CALGARY – Hours after a collapse against Alberta, Team Northern Ontario is back in control of its playoff destiny at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Skip Krista McCarville rebounded on Wednesday night to score a 6-4 win over Laurie St-Georges Quebec foursome, improving to 4-3 with one game remaining on her round-robin schedule.
A win against Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes on Thursday afternoon would clinch a playoff spot for McCarville, third Andrea Kelly, second Kendra Lilly, lead Ashley Sippala and alternate Sarah Potts.
Team Canada’s Kerri Einarson (6-1) scored two with her final shot on Wednesday night to edge Lawes 6-5, clinching the second of three Pool A playoff spots. Alberta’s Selena Sturmay clinched the first playoff spot with her 10-9 win over McCarville in the morning draw.
Team Northern Ontario is tied with British Columbia’s Corryn Brown for the third and final spot but own the head-to-head tiebreaker by virtue of a 9-5 win over B.C. to open Scotties play last Friday.
Saskatchewan’s Skylar Ackerman, St-Georges and Lawes each have four losses and can finish no better than 4-4, where Ackerman currently sits.
A tie between three or more teams could come down to last stone draw standings, if the records are all equal. Lawes tops that list in Pool A, with McCarville in second.
All three playoff spots are wrapped up in Pool B. Ontario’s Rachel Homa, six-time Scotties champion Jennifer Jones of Manitoba and British Columbia’s Clancy Grandy have all advanced.
McCarville and Lawes play at 3:30 p.m. on Thursday.
