Canada stays perfect
Homan beats Norway, faces other unbeatens today
N.S. Canada’s Rachel Homan continued to roll at the women’s world curling championship with a 9-4 win over Norway’s Marianne Roervik on Monday.
Homan improved to 4-0 after Canada’s lone game of the day at Centre 200.
On Tuesday, Homan, vice Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew and lead Sarah Wilkes will face two countries that are also undefeated after four rounds. Canada will take on Italy’s Stefania Constantini in the morning and defending champion Silvana Tirinzoni of Switzerland at night.
“They’re two phenomenal teams and we know we will have to bring the same, or more, tomorrow,” Homan said. “I know they’re going to bring their A games.”
Norway’s team shook hands after Homan scored three in the eighth end Monday.
After blanking the third, Homan’s shot stone on the button had opposing stones above and below in the fourth. Sweepers Miskew and Wilkes dragged Homan’s draw and curled it to the four-foot rings for another deuce and a 4-1 lead.
“Really well swept,” the skip said. “Tracy’s reading the line really good and called a good one there. Definitely a huge shot we needed … We’re all making a ton of big shots.”
Norway countered with its first deuce of the game in the fifth end, cutting the deficit to 4-3. Kristin Skaslien, who throws fourth stones for Roervik, navigated guards for a takeout at the back of the rings. A measurement of second stones confirmed Norway’s two points.
But Canada tightened its grip in the sixth end with a Homan triple takeout to lie three with her first stone. Skaslien’s shooter rolled wide, leaving the Canadian skip a draw for a 6-3 lead.
Canada curled 92 per cent as a team, led by Homan’s 94 per cent.
“(She’s) working really hard and it’s showing,” Miskew said. “The difference this year is we’re all throwing the rock very similar, so she knows exactly how she has to throw her stones … She’ll make anything out there.”
Switzerland’s Tirinzoni and fourth Alina Pätz are looking to become the first women to win five consecutive world championships. The pandemic wiped out the 2020 event.
The top six of 13 teams in the round robin will advance to the playoffs. The top two get byes directly to Saturday’s semifinals, while the third-place team will play sixth and fourth will play fifth in Saturday morning qualifiers to round out the semis. The final and third-place game are on Sunday.
Homan won the 2017 world championship in Beijing with Miskew, Joanne Courtney and Lisa Weagle. Jennifer Jones skipped the last Canadian team to win, in North Bay in 2018.