Lawes wins: Repeat: Lawes wins

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This article was published 09/02/2009 (6317 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SALMON ARM, B.C. — Kaitlyn Lawes and her Manitoba team, which won bronze at the world championships a year ago, will get another shot at gold.

Lawes defeated Ontario’s Rachel Homan 7-4 Sunday in the final of the M&M Meat Shops Canadian junior curling championships.

Lawes became the first skip since 2001-02 to win back-to-back national junior titles. She and teammates Laryssa Grenkow, Jenna Loder and Breanne Meakin will represent Canada in the world championships next month in Vancouver.

The final turned in the eighth end. Homan had a chance to tie the game with a draw, but tried to nudge a Manitoba stone to collect two points instead. However, her shot rubbed off the opposing stone, giving a steal of one to Manitoba, which took a 4-2 lead at that point.

"I was a little surprised they tried it," Lawes said. "It was there but it was a very risky shot.

"We were patient and we hung in there, and we played it simple and played our game. We didn’t let them take control."

Lawes said the Ottawa curlers were a terrific bunch.

"They’re amazing," the Winnipeg skip said. "They are such a strong team. We had to go out there and hope for the best and wait for our opportunities."

Lawes acknowledged Ontario struggled during the first part of Sunday’s game.

"They didn’t play as sharp as they did against us in the round-robin (a 7-4 Ontario win), but… they’re all young and they have an amazing future ahead of them. They’re phenomenal."

Ontario coach Earle Morris said it was a disappointing outcome.

"You have to give Manitoba credit," Morris said. "They played well and it just wasn’t our day. We struggled a little bit with the ice.

"I think our girls were in a good frame of mind and felt they could win it."

Morris said a shot by Lawes in the eighth end put the pressure on Homan for her last shot. "Kaitlyn put (her rock) in a really great spot, and then Rachel had a really tough shot and almost made it for two, but not quite."

The Ontario team scored two points in the ninth to tie the game 4-4, and the 10th was blanked. On her last shot of the extra end, Homan just missed a hit and roll, giving Manitoba the three points. Lawes did not have to throw her final rock.

Loder and Meakin were named the first all-star third and lead respectively, along with Alberta skip and second Casey and Jessie Scheidegger.

Ontario’s Homan, Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk and Lynn Kreviazuk finished the week-long championship with an overall record of 10-3, but lost the game that counted most because of a sub-par performance.

"We didn’t play our best, that’s for sure," Homan said. "It just wasn’t our day.

"Manitoba played well," she added. "Basically, they were making all the right shots."

In men’s final, it was the fifth time the charm for Prince Edward Island’s Brett Gallant. He had experienced heartbreak in his previous four appearances at the junior championship, including losses in the final in 2007 and semifinal in 2008. But Gallant was all smiles Sunday after defeating Northern Ontario’s Dylan Johnston 7-6 in the final.

Gallant had backing — and he used it — to draw to the eight-foot and score two points in the 10th end. Johnston left his opponent the chance for the deuce when he came up light with his final stone.

Johnston, and teammates Cody Johnston, Michael Bakela and Mike Bandiuk used the hammer to score three in the first end and never trailed until the last rock was thrown.

Gallant credited his teammates Anson Carmody, Adam Casey and Jamie Danbrook for the comeback.

"We just got a few unlucky breaks in the first end, a pick and a jam," the winning skip told TSN. "I think we dictated the play the whole game. We just dug ourselves a hole and played really well after that."

The men’s first team included Alberta skip Kevin Yablonski, Casey, New Brunswick second Doherty and Danbrook. The second-team members were Gallant, Manitoba third Taylor McIntyre, Carmody and Northwest Territories lead David Aho.

The world championships begin March 5.

 

— Canwest News Service