Calgary curlers just one win away from Olympics
OTTAWA — Chelsea Carey might want to send a thank-you card to Swiss curling skip Silvana Tirinzoni.
Tirinzoni brought in Cathy Overton-Clapham as a substitute last season due to injury. Overton-Clapham played a few Grand Slam events and was quick to show her Hall of Fame form.
“I just got that fire back in me,” Overton-Clapham said. “Fortunately I got the call from these guys to play with them.”
Carey was looking for a third after Amy Nixon’s retirement and Overton-Clapham fit the bill. She locked in last March and the transition was almost seamless.
Now the Calgary team is just one win away from an Olympic berth after capping a perfect round-robin Friday at the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings.
“We’re having fun, we’re making some shots and we’re getting some W’s along the way,” Overton-Clapham said.
Carey beat Krista McCarville, 5-2, in the morning and dumped Winnipeg’s Michelle Englot, 10-3, in the afternoon.
That left her with an 8-0 record and a berth in Sunday’s championship at Canadian Tire Centre.
Carey’s rink became the first women’s team to sweep the round-robin at the Olympic Trials.
Ottawa’s Rachel Homan and Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones locked up the other two playoff spots earlier Friday without stepping on the ice.
Homan beat Jones 9-4 in an evening draw to finish in second place at 7-1 and guarantee hammer for the rematch in Saturday’s semifinal.
It was a tough day for McCarville, who had a chance to be right in the playoff mix. After the morning loss, Edmonton’s Val Sweeting beat her, 7-6, in the afternoon to rule out weekend play.
Calgary’s Kevin Koe (7-1) and Brad Gushue (6-2) had secured the top two men’s seeds before their tuneup game against each other Friday night, a 6-3 decision for the St. John’s skip.
The third seed went to Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen (5-3), who beat Edmonton’s Brendan Bottcher, 6-4, in the morning.
Winnipeg’s Reid Carruthers could have forced a tiebreaker game with a win in the evening, but he dropped an 8-7 decision to Bottcher in an extra end.
The winning teams will represent Canada at the Pyeongchang Winter Olympics in February.