Nedohin takes Alberta crown
Defeats Kaufman, Webster en route to berth in national championship
A year after running out of gas in the Alberta Scotties Tournament of Hearts final, Heather Nedohin showed just how much she had in the tank on Sunday.
Nedohin and her team curled for almost six hours through two games en route to the 2012 provincial crown, downing Jessie Kaufman 8-5 in the final at Sobeys Arena at the Leduc Recreation Centre.
Nedohin settled for silver when she fell to Shannon Kleibrink in 2011, on a day that mirrored this year’s finale in everything but the end result. Nedohin, who curls out of Edmonton’s Saville Centre, will represent Alberta at the Scotties national tourney in Red Deer, running Feb. 18 to 26.
“We have to do a bunch of things (to win), but more than anything for us, we found that our game ended when we lost our gas physically last year,” Nedohin said after her 11-end 6-5 win over Calgary’s Crystal Webster in the morning semifinal.
“We’ve done a lot more physical training to be here and honestly last year we forgot to order food,” she said. “We go in the locker-room now and it’s waiting. Just those little things, win or lose, you’ve got to eat. It’s about just being a little more prepared.”
Nedohin and her team, third Beth Iskiw, second Jessica Mair and lead Laine Peters, were fully prepared this time around. Kaufman, 23 and playing in just her second provincials, came into the final undefeated, with two of those wins coming at Nedohin’s expense. Still, with more eyes watching and a noticeably present television camera crew on the ice, the experienced team got the start it wanted. Nedohin jumped out to a 4-1 lead after three ends.
“She’s an amazing shooter,” Nedohin said of Kaufman. “But it’s different once you get to the final. Thankfully Beth (Iskiw) and I have been to a couple of them in Alberta.
“Your nerves are going, and as much as you do your mental rehearsal, it’s going to be challenging. I think in the early ends we had the upper end on that.”
“It would have been nice to take those first five ends back and replay it a little bit,” said Kaufman, who also curls out of the Saville Centre. “That’s the way it goes and I’m happy for Heather and her team and they’ll play well (at nationals).”
Once Kaufman settled in, Iskiw stepped up for Nedohin and kept her opponents at bay with some big shots late in the game.
“Beth had a stellar game,” Nedohin said. “They were down a few points and putting rocks into play and she cleaned up the front and allowed me to either have an open draw, or an open hit and at least get our one (point). Actually, the whole team played stellar.”
“It was a good game for sure, but everyone on the team played well,” Iskiw added. “Heather had an outstanding game, too. I think everybody adjusted and brought it together at the same time. All four of us had a good game and that’s what we needed.”
Red Deer is familiar ground for Nedohin and her team. She won the world junior championship there in 1996, while Peters and Iskiw played second and lead, respectively on Heather Smith-dacey’s Nova Scotia team in the 2004 Scotties tournament — the last time it was held in Red Deer. That team placed eighth. In five trips to the Scotties tournament, Nedohin has one win to her name. That came in 1998, when she played third to Cathy King.
At the end of their game, Kaufman wished Nedohin well in next month’s tournament.
“I think she’ll be a great rep,” Kaufman said of Nedohin. “She’s been so close for a lot of years and if it couldn’t have been us, I wouldn’t have it any other way.
“She’s got a great team and they’ll play well, they’ll represent us well.”
She’s got a great team and they’ll play well, they’ll
represent us well.
Jessie Kaufman, on Heather Nedo-
National picture
Other Scotties reps from across Canada include: British Columbia — Kelly Scott Saskatchewan — Michelle Englot Manitoba — Jennifer Jones Ontario — Tracy Horgan Quebec — Mari e - France Larouche New Brunswick — Andrea Kelly Nova Scotia — Heather SmithDacey
Newfoundland and Labrador — Heather Strong PEI — Kim Dolan Nwt/yukon — Kerry Galusha Team Canada — Amber Holland