SCOTTIES LEADERS PULL AWAY FROM PACK
Experience key for last year's finalists as they march toward a rematch
With one day left in the round robin at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the same teams that made it to the final last year were starting to separate themselves from the rest of the field.
Team Canada's Kerri Einarson, the defending champion, and Ontario's Rachel Homan both ran their records to 8-1 with wins on Friday afternoon at the Markin Macphail Arena in Calgary, inching closer to clinching playoff spots.
Einarson beat Homan in an extra end to win the Scotties final in 2020.
Not far behind them at 7-2 was six-time champion Jennifer Jones of Manitoba, who lost in a semifinal to Homan last year in Moose Jaw, Sask.
“Experience is huge once we get to these games,” Einarson's third, Val Sweeting said after her team's 10-6 win over Sherry Anderson of Saskatchewan (6-3).
“I feel like we're in a really good place and I think experience will pay off, for sure.”
The fact that three former champions — Homan is a threetime winner — are leading the way really should come as no surprise. None of the teams in the 18-team Scotties field had any real opportunity to practice or prepare for the championship because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Many thought the teams with the most talent would handle that the best, and so far, that's been the case.
But Jones, who is playing in her 16th Scotties, cautioned that there's still plenty of curling to come, with two more rounds of championship action scheduled for today.
“You're hoping you're never doing the math, because that means you're winning and in a good spot,” Jones said after a 12-8 win over Beth Peterson (Wild Card No. 3). “I don't even know exactly what the standings are looking like. We're just trying to win every game that we play.”
HOMAN'S HIGH PERCENTAGE
Homan, who technically was in first place heading into Friday's evening draw because of an earlier round robin win over Einarson, had to grind her way to a 7-6 win over Team Tracy Fleury (with Chelsea Carey skipping), complete with a stolen point in the 10th end.
Carey (5-4) attempted a raise-double takeout with her last rock in the 10th, which was very nearly successful, but unfortunately for her one of the Ontario rocks stuck around to count the winning point.
“My team played phenomenal and I couldn't quite figure out the broom on my last one there for a while,” Homan said. “But they hung in there with me and we made some good ones in the end. Chelsea's team played phenomenal and I thought she almost had that last one in the end.
“It went right to the end, obviously, and it took a lot of grit and determination to keep pushing forward.”
Homan, who is eight months pregnant, leads all skips in shooting percentage at 83 per cent and it has been impressive to watch.
“It's absolutely amazing,” Ontario second Sarah Wilkes said. “She's been playing amazing all week and it's just inspiring. I hope one day if I'm eight months pregnant that I can play half as good as Rachel is right now.”
WALKER LEANING ON TEAMMATES
Alberta's Laura Walker and Saskatchewan's Anderson were still hanging around in the standings on Friday with 6-3 records, as was Quebec's Laurie St-georges.
Walker was able to grind out a 7-6 extra-end win over St-georges to keep her team's playoff hopes alive.
“All wins are pretty big right now,” Walker said. “I think we have to win all of our games from here on out, and if we do that, our fate is in our own hands. To start off the championship pool with a grinding win was very big for our team. I thought we played a lot better than what the scoreboard showed.”
Walker has never made it to the championship round before, but she has experienced players on her team. Third Kate Cameron once played in a Scotties final, with Michelle Englot, and lead Rachel Brown and alternate Dana Ferguson won the Canadian championship in 2019 as members of Carey's Alberta foursome.
PRAISE FOR PETERSON
The win by Jones over Scotties rookie Peterson, a fellow Winnipegger, was much closer than the 12-8 score suggested.
Peterson actually led 8-7 going into the final end after coming back from a 4-0 deficit to take the lead in the fourth end.
Jones was heavy on a draw against three in the fourth, putting Peterson up 5-4 at the time. It went back and forth until Jones scored a big end — while Peterson was trying to steal — in the 10th.
“I threw a bad shot,” Jones said of her fourth-end gaffe.
“I can't do that. I've got to make that draw against three. The team played great in front of me. I thought it was a really great team effort, and other than that one end, I was pleased with how the game went. I'll have to eliminate those mistakes in the next game.”
Peterson fell to 5-4 and is now a long shot to make it into the playoffs, but her team had garnered a ton of respect from its peers in making it this far this week.
“They're an outstanding team,” Jones said. “Just great people and they love to play, and they've done so well here.”