MOOSE JAW, Sask. -- Team Northern Ontario's road to a Scotties Tournament of Hearts champioship was always going to roll through their provincial rival from Ottawa.
On Saturday they'll take their next step, taking on Ontario champion Rachel Homan in the 3-4 Page Playoff, learning their fate after Friday night's 11-6 triumph over Jennifer Jones and Team Canada in the championship round finale.
Despite the loss, Jones and fellow Manitoba skip Kerri Einarson will face off in the 1-2 Page Playoff, the two teams finishing the week with identical 9-2 records.
Thunder Bay skip Krista McCarville took early control of her match against Jones, a six-time Scotties champion looking to snap a tie with Nova Scotia as the all-time winningest skip at the national women's curling championship.
Jones struck back with a pair in the second, but unnerved, McCarville grabbed two more with the hammer in the third, then stole a single in the fourth to go up 5-2. Another steal of two in the fifth made it 7-2 and the rout was on.
Jones hit for three in the third, but as they did all night, McCarville, lead Jen Gates, second Ashley Sippala and third Kendra Lilly had the answer, scoring a triple of thier own in the seventh to move in from 10-5.
The teams traded points in the ninth and 10th ends to wrap up the scoring.
Homan, a three-time Scotties champion, and McCarville will tangle on Saturday starting at 2 p.m.
