TEAM CANADA EMBRACES RARE DOSE OF ADVERSITY
Jones rink goes the distance for once, but still improves to 4-0 at worlds
After what seemed like a stroll through the first three games, Team Canada faced some adversity Monday afternoon at the World Women’s Curling Championship.
Skip Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg missed her last shot in the eighth end against a pesky Chinese team that forced Canada to score a pair in the ninth and two more in the 10th for a 9-5 victory at Memorial Gardens.
The win left Canada with a 4-0 record, while China fell to 1-3.
Only one of Canada’s first three games went the distance.
“It definitely was a test,” lead Dawn McEwen said of the only game Canada played on Day 3. “We didn’t get our rocks quite in the right spot for the first half and we were chasing a little bit and they played really well. I can only think of one shot they missed in that first half.
“We just put some pressure on them and got some draws in some good spots. We just stayed patient and that’s kind of what we do.”
The Canadians actually trailed after the third end, when China skip Yilun Jiang scored two to make it 3-1. After cutting the deficit in half, Canada had a rare steal of three in the sixth to go up 5-3.
Another uncommon occurrence was witnessed in the eighth, when a Jones flash left the game deadlocked with a pair of ends remaining.
The frustration was evident on her face.
“Yeah, I was pretty ticked off at myself in eight,” said Jones. “That was just not a very smart thing to do. If you’re going to do it, the fourth game of the round robin is the game to do it in.
“We still had the advantage heading into nine. We were still tied with (the hammer), but yeah, I was disappointed in myself.”
Jones couldn’t remember the last time she committed such a gaffe.
“I don’t miss them very often, I hope I don’t anyway,” she said. “The ice was a little bit straighter today, it’s just unforgiving. I got it out there and it didn’t come back.”
McEwen said the Canadians weren’t nervous about the wheels falling off after the missed opportunity.
“Not at all,” she said. “We had hammer and we were playing well. It was just a matter of staying patient. Jen just got unfortunate on that blank. I think she threw how she wanted to throw it, it was just a little straight there. So yeah, you live and learn and move forward.”
With a nail-biter now under their belt, that isn’t a bad thing for the Canadian contingent.
“It’s really nice to have a test,” said McEwen. “We need tests, especially early. Try and figure things out. We’d be OK taking every single game to the last rock as long as we win.”
Experience is key to the “patience” the Canadians possess.
“We always feel like we’re still in the game,” said Jones. “We’ve played together for a long time and we have so much belief and faith in each other.
“I thought we played fairly well (today). We had a couple of opportunities that we let slip by to get multiple points when we had hammer. The two we gave up, they made some great shots. Just that flash I’d like back. Other than that, really, I was pretty happy with the performance.”
The schedule gets more difficult for the Canadians with two games a day through the rest of the round robin.
It starts with this morning ’s game against Denmark and a night draw with Scotland, then winds into a wild Wednesday during which they play the Olympics’ silver and gold medallists in South Korea and Sweden respectively in afternoon and night games.
Not that the Canadians are looking that far ahead.
“We just kind of focus on ourselves,” said McEwen. “I don’t even know who we play next round. We just take it game by game.”
Jones offered similar sentiments.
“We play two games (today). I’m not sure who we play, but we have two from now on,” she said, adding she hasn’t paid attention to what the powerhouse Swedes are doing. “It’s still early and we haven’t really played many draws with them. It’s hard to keep track. Their games aren’t on TV here.”
“It’s all tough. Every game is tough. You look at the recent world championships, recent Olympics, there’s so many different countries that are doing great, we can’t take anything for granted.”
It’s really nice to have a test. We need tests, especially early. Try and figure things out. We’d be OK taking every single game to the last rock as long as we win.