Last year’s Scotties finalist trying to claw way back to playoffs

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 23/02/2017 (3480 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ST. CATHARINES, ONT. — It took an extra-end battle, but sharpshooter Krista McCarville is still in the thick of the 2017 Scotties playoff race.

The Northern Ontario skip escaped a nailbiter against Prince Edward Island’s Robyn MacPhee on Wednesday, securing a 7-6 win with a stolen single in the 11th. With that, the 2016 Scotties finalist improved to 5-3 on the week.

After losing a tense extra-end battle to Ontario’s Rachel Homan, McCarville needed that breathing room in the standings. Usually, five losses at Scotties won’t advance; and Northern Ontario has a tough schedule ahead.

Her biggest hurdle will come up today, when she’ll face Chelsea Carey and Team Canada. She’ll also have to beat Nova Scotia and the Northwest Territories’ Kerry Galusha, who is making a spirited run.

Not that Nova Scotia should be taken lightly, either. Although the senior team, skipped by Mary Mattatall, is out of contention at 2-6, they played spoiler for Team Alberta, winning 11-10 on an extra-end deuce.

That knocked Alberta — now skipped by Heather Nedohin, after Shannon Kleibrink had to step out due to a back injury — down to 4-4. They will play P.E.I. and Northwest Territories today, and Canada on Friday morning.

Meanwhile, Carey improved to 7-1 with two wins on Wednesday, and she is now hot in pursuit of a spot in the 1-vs-2 Page playoff game. Her only loss so far is to Homan; she beat the other top challenger, Manitoba’s Michelle Englot, Tuesday.

Winnipeg Free Press | Newsletter

The Warm-Up

Winnipeg Jets Game Days

On Winnipeg Jets game days, hockey writers Mike McIntyre and Ken Wiebe send news, notes and quotes from the morning skate, as well as injury updates and lineup decisions. Arrives a few hours prior to puck drop.

Sign up for The Warm-Up

Sign Up

I consent to the Terms and Conditions, Cookie and Privacy Policies.

I consent to CASL agreement.

Finally, Quebec’s Eve Bélisle split the day with a 7-2 win over Galusha and an afternoon loss to Carey. That put her at 6-3, with a big chance to stay above five losses; she’ll face Homan and struggling British Columbia today.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.