Scotties Day 8 Review - Playoffs

Day 8 at the Scotties – Saturday, February 23

The final standings after the Round Robin were this.

The teams making it to the playoffs are:  Jennifer Jones (MB), Rachel Homan (ON), Kelly Scott (BC) and Heather Nedohin (CAN).

Page Playoffs - 3 vs 4 game 

2 pm was the 3 vs 4 game with Canada facing off against BC.

Nedohin (Canada) 8

Scott (BC) 4

Heather Nedohin will move on to the semi-finals with an 8-4 win over Kelly Scott in 9 ends.  Nedohin started the game off strong with 3 steals of 1 within the 1st 4 ends.  Heather Nedohin curled 82% compared to Kelly Scott who curled 71%.  Kelly Scott will now play in the bronze medal game which is scheduled for 2 pm Sunday.  Nedohin will play Jones/Homan in the semi's Sunday at 9 am.

Page Playoffs - 1 vs 2 game 

7 pm was the 1 vs 2 game with Manitoba facing off against Ontario.

Jones (Manitoba) 5

Homan (Ontario) 8

Rachel Homan defeated Jennifer Jones 8-5 in 9 ends.  She started off the game with a steal of 2 in the 1st end.  She stole 1 twice consecutively in ends 6 and 7 to win.  Rachel Homan curled 89% while her counterpart Jennifer Jones curled 79%.  Their were also some unusual mistakes from Jennifer Jones in this game.  With the win, Rachel Homan will go directly to the final at 7 pm Sunday and Jennifer will have a second chance against Heather Nedohin.

Final Day at the Scotties Preview

The semi-final game with Jones vs Nedohin will be played at 9 am.
The bronze medal game with Scott facing the loser of the semi-final game will be played at 2 pm.
The gold medal game with Homan vs the winner of the semi-final game will be played at 7 pm.

Team Profiles - Ontario

Before the Scotties began, I emailed teams who I could get contact info for and asked them some questions.  Thanks to Lisa Weagle (Ontario), Sarah Wazney (BC), and Stacie Devereaux (Newfoundland & Labrador) for responding all my questions.  Thanks also to Mary-Anne Arsenault (NS) for taking the time to answer a couple of questions!

This is what Lisa Weagle of Ontario had to say.

They are thrilled to be representing Ontario! Their first Scotties experience in 2011 was incredible, and they worked very hard to get back to the nationals. Ontario is a tough province with a lot of experienced and talented women's teams, so winning the provincial championship feels like a big accomplishment for them. 

They're very excited! They couldn't wait to get on the ice in Kingston wearing their Ontario jackets! They knew that Kingston would be a great host for the Scotties. It's especially exciting for them as the home team, and they knew that lots of their friends and family would be in Kingston to cheer them on.

They would like to do better than their previous performance in 2011, where they lost in the semi-final. 

"It's an amazing feeling to curl in an arena with a big crowd watching." says Weagle after I asked her how they like curling on a big stage.  It is one of their goals to represent Canada at the World Championships. 

This is what Lisa said when I asked, What is your most favourite thing about curling?

"For me, it's hard to pick! There are so many things I love about curling. I love the strategy of curling. I love being a member of a great team and working towards a goal together. I love travelling and competing against the top teams in the world. I love making new friends and the great sportsmanship of our sport."

They are happy to see such a great field of teams coming to Kingston! She also said that every team at the Scotties has earned the right to be there and they are expecting great games and tough competition. 

They don't have a lot of time for hobbies outside of curling! They curl every day in the winter, and in the summers, they spend a lot of time at the gym training for curling. Rachel likes to play soccer. Emma is into arts and crafts and she is very creative! Alison loves to travel. Lisa likes to run and also enjoys reading.

They have visited my blog and they think it is great!  

Rachel, Emma and Alison all joined together when they were 11 years old, and have been playing together ever since! That is pretty incredible. Lisa joined the team three years ago when they were finished in juniors and needed a lead.

The team looked up to many curlers, but one in particular was Sandra Schmirler. She was an amazing curler and team player, and they were very inspired when she won an Olympic gold medal.

They worked hard all season to prepare for the Scotties. They practiced every day and they also spent a lot of time at the gym. They work with their coach Earle, as well as a consultant who helps them with the mental side of their game, Dr. Natalie Durand-Bush.  Leading up to the Scotties they make sure to eat well and get lots of sleep so they are ready for the long week!

She thinks it's normal to be a little nervous before big games.  That means the game matters to them! They use some techniques to calm themselves and try to remember that no matter what the game situation is, they still have to execute the same skills as they do in practice.

They love keeping their fans updated and sharing photos through their Facebook and Twitter accounts.

They love being able to interact with fans. Having family and friends cheering for them in Kingston is something they're really excited about.

My Interview with Stu at the M-Centre

Last Monday, I went to the Memorial Centre to have an interview with the Master of Ceremonies of the Scotties, Stu.  He asked me a few questions about my blog.

He said that if Team Ontario makes it to the finals and win, he would take me down to ice level to meet them.  I am holding him to that!

Shout out to Newfoundland & Labrador

I would like to make a shout out to the Newfoundland & Labrador coach Craig Withycombe for giving me a belt.  The belt is so nice and I really like it.

Scotties Day 7 Review

Day 7 at the Scotties – Friday, February 22

All teams had two games today to end the round robin.  Saskatchewan and New Brunswick, needed to go 2-0 on the day and hope for a BC loss so there would be some tie breakers for the fourth playoff spot.

9 am Draw #15

The Scores

Devereaux (Newfoundland & Labrador) 8	Ross (Quebec) 7
Scott (BC) 9	Galusha (Northwest Territories/Yukon) 7
Crawford (New Brunswick) 8	Arsenault (Nova Scotia) 6
Birt (PEI) 8	Moore (Alberta) 4

Stacie Devereaux took 11 ends to earn her second win this week, in a game against Allison Ross from Quebec. Devereaux's 3 in the 9th helped Newfoundland with the win.  Even with the quick start of 3 in end 1, BC ended up in a close game against Galusha of the Territories. Galusha stole 3 1's in ends 2,8 and 9.  New Brunswick kept their playoff hopes alive with an 8-6 win over Nova Scotia.  New Brunswick got more deuces than Nova Scotia did.  The ratio was 3-1.  Jodie de Solla curled 99% in this draw and is the star player of the draw.  Jennifer Baxter curled 81%.  Both leads had pretty good numbers, but it was de Solla who carried New Brunswick for the win!  Andrea Crawford still needs a win in the 2 pm draw against Manitoba and a BC loss to qualify for a tiebreaker. PEI scored an 8-4 win in 9 ends over Alberta, adding to the disappointments this week for team Moore.  PEI stole 2 in the 2nd, stole 3 in the 8th and an extra in the 9th for the win.

2 pm Draw #16

The Scores

Jones (Manitoba) 7	Crawford (New Brunswick) 6
Birt (PEI) 2	Homan (Ontario) 10
Shumay (Saskatchewan) 8	Devereaux (Newfoundland & Labrador) 7
Nedohin (Canada) 8	Galusha (Northwest Territories/Yukon) 10

Jennifer Jones survived a scare as she just held on with a 7-6 win over New Brunswick to keep her perfect record intact.  Jones survived giving up two in the 7th and 3 consecutive 1 point steals from New Brunswick in ends 8-10.  Dawn Askin was a big part in this win because she curled the best at 93%.  Jodie de Solla, who had a 99% game last draw, curled only 71% this draw.  This loss for New Brunswick eliminates them from playoff contention.  Rachel Homan had no problem defeating Suzanne Birt of PEI 10-2 in 7 ends.  Homan got 2 3's in ends 1 and 5, a 2 in 7 and a steal of 2 in 2.  This loss eliminates Suzanne Birt from contention as well.   Jill Shumay was in tough against Stacie Devereaux of Newfoundland 8-7 in 10.  Shumay stole 1 in 5 for the small difference.  Kerry Galusha pulled off the upset and defeated Team Canada 10-8.  This same result happened last year as Galusha beat Nedohin during the Round Robin.  Galusha took 3 in 5 and stole 2 in 10 for the win.  

7:30 pm Draw #17

The Scores

Homan (Ontario) 6	Nedohin (Canada) 5
Moore (Alberta) 2	Arsenault (Nova Scotia) 6
Ross (Quebec) 5	Scott (BC) 9
Jones (Manitoba) 8	Shumay (Saskatchewan) 4

Heather Nedohin almost beat Rachel Homan for her second loss, but instead it was a close 6-5 win for Rachel Homan.  She stole 1 in the 3rd.   Kristie Moore lost for the 10th time in 11 games as Team Arsenault won 6-2 in 8 ends, in what might be their final game for good.  I don't know but maybe we'll see them back in Montreal next year!  Arsenault stole 1 in 4 and 2 in 7.  Allison Ross didn't finish her Scotties in style as she lost 9-5 to BC.  BC got a 3 in 3 and a 3 in 7.  Sasha Carter curled 94% in this draw and Brittany O'ROurke curled 74%Jennifer Jones ran Jill Shumay out of rocks in the 10th end to win the game by a final score of 8-4.  Jones improves to 11-0 while Shumay drops out of contention at 6-5.  Jones stole 2 in ends 5 and 6 each for the victory!

 This is the view of 3 out of the 4 sheets!

This is a great shot of Team Alberta with the lead, second and vice!

 This is a picture of Team Ontario and Team Canada having their between end meetings!

Team BC meeting is in session!

Final Nova Scotia scoreboard!

  

Standings after Day 7

	Wins	Losses
Team Jennifer Jones (Manitoba)	11	0
Team Rachel Homan (Ontario)	10	1
Team Kelly Scott (BC)	8	3
Team Heather Nedohin (Team Canada)	7	4
Team Jill Shumay (Saskatchewan)	6	5
Team Andrea Crawford (New Brunswick)	6	5
Team Mary-Anne Arsenault (Nova Scotia)	5	6
Team Suzanne Birt (PEI)	5	6
Team Allison Ross (Quebec)	3	8
Team Kerry Galusha (Northwest Territories/Yukon)	2	9
Team Devereaux (Newfoundland & Labrador)	2	9
Team Kristie Moore (Alberta)	1	10

BC

AB

SK

MB

ON

QC

NB

NS

PE

NL

NT/YT

CAN

BC

W

W

L

L

W

W

W

W

W

W

L

AB

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

W

L

SK

L

W

L

L

W

W

L

L

W

W

W

MB

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

ON

W

W

W

L

W

W

W

W

W

W

W

QC

L

W

L

L

L

L

W

L

L

W

L

NB

L

W

L

L

L

W

W

W

W

W

L

NS

L

W

W

L

L

L

L

W

W

W

L

PE

L

W

W

L

L

W

L

L

W

W

L

NL

L

W

L

L

L

W

L

L

L

L

L

NT/YT

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

L

W

W

CAN

W

W

L

L

L

W

W

W

W

W

L

Tomorrow’s Games - Playoffs Begin:

2 pm - Scott (BC) vs Nedohin (Team Canada)
7 pm - Jones (Manitoba) vs Homan (Ontario)

Watch tomorrow for…
Both playoff games tomorrow should be very exciting to watch!