Word on McCarville: Top in reach

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This article was published 05/02/2010 (6041 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAULT STE. MARIE Ont. — The buzz here is that Krista McCarville’s Ontario squad is on the brink of becoming Canada’s next great women’s curling team.

That kind of chatter is easily dismissed, particularly with Jennifer Jones, Kelly Scott, Shannon Kleibrink and Cheryl Bernard omnipresent on the national scene.

But when a five-time Canadian and two-time world champion recognizes a team has the tools to be the best, it’s worth taking heed.

"The goal was to move from a Top 10 team in Canada to a Top 4 team in Canada, and then you’re a contender and have a chance of winning every time out," said Thunder Bay curling legend Rick Lang, the coach of Team Ontario at the 2010 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

"Krista is a really special talent, and now she has a solid team behind her. Her strategy has come a long way… they have a real game plan. Put all those pieces together and why couldn’t you win?"

McCarville, backed by third Tara George, second Ashley Miharija and lead Kari MacLean, is making her fourth appearance at the Scotties and she’s taking dead aim at a national crown, especially after the playoffs with a 6-5 round-robin record in ’09 in Victoria.

The team is playoff bound this time around.

George, the only Scotties player born and raised in the Soo, said the team’s time has come.

"We believe it, too. We finally broke through at the (Winter Olympics) Trials and it gave us that chance to fully believe in ourselves… that we could be right there at the top," she said.

The Thunder Bay team is drawing on an impressive bronze-medal performance at the Olympic Trials in December.

Lang’s wife, Lorraine, retired from the team after the Trials, Miharija stepped in, and they promptly won 11 straight games at the Ontario provincial playdowns to get here.

McCarville is also juggling the responsibilities of being a new mom to four-month-old daughter Bella.

She’s on a year’s maternity leave from her teaching position in Thunder Bay, giving her more time to spend more with her daughter.

McCarville began throwing rocks just two weeks after Bella’s birth.

Because she’s still breastfeeding, the little one is here with mom this week in the Soo. McCarville admits the hours away have been tough.

"The majority of time at home, I’m with her… so, when you curl back to back like this, I’m getting no time with her," she said. "For a new mom, it’s difficult. But I know that she’s in great hands with my parents. There’s lots of family here, too, which is nice."

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

 

 

Scotties

Tournament of Hearts

 

Final

round robin

 

W L

P.E.I 8 3

Canada 8 3

Ontario 7 4

B.C. 7 4

Manitoba 7 4

Saskatchewan 6 5

Quebec 5 6

New Brunswick 5 6

Nfld/Labrador 4 7

Alberta 4 7

NWT/Yukon 4 7

Nova Scotia 1 10

 

Today’s playoff games

 

Tiebreaker

Thurston (Manitoba) vs. McCarville (Ontario), 2 p.m.

 

1 vs. 2 Page playoff

Jones (Canada) vs. O’Rourke (P.E.I.), 6:30 p.m.

 

Thursday’s results

 

Draw 15

Ont. 7 Nova Scotia 3

P.E.I. 9 Nfld./Labrador 5

Quebec 6 New Brunswick 5

NWT/Y 9 Saskatchewan 5

 

Draw 16

Alberta 9 NWT/Y 7

New Brunswick 9 Manitoba 6

B.C. 10 P.E.I. 5

Canada 11 Nova Scotia 4

 

Draw 17

Manitoba 10 Quebec 4

Canada 6 Ontario 5

B.C. 8 Nfld./Labrador 2

Saskatchewan 7 Alberta 6

 

THURSDAY’S Linescores

 

Draw 16

 

Manitoba 101 010 201 0 — 6

N.B. 010 402 010 1 — 9

 

Canada 110 500 13X X — 11

N.Scotia 001 021 00X X– 4

 

Draw 17

 

Manitoba 131 300 02x x — 10

Quebec 000 021 10x x — 4

 

Canada 020 200 010 1 — 6

Ontario 101 001 002 0– 5