THUNDER BAY, Ont. — Kerri Einarson looked up at the jumbotron at Fort William Gardens, and knew her stone was closer to the pin than Nova Scotia’s to send her Team Manitoba to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts final.
Val Sweeting knew it, too, but the long-time Manitoba third wished she’d called “straight!” a bit sooner on her skipper’s final shot, so they hit Nova Scotia’s shot rock a little thinner. “And then I don’t think it’s ever that close,” Sweeting said. “Fortunately, it was us.”
The Scotties semifinal came down to a measuring stick on Sunday afternoon, as Einarson’s Team Manitoba edged Team Nova Scotia’s Christina Black 9-8 in the semifinal, winning on the final shot to book a ticket to Sunday night’s final.
The 37-year-old Einarson, Sweeting, newly installed second Karlee Burgess and lead Krysten Karwacki will play Team Canada’s Rachel Homan, the world No. 1, in a matchup between the country's top two teams for the national title.
Team Homan is riding a 21-game win-streak at the Scotties, and its latest came Saturday night against Einarson, an 8-4 victory to earn a direct ticket to the championship game.
Both skips will be looking for a fifth career Scotties title.
“We definitely have to come out a little sharper in the finals,” Einarson said.
Her Team Manitoba got off to a good start against Nova Scotia, capitalizing on Black’s missed double takeout to score a deuce, and stealing a single in two to take a 3-0 lead.
But Nova Scotia clawed its way back into the game, and not for the last time. Black made a draw for two in the third end to get on the board and bring her team within a point, and the teams traded deuces into the break. Manitoba extended its lead to 7-5, and Einarson had a chance to put this game away, but overthrew her last in seven, which allowed Black to score an easy deuce to pull her team within a point.
Manitoba extended its lead to two through eight, and in nine Black made an incredible final shot for two to tie things up heading into the final end. On her last shot, Einarson had a hit-and-roll to the button for the win. Her shooter rolled long, leaving a Nova Scotia rock and a Manitoba rock incredibly close. Out came the measuring stick to determine what Einarson and Sweeting already knew — that theirs was closer.
Team Manitoba has been putting together comebacks and close wins all week, and Sunday afternoon was no different. “We tend to just love curling and playing the max amount of ends that we can,” Sweeting said, with a grin. “That seems to be the theme this week, and in general.”
Nova Scotia entered this game on the eve of devastating news and without second, Jennifer Baxter, who found out during their game a day earlier that her father, Blair, had passed away. Blair and Baxter’s mother, Patricia, were in Thunder Bay earlier this week watching their daughter and her team play.
Marlee Powers, who’d been alternating with Baxter at second, took over the position full time after the second end of their playoff win Saturday.
There were plenty of “Nova! Scotia!” cheers in the crowd on Sunday for the Bluenosers. It was a second Scotties semifinal for Black, and a first for third Jill Brothers, Powers and lead Karlee Everist.
Now, there are just two teams left at the Scotties, and one game to go. The Einarson-Homan finale will see the winner represent Canada at world championship next month in South Korea.
Homan’s team has lost to just one Canadian team this season: Einarson’s, back in October.
“I know Rachel’s team is going to be playing really well, and I know we can too,” Einarson said. “We’re saving our best game for our last.”
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