MISSISSAUGA, Ont. — Saskatchewan’s Jolene Campbell kept things close right until the final couple ends but couldn’t find a victory against undefeated Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes in her final game at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts on Thursday afternoon.
Campbell, third Robyn Silvernagle, second Rachel Big Eagle and lead Dayna Demmans dropped a 9-4 decision to Lawes to close out their round robin with a 3-5 record at the Canadian national women’s curling championship in Mississauga, Ont.
Campbell and crew won the last stone draw and had hammer in the first end, and Lawes would steal one in the first before Saskatchewan came back with one in the second to tie things up.
The third end saw things set up well for Lawes, and she’d have a wide-open hit on a Campbell stone in the eight foot to count a pair and take a 3-1 lead. Campbell would come right back the next end with a deuce of her own, though, and things were tied at three through four ends.
Campbell found herself in a bit of trouble in the fifth as Lawes had a shot for four with her final shot, but the Manitoba skip would tip a guard out front, and Saskatchewan would get a steal of one to take the lead.
Lawes had better luck with the hammer in the sixth end, getting her deuce and going up 5-4 through six. The next couple ends were quick ones, as things didn’t set up well for Campbell and she opted to take the blank in seven and eight and trail by one heading into the final two frames.
Things didn’t go as well in the ninth, as Lawes laid two top and back eight foot after Manitoba’s final stone and Campbell needed to draw full eight for one. She’d come in heavy, bounce off Lawes’ rock back eight foot and give up a steal of two, giving Manitoba a 7-4 lead coming home.
Lawes would tack on two more in the 10th to secure the 9-4 victory.
Other action from the morning draw saw a record-tying shot by Alberta’s Selena Sturmay against New Brunswick’s Melodie Forsythe, scoring seven in the 10th end on her way to a 12-6 victory. Manitoba’s Beth Peterson build a 6-0 lead in the first two ends and went on to a 10-4 win over Nunavut’s Julia Weagle, Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik took a 7-1 lead out of the fifth end on her way to a 10-4 victory against Newfoundland’s Mackenzie Mitchell and Northern Ontario’s Krista Scharf defeated P.E.I.’s Amanda Power 6-4.
Other results from the afternoon draw saw Northwest Territories’ Nicky Kaufman score single points the final two ends for a 7-5 win over Quebec’s Jolianne Fortin, Nova Scotia’s Taylour Stevens get an angle double on her final shot to score three and defeat Ontario’s Hailey Armstrong 9-7 and Canada’s Kerri Einarson score two in the 10th to defeat B.C.’s Taylor Reese-Hansen 9-8.
With Stevens’ win, the playoff teams have been decided in both Pool A and Pool B, with standings as follows heading into the final draw on Thursday evening.
Pool A
Manitoba (Lawes) 8-0
Canada (Einarson) 7-1
Nova Scotia (Stevens) 6-2
Ontario (Armstrong) 5-3
Saskatchewan (Campbell) 3-5
British Columbia (Reese-Hansen) 3-5
Northwest Territories (Kaufman) 2-6
Quebec (Fortin) 2-6
Yukon (Scoffin) 0-8
Pool B
Manitoba (Peterson) 7-0
Nova Scotia (Black) 6-1
Alberta (Selena Sturmay) 6-1
Northern Ontario (Scharf) 4-3
Alberta (Skrlik) 4-3
New Brunswick (Forsythe) 2-5
Newfoundland (Mitchell) 1-6
Nunavut (Weagle) 1-7
Prince Edward Island (Power) 1-6
While the top three positions and as a result the playoff teams have been decided in both pools, the final draw will decide who plays who when the games that really matter take place on Friday.
Lawes will play the Pool B second place team in the Page 1-2 playoff game at 12 p.m. on Friday, while Einarson will face the Pool B runner up. The winners advance directory to the Page 1-2 game at 6 p.m. on Saturday.
The losers of those games will face the third-place teams in each pool, with those games at 6 p.m. Friday and the winners advancing to the Page 3-4 game at 12 p.m. Saturday.
The Page 1-2 game winners advance directly to the final at 6 p.m. on Sunday, while the Page 1-2 loser will take on the Page 3-4 winner in the semifinal at 12 p.m. on Sunday.
TSN will have regular draw coverage throughout the week, and you can keep up with all the scores online at www.curling.ca.
