ABBOTSFORD, British Columbia  -  With the most rides yet in a championship round at the 2012 Canadian Cup Series, there was a close race between the Top 5 riders Saturday.  Posting an 89-point score on Nedley Mandingo (Sawyer Bucking Bulls), Tyler Pankewitz secured the win with the highest score in the Series.  He earned over $6,000 for his win.

"The cowboys of the Canadian Cup Series came to ride tonight in Abbotsford" said Production Manager Richard Jones. They stepped up to the challenge against a strong pen of bulls selected by Livestock Director Jason Davidson, posting more rides in both long rounds and the short round than at any other Canadian Cup Series event this year.

Four riders posted three scores this weekend.  Following Pankewitz in the standings was Sevi Torturo, who took home the win just two weeks ago in Winnipeg, Manitoba.  Torturo posted three scores over 80 points this weekend to end the night with 248 points and take home just under $4,000.  Returning to the bull riding scene was Zack Brown of Hurtistown, Hawaii.  Brown finished third in the round, just one point behind Torturo, and earned just over $2,100.

The last rider to cover three bulls in Abbotsford was the most decorated bull rider in Canada, Scott Schiffner.  Posting an 86-point ride on Cowboy's Choice (Girletz Rodeo Stock), Schiffner showed the crowd what he was made of.

Rounding out the Top 5 was Australian cowboy Budd Williamson.  Posting a score of 85 in the first round, Williamson could not hang onto Hung Lo (Coyote Creek Rodeo) in the second round.  He was matched with Turn Me Down (Vold Rodeo) and scored 87 points to tie Brown for the final round.

Winning the long round in Abbotsford was Jarrod Craig.  Jones stated that Craig's matchup against Bomb Diggity (Vold Rodeo) was made in bull riding heaven.  Jones also noted that the crowd in Abbotsford was one of the most responsive all year at the Canadian Cup Series.

Top bull honors went to two-time Canadian bull of the year and two-time World-Finals-qualifying VJV Slash.  The judges scored the bull high for a combined bull score of 45.5 for bringing Matt Triplett to the ground early in the short round, the highest bull score in Canada this year.

Post-event, judges Chad Pighin and Justin Keeley were noticeably impressed with the level of competition.  "A lot of the bull riders have stepped up to take this competition to a new level" said judge Keeley.  "Kudos to the cowboys for riding the rank pen that Davidson brought this weekend" added Pighin.

The Canadian Cup Series will take a few weeks off and return to competition in eastern Canada with an event in London, Ontario, on March 24.  Tickets for the event are still available through the John Labatt Centre.  Immediately following that event will be the Montreal Invitational, which will take place at the Bell Centre. 

 2012 Abbotsford Invitational Event Standings

1    Tyler Pankewitz    252
2    Sevi Torturo    248
3    Zack Brown    247
4    Scott Schiffner    246
5    Budd Williamson 172
6    Matt Triplett    168.5
7    Beau Hill    168
8    Nathan Shapner    167
9    Zane Lambert    155
10    Cody Moore    86
11    Jarrod Craig    85
12    Stetson Lawrence84.5
13    Kyle Lozier    84
14    Bart Miller    82.5
15    Brendon Clark    82
16    Lachlan Richardson 81.5
17    Cody Ford    81.5
18    Josh Ehlers     81
19    Poncho Limas    81
20    Colby Reilly    78.5
21    Jason Finkbeiner77.5
22    Clint Johnson    75.5
23    Jesse Torkelson    75.5
24    Tanner Byrne    71.5
25    Garrett Green    70.5

About Professional Bull Riders (PBR) Canada:
Dollars earned at Canadian events counts towards qualification for the elite PBR Canadian Cup National Finals.  Upon the conclusion of the Finals, the bull rider with the most regular-season and Finals points is crowned the PBR Canadian National Champion.  Money won at all Canadian events counts toward qualifying on the prestigious PBR Built Ford Tough Series (BFTS).  At the end of the BFTS season, the top-ranked PBR Canada rider will compete at the PBR World Finals in Las Vegas. For more information on PBR Canada, go to www.pbrcanada.com, or follow on Facebook at www.facebook.com/pbr.canada and Twitter at http://twitter.com/PBRCanada.