seventh went for naught and produced handshakes.

“We wanted to play for a medal,” said Thunder Bay’s Williams, whose team represented the Port Arthur Curling Club.

“That’s what the goal was – to play for a medal.

The Northern Ontario rink got in a huge chunk of games in at the Whitehorse Curling Club, as they arrived early to participate in the annual international bonspiel last weekend.

Williams said it was the best ice he’s ever played on.

“I’m really proud of my guys. They played really well all the way through,” the burly skipper added. “Manitoba’s a good team. ... I missed a draw and chip-and-roll in the fourth. Other than that, I thought we played them pretty close.”

Winnipeg’s Fort Rouge Curling Club team of Westcott, Ken Dusablon (third), Bob Boughey (second) and Howard Restall (lead) came out flying – and stayed hot all week.

“This is the fourth time I’ve been to a Canadian masters,” said Westcott.

“We’ve been in the final one year; we came third one year. ... It’s nice to win, but after a few months, nobody’s going to remember.

“What I’ll remember most of all is the teams we played, the sportsmanship and especially Whitehorse. To look out the curling club windows and see mountains when you’re a prairie kid, this is unbelievable.”

The win marked the first national championship for Westcott, who learned the game from Manitoba curling stalwarts Terry Bronstein and Orest Meleschuk.

Making the victory even more special was the presence of Westcott’s 104-year-old mother, Mime Westcott.

“She’s been to three Canadians now with us,” he said. “She knows the game and she lets me know when I miss. So I can now talk to her.”

Nova Scotia’s Steve Ogden earned bronze with a 7-0 shutout victory over British Columbia’s Gerald Kent.

Ogden scored a single in the first with his hammer attempt, then stole consecutive points in the second and third before ending his tournament with a game-ending four points in the fifth.

Meanwhile, George Hilderman’s Yukon rink finished eighth with a record of 3-6.

Newfoundland lead Michael Wotherspoon and Saskatchewan skip Merle Kopach picked up individual sportsmanship awards at the event.

“All we’ve been hearing is that our visitors really enjoyed it,” said organizing co-chair Pat Banks.

“A lot of people want to come back in the summer, which means we did our job for tourism.”

Banks said the local crew of volunteers logged an impressive effort, and also lauded the businesses who provided sponsorship, noting the club would not have been able to host the event without their support.

Banks said the championship ran on a $60,000 budget.

Next year’s masters championship will move to the East Coast, where it will be hosted out of Kentville and Wolfville, N.S.

For full results and standings from the 2015 event in Whitehorse, visit masters 2015.wordpress.com/.