Kleibrink back in familiar territory

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This article was published 12/12/2009 (6073 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

EDMONTON — It’s not the marquee matchup Manitoba curling fans would have hoped for — Jennifer Jones vs. anybody — but it is a dandy final nonetheless.

Shannon Kleibrink and Cheryl Bernard, two Calgary-based rinks, will meet in today’s Canadian Olympic Curling Trials final (2 p.m., TSN) with the winner to represent Canada at the Winter Olympics in February.

Kleibrink advanced with a 10-5 semifinal win over a plucky Krista McCarville side from Thunder Bay Friday night, chalking up five in the decisive eighth end.

This will be the third Trials final for the 41-year-old Kleibrink, who lost to Sandra Schmirler in 1997 and won bronze for Canada in Turin in 2006.

“Three trials I’ve been in and three finals… that’s not bad. Won one, lost one. At this point we’re just happy to be in it,” said Kleibrink.

“I’ve always said that the team that comes through the semis has a definite advantage. You’re out there the day before, you know what the ice conditions are and if they’ve changed or not. It’s tough to get through the semi, but once you do I’d rather be that team.”

Kleibrink held a 5-2 lead through six ends before McCarville answered with three in the seventh end. But the decisive blow came in the eighth when McCarville, drawing against four, wrecked on a guard to give Kleibrink and easy draw for five.

“She really went for it in the eighth end. I thought once they got tied they might play a little bit more conservative and force us to one,” Kleibrink said. “I mean, even if they get a deuce it’s not bad. But she went right for it. That’s the kind of team they are.”

Bernard, the four-time Alberta champion, has won five in a row over Kleibrink and eight of their last 10 meetings.

The loss brought to an end a long day for McCarville and her team. She won two tiebreakers earlier in the day — 7-4 over Stefanie Lawton and 7-6 over Amber Holland in an extra end — to get to the semifinal.

The youngest of the eight skips at The Roar of the Rings, McCarville will now focus on the Scotties and the 2013 Trials and take away a ton of experience from this event.

“When you get out there you run on adrenaline,” said McCarville. “We made some great shots again, we tried to battle back and were pretty close but that last end a couple of our draws came short and we just ticked on a few… it was pretty much bad luck.

“I’m really proud of our team. We worked really hard in the last four years.

“We were so pumped in Prince George to make it to the Trials. It kind of gives us the confidence to know that we can make it at the Scotties, we can hopefully win it one day. And just playing on arena ice gives me more confidence for the Scotties this year.”

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca