MOOSE JAW, Sask – It's back to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts playoffs for Krista McCarville and Team Northern Ontario.
McCarville held off a hard-charging Suzanne Birt and her Prince Edward Island foursome on Friday afternoon, who had a chance to put the match away but instead settled for two in the 10th, coming up a point short in a 6-5 defeat.
The win earned McCarville, lead Jen Gates, second Ashley Sippala and third Kendra Lilly, who are vying to represent Team Canada at next year's Scotties in Thunder Bay, a spot in the 3-4 Page Playoff game.
With the loss, Bird was elimiated from contention, as was Saskatchewan's Robyn Silvernagle, who slipped to 5-5 after a 9-4 loss to Team Ontario's Rachel Homan.
Homan, wild-card entry Jennifer Jones and Manitoba's Kerri Einarson had already locked up playoff spots.
McCarville's playoff opponent will be determined on Friday night at the conclusion of the championship round.
The veteran 37-year-old skip stole the game's first point in the third, then picked up a deuce in the fifth to go ahead 3-1.
The teams traded points in the sixth and seventh, with Birt closing to within one with a single in the eighth.
The teams appeared to be headed toward a blank in the ninth, but when McCarville's first stone went deep, Birt attempted a freeze to force one. Instead she bounced off, leaving her opponent backing to score two, giving the Thunder Bay and Sudbury foursome a 6-3 lead.
Birt had a chance to steal the game away in the 10th, but her final shot spilled one rock too many and she could only manage a pair, falling one rock short of an extra end.
McCarville will wrap up championship round against Jones.
