When the margin is thin and the stakes are rising, it often comes down to one end.
For Martensville’s Nancy Martin and Rylan Kleiter, that moment arrived in the eighth end, and they delivered.
The Saskatchewan duo scored three in the final end to pull out an 8-7 win over Robert Desjardins and Anne-Sophie Gionest on Tuesday at the Canadian Mixed Doubles Curling Championship, keeping themselves firmly in the playoff picture.
It was a game of swings throughout.
Martin and Kleiter started by forcing their opponents to a single in the opening end, then took control in the second. With the hammer, the Saskatchewan pair executed at a high level, capitalizing on precise shot-making to put up three and grab early momentum.
But the back-and-forth battle was just getting started.
Desjardins and Gionest answered with a deuce in the third, then followed it up with a steal of one in the fourth to edge ahead 4-3 at the break.
Saskatchewan regained control in the fifth, using their hammer to score two and reclaim the lead. Again, the advantage didn’t last long. Their Quebec opponents responded with a pair of their own in the sixth, then applied more pressure by stealing one in the seventh to open up a 7-5 cushion heading into the final end.
That set the stage for the comeback.
With their tournament positioning on the line, Martin and Kleiter rose to the occasion in the eighth, putting together their best end when they needed it most. Strong execution and shot placement paid off with three points — and a crucial 8-7 victory.
The win improves Saskatchewan to 3-2 in round robin play, putting them in a tie for second place in their pool with one game remaining.
With only the top 10 teams out of 28 advancing to the playoff round, every result is magnified, and Tuesday’s comeback could prove pivotal.
Martin and Kleiter will close out the round robin against Ontario’s McKenna and Tanner Nathan, who sit at 2-3, later today.
At the top of the standings, two teams remain unbeaten. Kitchener-Waterloo’s Katie Ford and Oliver Campbell lead the field at 6-0, while Ottawa’s Jacob Horgan and Kira Brunton sit close behind at 5-0.
For Saskatchewan, the path is clear: one more push, and a playoff spot is there to be claimed.
