Long Saturday in Saskatoon continues
The prize for the team that would earn its way out of the women’s tiebreakers would be a semifinal rendezvous against a seemingly rejuvenated Jennifer Jones. The much-decorated Winnipeg skip seems to have found her form again after a couple of seasons that fell short of the lofty standards expected from a curler widely recognized as the greatest female curling skip of all-time—or “GOAT” in today’s social media parlance.
Saturday started with Manitoba’s Team Kerri Einarson facing Team Casey Scheidegger of Alberta. It had not been a terrific week for Einarson, one of the favorites to represent Canada in Beijing. The team from Gimli won consecutive games only once all week and their Friday loss against Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque meant they would have to win three games in one day, all of them under the spotlight and pressure of the Olympic Trials, to reach the final.
Game one—done deal, but it was tight. They had a great third end, scoring four points, but the gritty Scheidegger group—which has a reputation for never giving up—fought their way back to take the lead. In the end, a final Scheidegger attempt left her stone open and Einarson made a hit on her last rock of the 10th end to secure an 8-6 victory.
Waiting in the wings for the day’s second tiebreaker was the under-appreciated Team Krista McCarville who always seem to find themselves in the playoff mix at national events. The team from Thunder Bay, Ont. often flies under the radar simply because they play fewer events than most elite teams and don’t often find themselves on television during the curling season. McCarville started slowly this week at 1-3 but then went on a three-game winning streak that included a 6-5 victory over Einarson.
It was a taut start as the two teams blanked the first four ends. McCarville had a 3-2 lead in the 10th but Kerri Einarson had a shot for two points and the win … but drifted it a little long. As Einarson watched in horror, she scored just one and sent the game to an extra end.
Given new life, Krista McCarville made no mistake on a last-rock double takeout in the extra for a 4-3 win and a spot in the semifinal.
Curling fans got a chance to see much of the tiebreaker, as Brad Jacobs walloped Kevin Koe in the men’s semi, which was TSN’s first choice of game coverage. The score was 8-1 in the first five ends. Jacobs is now through to the men’s Olympic Trials finale and squares off against Brad Gushue on Sunday.
Tonight’s women’s semi shapes up as an interesting battle featuring the aggressive style that has made Jennifer Jones arguably the best woman curler ever and Team McCarville, who are best known for taking advantage of opportunities when they arise. The two teams faced each other in the first draw of the round robin with Jones winning 8-5—Jones herself threw 99% in the game.
Jones and McCarville have faced each other three times in the Trials over their careers, with McCarville winning two of the three games. In the current cycle, the two teams have faced each other three times, with Jones winning earlier this week in Saskatoon and McCarville winning at both the 2019 and 2020 Scotties. McCarville has also played Jones tight throughout their careers, with Jones holding a slight 8-6 edge in the 14 career matchups.
It should be an interesting battle: Jones is well-rested, and likely to pour on pressure early in the game. McCarville is fresh off their high-intensity, emotional win over Einarson. If the Northern Ontarians can hold off Team Jones early, look for the game to come down to which team can best take advantage of their openings as the game progresses.