Tournament of Hearts: Veteran hand on rock leads Manitoba to top seed
ST. CATHARINES, ONT.— Michelle Englot was recruited precisely for this situation.
Short on previous playoff experience at the Canadian women’s curling championship, Manitoba will lean on a woman who has been there, done that.
The Manitobans claimed the top playoff seed beating Ontario’s Rachel Homan 9-5 on Thursday night.
Both 10-1 to conclude their preliminary rounds, Englot and Homan meet again Friday night in a playoff game.
“We’re playing them again. Fun times,” Englot said.
The winner goes directly to Sunday’s final, while the loser must win Saturday’s semifinal to gain a rematch.
Defending champion Chelsea Carey, 8-2, gained a playoff spot with a game remaining against Alberta.
Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville, 7-3, needs a win over Kerry Galusha of Northwest Territories on Friday morning to get into the final four. A loss drops her into a tiebreaker with Quebec’s Eve Belisle (7-4).
The winner of Saturday afternoon’s playoff between Carey and the team to be determined advances to the semifinal.
Manitoba third Kate Cameron, 25, is making her Hearts debut in St. Catharines. Front end Leslie Wilson, 37, and Raunora Westcott, 40, played in it for Cathy Overton-Clapham in 2011 and Jill Thurston in 2010.
The closest Wilson and Westcott came to playoffs was losing a tiebreaker in 2010.
Englot, 53, skipped Saskatchewan to the playoffs twice in seven appear- ances. She finished third in both 1988 and 1989.
“Back in ‘88 and ‘89, we didn’t really realize how big this is,” Englot said. “Now, we know how big this is, but yet, in the same breath we need to stay the course, stay relaxed and stay focused.”
The Regina resident — Curling Canada allows each team to have one out-of-province member — did that in the preliminary round.
“She’s patient, she’s calm,” Cameron said. “If I miss a shot, she’s ‘no worries Kate.’ There’s no anger.
“I’m more of a fiery player than she is, so for each other we bring out the best in that way. She can really guide my team to stay calm in those highpressure situations.”
Englot knows from experience how difficult it is to win your province and get to the Canadian championship. She’s revelled in her new team’s performance both in Manitoba playdowns and in St. Catharines.
“This has been a really fantastic fairy tale year,” the skip said. “This year has been more exciting for me just because I know the team is super-talented and we have the opportunity to be at the top.
“We know if we play well we can definitely compete with any team in the world, so we’re looking forward to the playoffs.”