McCarville opens Scotties with easy win

The arena ice had them guessing in Sault Ste. Marie, but Krista McVarville fought through and opened the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts with an impressive 9-2 win over New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly.

McCarville, lead Kari MacLean, second Ashley Miharija and third Tara George took control early in the match, making a tap-and-roll for a deuce in the second to go up 2-0. Ultimately they would steal six points in the lopsided match.

"It was a nice way to get it going," McCarville said afterward, confidence brimming after a third-place finish a the Olympic qualifier in Edmonton last month and an 11-0 romp through the Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Kelly, who beat McCarville at last year's Scotties in Victoria, had plenty of chances, but couldn’t convert, starting in the third.

With one New Brunswick stone in the four foot, nestled between a pair of yellow Ontario rocks, Kelly tried to remove her opponent’s rock, but instead hit it too flush and tapped her own away, leaving McCarville with a steal of one.

The two teams traded points in the ensuring four ends, putting McCarville on top 5-2 heading into the decisive eighth.

More mistakes proved to be Kelly’s downfall. Facing a trio of Ontario stones, she crashed both her shots, leaving McCarville an easy open hit-and-stick for four.

Ontario will next take on Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland in Sunday afternoon’s fourth draw. Holland took an early 3-0 lead on PEI’s Kathy O’Rourke, but gave up nine straight points and lost 9-3. In other opening draw play, Newfounland, skipped by Shelley Nicholls, needed just seven ends to dispose of the Northwest Territories/Yukon’s Sharon Cormier 12-2. In the final match to finish, Nova Scotia's Nancy McConnery gave up two points in the 10th and a steal of two in the extra end to fall 8-6 to Quebec.