Canada’s Kerri Einarson is the lone unbeaten team at the World Women’s Curling Championship in Calgary after a 9-6 win over Denmark on Monday.
But the schedule is about to get much tougher.
Tuesday marks the first of three straight days with two draws for Einarson’s Manitoba-based team, beginning with Italy in the morning before a showdown with Switzerland later in the day.
Canada needed a late push to stay perfect, scoring three in the 10th end to put away Denmark’s Madeleine Dupont in a game that was tight throughout.
It’s exactly the type of test they expect more of as the week continues.
“Yeah, they were playing really well, and they definitely had us on the angles early in that game, so we had to be a little bit careful,” said third Val Sweeting. “So, something we'll probably look at, just try to avoid getting into that next time.”
Denmark controlled parts of the early game, forcing Canada to adjust and stay patient rather than chase. That patience paid off late.
“I thought, other than that, we had a really solid second half, and got the deuce when we needed to, and we were patient out there,” Sweeting said.
And while Canada never trailed, it still came down to making shots under pressure, something Sweeting says is valuable at this stage of the event.
“For sure, you want to know what the ice is doing in the last half, and have that pressure to make that shot to win. We expect to have close games like that against all the good teams here. We feel like we're doing a lot of good things well, and just got to keep that going.”
Those good teams and a demanding schedule are coming quickly.
Managing energy becomes just as important as making shots with a night-to-morning turnaround.
“Night-morning is a quick turnaround,” Sweeting said. “So, yeah, I think just getting the max rest we can tonight, and even between games tomorrow will be key.”
Skip Kerri Einarson wasn’t surprised that her team was pushed.
“Yeah, I knew it was going to be a great game. We’ve played them before, and I know this is a new lineup, but they played phenomenal. Madeleine made some really great shots to force us.”
For Einarson, a game like that might be exactly what her team needs moving forward.
“Oh, it’s really good. It’s not like we played bad we played really well too. It’s good to have games that test you and make you make those clutch shots when you need them. And we did that when we needed them.”
Now comes the grind.
“Yeah, this schedule is a grind,” Einarson said. “We’re going to try and get some rest, get some downtime. It’s a hard schedule, but we’re used to it.”
Undefeated, but now, the real test of depth and endurance begins.
