ST. CATHARINES, Ont. — Ontario’s Rachel Homan has captured her third career Scotties Tournament of Hearts title edging Manitoba’s Michelle Englot 8-6 in an extra end during Sunday’s nail-biting final.
It came down to the wire and with Homan holding the hammer in OT, Englot drew for shot stone on her last sitting at the back of the four-foot circle. Homan made a tricky runback to knock it out and the home-province crowd at the Meridian Centre roared.
The Ottawa-based team of Homan, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney and lead Lisa Weagle will represent Canada at the world championship next month in Beijing, China.
Homan won back-to-back Canadian titles in 2013 and 2014 with Miskew, Weagle and Alison Kreviazuk at second. Courtney joined the team ahead of the 2014-15 season with Kreviazuk moving to Sweden. Alison’s sister Cheryl Kreviazuk is the team’s alternate.
It was the first Scotties final for the 53-year-old Englot, who skipped Saskatchewan at seven previous Tournament of Hearts. Englot scored a 9-5 win over Homan to close out round-robin play Thursday and topped Homan 9-8 in Friday’s Page 1 vs. 2 playoff to start the final with the hammer.
Englot looked to hit and roll out to blank the first end, but her shooter stuck around for a single.
Homan pulled off an incredible across-the-rings double takeout in the second end to score three for the lead.
Englot drew to the button for one in the third after Homan made another double to sit four in the house. Homan couldn’t stay practically perfect as she misfired her last in the fifth end giving up a steal that tied it.
Homan looked to put the game out of reach in the seventh with a high-risk, high-reward shot that didn’t pan out. After she made another double with her first skip stone in seven to sit pairs of rocks on opposite sides of the house, Englot drew to the side of the four-foot circle for shot. Homan looked to send her last through a port to peel out the counter, but the hole was just too narrow and she hit one of the guards to give up a steal.
Another intense end followed in the eighth with Homan executing a perfect come-around shot to nudge Englot’s counter and sit two. Englot looked to make it through a tiny port, but hit a guard. With two points in her pocket, Homan tried the same route, however, she also ran into the guard.
Homan locked on top of Englot’s shot rock right on the button with her first skip stone in nine. Englot was unable to kick it out with both of her shots missing the mark to concede a steal and a two-point gap entering the 10th frame.
Homan made a game-saving double in 10, but with Englot still sitting one biting on the side, she was able to simply draw for two and force the decisive extra end.
Englot is playing in her first season with the Winnipeg-based trio of third Kate Cameron, second Leslie Wilson and lead Raunora Westcott. Krysten Karwacki, who had taken the year off from competitive curling to focus on college, serves as the team’s alternate.
Nixon wins bronze with Team Canada in final Scotties game
Amy Nixon has capped her competitive curling career on a high note.
Nixon, who throws third stones for Team Canada’s Chelsea Carey, said she’s played her last game at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts after earning the bronze with a 7-4 win over Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville on Sunday.
The 39-year-old Nixon also won bronze medals at the Olympics and world championship and captured two Canadian titles plus a silver at the Scotties.
Joining Carey and Nixon on the podium are second Jocelyn Peterman, lead Laine Peters, alternate Susan O’Connor and coach Charley Thomas.
“I think I’m one of the luckiest curlers and athletes that I know because I’ve known for a while my time is short and I’ve had these great experiences with these three and with Charley and Susan as well,” an emotional Nixon said during her post-game press conference. “Most people don’t get a chance at the end of their curling careers to experience the privileges that I have. I’m just really grateful for that.”
“I just can’t throw rocks every day anymore and commit to what it takes. I have spent over a decade easily of my life, mostly, completely dedicated to the goal. I just find I don’t have the fire in me anymore to be going to rink. I’d rather go skiing with my family and bake cookies,” she added. “I have a great job that I really enjoy and it’s taking off in a really productive way. I still love to compete and I still love those girls but I just don’t like the grind anymore. I just don’t have the fire for it anymore. There are other things that have called my time.”
Carey admitted she hadn’t thought of a replacement yet and praised her now former teammate.
“Amy is a special player for sure. She’s played so much third and does it so well,” Carey said. “She knows what it takes from a shooting perspective and obviously more than that from a team management perspective and managing skips isn’t always the easiest thing. She’s very very good at it. It’s been easy with her and I.”
It’s the third medal in three career appearances at the Canadian women’s curling championship for Carey. The Calgary native clipped McCarville in last year’s gold medal match while representing Alberta to earn the auto-berth back this season as the defending champion. Carey, who was born in Winnipeg, also took home bronze in 2014 playing for Manitoba.
McCarville, who trounced Carey 8-1 in Saturday’s Page 3 vs. 4 playoff, was unable to take advantage starting with hammer. The teams alternated singles to start, McCarville blanked a pair of ends and settled for just another single in five.
Carey capitalized in the sixth end after McCarville crashed on a rock further up in the house. Already counting two in the crowded house, Carey bounced her last off another stone to squeeze in for three points and take a 4-2 lead.
Facing three counters in seven, McCarville looked to draw into the four-foot circle and rolled heavy to give up a pair and fall behind by four points.
McCarville split the rings in eight to score a deuce and Carey made a tap back to the button for another point in nine to go up 7-4 coming home.
Carey had to throw her last to run McCarville out of rocks.
The Thunder Bay, Ont., native McCarville was looking to bounce back from a disappointing 7-5 loss to Ottawa’s Rachel Homan in Saturday night’s semifinal. Despite missing the podium, McCarville looked at the experience on a positive note heading into next season on the road to the 2018 Winter Olympics.
“It was definitely a really good event,” McCarville said. “Overall I think we had a really good year. We were successful in a lot of our tournaments and we were excited to be here and to make the playoffs.”