Saskatchewan rink living on the edge at the Scotties
Saskatchewan’s Robyn Silvernagle continues to navigate a rocky road at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The North Battleford skip squeezed into the championship pool at the Canadian women’s curling championship with a 9-7 extra-end win over New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford in a Pool A tiebreaker on Thursday.
Once in the championship pool, Silvernagle stole one in the 10th end for an 8-7 win over Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt.
“We played a pretty perfect 10th end,” said Silvernagle, who is curling with third Stefanie Lawton, second Jessie Hunkin and lead Kara Thevenot. “We got a couple of lucky breaks and it’s tough with the five-rock rule to make every shot perfect. We executed well.”
There isn’t much margin of error for Silvernagle, who improved her record to 5-3 heading into Thursday’s late game against Jennifer Jones’ Team Wild Card.
Jones, Rachel Homan and Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson were all tied for first place with 7-1 records prior to Thursday’s late draw. Silvernagle, Birt and Northern Ontario’s Krista Mccarville,
who all have 5-3 records, follow them. Team Canada’s Chelsea Carey and B.C.’S Corryn Brown are both 4-4.
“We don’t look too far ahead,” Lawton said. “You just take it one step at a time.”
A 4-3 extra-end loss to Northern Ontario’s Mccarville on Wednesday dropped Silvernagle into the tiebreaker. A win would have guaranteed her a spot in the championship pool without the pressure of having to play in the tiebreaker.
“That (tiebreaker) game either meant going home or continue playing,” Silvernagle said. “We’re really pumped to be playing.”
Silvernagle faced the daunting task of playing three consecutive games on Thursday. Adding to the overall challenge, Hunkin’s first child is due in June and Thevenot’s second child is expected in August.
“It’s definitely a bit of a grind,” Hunkin said. “We were hoping that we didn’t have to play (Thursday) morning. We managed to get through it and that’s all that matters. We’re going to keep pushing and doing the best that we can.”
The foursome is enjoying the support of the pro- Saskatchewan fans at Mosaic Place. The Moose Jaw crowd is behind Silvernagle, cheering good shots and erupting on the great ones. The spectators are polite enough to quietly discuss any missed opportunities.
“We’re getting used to them now because we don’t quite notice them as much,” Silvernagle said. “I actually think we’re turning into mothers and we can tune them out. They are pretty awesome and we’re glad to have a win so they can cheer.”
Lawton has been on the host team in a provincial Scotties in the past. In 2015, the last time the Scotties was held in Moose Jaw, Lawton was the skip of a Team Saskatchewan squad that finished with an 8-3 record. The host team was beaten 7-5 by Team Canada’s Rachel Homan in the bronze-medal game.
“It’s just going out there and curling,” said Lawton, who’s appearing in her sixth Canadian women’s curling championship. “I love the fans and the atmosphere out here. It’s so much fun. After we won that game, it was just fantastic. We have so much support and we really appreciate it.”
It’s the second consecutive appearance for Silvernagle and Co. at the Scotties. An 8-3 record in 2019 was good for second place after the championship pool for Silvernagle. She settled for a bronze medal, falling 9-7 to Homan in the semifinal.
On Thursday morning, two tiebreakers were needed to determine the eight teams for the championship pool. Brown defeated Nova Scotia’s Maryanne Arsenault 5-4 to clinch a spot in the championship pool and Silvernagle had the win over Crawford.
Silvernagle had an opportunity to win the tiebreaker in 10 ends, but was heavy on a draw with her final shot. Crawford stole one to tie the game 7-7 and force the extra end. The Saskatchewan skip then buried her first shot of the 11th end behind cover. Crawford’s draw wrecked on the guard and Silvernagle picked up the win without having to throw her final stone.
“It just shows our resiliency and that you’re never going to give up,” Silvernagle said. “You gain more experience every time you play and you lean on those experiences from the past.”