Canada into playoffs at curling worlds

‘We just have to believe in our ability’

RIGA, LATVIA • A mediocre start nearly derailed Rachel Homan’s rink at the world women’s curling championship.

The Canadian team stuck together early on as they battled nerves, a tough field and some challenging conditions at the Volvo Sports Center. The result is a solid third-place finish in the round-robin standings and a four-game winning streak heading into the Page playoff 3 vs. 4 matchup.

“They’re all feeling very comfortable, calm, focused and confident,” Canadian coach Earle Morris said. “Those are the kind of feelings you hope your team has when you’re going into the playoffs.”

Entering play Thursday, Homan controlled her own playoff destiny. She beat China’s Bingyu Wang 7-4 in the morning and locked up the third seed with an 8-4 win over Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa in the afternoon.

Canada’s next game is Saturday afternoon. Russia and Switzerland will play a tiebreaker Friday morning with the winner to face the U.S. in the second tiebreaker with the fourth seed on the line.

Homan and teammates Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk and Lisa Weagle have been steady all week. Most games have been tight but the Canadians have shone in pressure situations.

“The good news about having close games all the time is you’re constantly playing pressure shots,” Morris said. “That bodes well because come playoff time, you’re used to the pressure and it means you’ll make the tough ones in the playoffs as well.”

Scotland and Sweden finished 10-1 and will meet in the Page playoff 1 vs. 2 game Friday.

The winner advances to Sunday’s gold-medal game while the loser plays the 3-4 winner in the semi-final on Saturday. The semi-final winner will play for gold and the loser will play the 3-4 loser for bronze on Sunday.

Homan’s Ottawa rink is playing at the tournament for the first time. She said her teammates were determined to turn things around after a slow start.

“We’ve had so much experience beating the top teams that we knew we had the ability,” she said. “So we just have to believe in our ability and stick with that, don’t look any farther than that.”