Scotties struggles continue for Barker rink
Penny Barker is still chasing her first win as skip of Team Saskatchewan at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championship.
Barker and her Moose Jaw Ford Curling Centre team of third Deanna Doig, second Lorraine Schneider and lead Danielle Sicinski fell to 0-5 after losing 10-7 to Alberta’s Shannon Kleibrink in Tuesday’s morning draw in St. Catharines, Ont. On Monday, Barker was defeated 7-5 by Quebec’s Eve Belisle.
Barker had a bye for Tuesday’s afternoon draw. The reigning Saskatchewan women’s curling champion was to play Ontario’s Rachel Homan in the evening draw. On Wednesday, Barker is to play Marla Mallet of British Columbia (1:30 p.m.) and Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories (6:30 p.m.). On Tuesday morning, Barker held a 7-5 lead heading into a ninth end against an Alberta team whose skip wasn’t able to curl due to an ailing back. Alternate Heather Nedohin, a Canadian women’s champion in 1998 and 2012, filled in for Kleibrink.
Against Saskatchewan, Alberta scored one in the ninth end and stole one in the 10th to force an extra end. Alberta then stole three in the 11th end to improve to 3-2.
Regina’s Michelle Englot, who is skipping Team Manitoba, was 6-0 and tied for first place in roundrobin standings with Homan heading into Tuesday’s late draw.
Englot, a seven-time Saskatchewan women’s champion, is the skip of the Winnipeg Granite Curling Club team of third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson and lead Raunora Westcott. Curling Canada rules allow for a team to have one out-of-province player at a national championship.
Englot defeated Alberta 9-5 and Homan beat Galusha 7-4 on Tuesday afternoon. Nedohin remained at skip for Alberta in the match against Englot.
Englot was to play Team Canada’s Chelsey Carey in Tuesday’s evening draw.
The round-robin portion of the Scotties runs through Friday. The top four teams, barring tiebreakers, advance to the Page playoffs.