CALGARY — Alina Pätz is making up for lost time in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling.
The 2015 world champ did not qualify for the past three women’s tournaments and has some catching up to do in the season finale Humpty’s Champions Cup at WinSport Arena.
Pätz picked up her second round-robin win in as many days edging world junior champ Isabella Wranå 6-5 in an extra end during Draw 6 Thursday.
“It feels great,” Pätz said. “We haven’t played a Slam for a couple months so we’re definitely happy with the performance and hope we can keep it up.”
Teams had to win a high-profile tournament in order to receive invites to the Humpty’s Champions Cup. Pätz (2-0) secured a spot by winning the International Bernese Ladies Cup to work her way back into the series while the 19-year-old Wranå (0-3) captured the world junior championship to earn her berth and is making her Pinty’s GSOC debut at the event.
The force was strong for both teams in the first couple ends as they split singles to start. Wranå hit but couldn’t stick it with her last in three as it rolled to give up a steal. She knotted it at two apiece in the fourth drawing through the gap while looking at a couple counters in the house and the shooter stopped just in time for the tying point.
Pätz was limited to one again in five to go up 3-2.
Wranå made it through a tiny port with her last in six to take two and a one-point lead. Pätz drew with her last in seven and added a second point on a measurement to pull back ahead 5-4.
With Wranå sitting a pile in eight, Pätz looked to be in trouble, but played a perfect come-around freeze to hold her to just one and send the game into an extra end as she was unable to get in there with her last for more.
Pätz wrecked on a guard with her first skip stone in OT, but redeemed it with a great shot through the hole to hit and stick.
“We struggled a bit in the eighth end, so I had to do a great shot with my last one,” Pätz said. “I really had great draw weight today and that was really key to the win at the end.”
.@TeamPaetz gets the win in the extra end over Team Wrana #GSOC #ChampionsCup #curling pic.twitter.com/6I5yLJZKPi
— Grand Slam Curling (@grandslamcurl) April 27, 2017
Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg also climbed to a 2-0 record rallying past Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga, Ont., 8-5. Trailing by two after six, Hasselborg scored a deuce in seven to tie it and stole three in eight to secure the victory. Harrison dropped to a 1-1 record.
American Jamie Sinclair defeated Bingyu Wang of China 7-4 to pick up her first win in the tournament. Sinclair remains in the mix at 1-2 while Wang fell to 0-3.
Greg Balsdon (1-2) of Kingston, Ont., also got his first victory scoring four in the eighth to win 10-7 over Toronto’s John Epping (1-1).
Princess Auto Elite 10 winner John Morris of Vernon, B.C., counted three in eight for a 7-5 victory over Peter de Cruz of Switzerland. Both teams have 1-1 records. Catlin Schneider is in again at second on Team Morris with Rick Sawatsky out due to injury and Tyrel Griffith sliding over to lead.
Round-robin action continues through to Friday evening at WinSport Arena with the top eight men’s and women’s teams qualifying for the weekend playoffs. TV coverage begins at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet One, online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or gsoc.yaretv.com (international).