The waiting was the worst for Team sa国际传媒.
For several agonizing minutes Kerri Einarson and her two-time defending champions had to wait and watch while Krista McCarville鈥檚 Northern Ontario rink decided on their final shot attempt.
鈥淲e were just running through what she might have,鈥� said third Val Sweeting. 鈥淲e were just hoping we did the right things. It worked out.鈥�
Einarson鈥檚 rink held off a late rally by McCarville for a 9-6 victory to win their third consecutive Scotties Tournament of Hearts Sunday night in Thunder Bay, Ont.
After the final stone, Einarson鈥檚 team hugged in celebration.
鈥淭o win once is really hard,鈥� said Einarson. 鈥淭o do it three times, I鈥檓 so proud of my teammates. They have been unreal all week.
鈥淲e knew we had to make all of our shots to come up with a win. That鈥檚 what we did.鈥�
Einarson took an 8-6 lead into the final end but McCarville had last rock. Team sa国际传媒 buried a rock on the button early. It was touched by a Northern Ontario stone and another Team sa国际传媒 rock.
McCarville tried a raise takeout with her last rock but failed to move the Team sa国际传媒 stone, giving up the steal of one.
鈥淣ot really the shot I was expecting to have to try, but that鈥檚 just kind of the way that end went,鈥� said McCarville. 鈥淣othing seemed to really go our way.
鈥淚t was kind of a Hail Mary and it just didn鈥檛 work.鈥�
Each shot from the hometown favourites, who curl out of the Fort William Curling Club, drew cheers and the clanging of a cow bell from a crowd of around 350 allowed into the building under COVID-19 protocols.
Einarson鈥檚 rink of Sweeting, second Shannon Birchard and lead Briane Meilleur from Gimli, Man., advanced to the final at the Fort Williams Gardens with an 8-4 win over Andrea Crawford of New Brunswick during the afternoon semifinal.
Einarson, appearing in just her fifth Scotties, defeated Ontario鈥檚 Rachel Homan for the championship in 2020 and 2021. She lost in the 2018 final.
She joins an elite group of curlers who won three consecutive Canadian women鈥檚 curling titles.
Saskatchewan鈥檚 Vera Pezer won three titles between 1971 and 1973 while Winnipeg鈥檚 Jennifer Jones won championships between 2008 and 2010. Colleen Jones of Nova Scotia won four consecutive titles beginning in 2001.
鈥淭hey are amazing curlers, so to be in the same (company) as them is pretty amazing,鈥� said Einarson.
Team sa国际传媒 travelled a twisting road this year. They started the season slowly and were limited from the Olympic trials in a tiebreaker.
鈥淲e just kind of regrouped and said, 鈥榣et鈥檚 go out there and embrace being Team sa国际传媒,'鈥� said Einarson. 鈥淲e just kept things light. That鈥檚 when we play our best is when we keep things light and joke around.鈥�
Einarson鈥檚 rink will represent sa国际传媒 at the 2022 Women鈥檚 Curling Championship in Prince George, sa国际传媒, from March 19-27.
McCarville and her rink of third Kendra Lilly, second Ashley Sippala and lead Sarah Potts, reached the final with a 9-8, extra-end win over Crawford Saturday night in a game she trailed by four points at one time.
In the final, trailing by three points in the eighth end, McCarville made a clutch shot to move two Team sa国际传媒 rocks. When the dust cleared it looked like she might have scored three but a measurement left her with two, cutting the lead to 7-6.
Team sa国际传媒 gambled in the ninth. Einarson opted to remove a Northern Ontario rock with her last shot, hoping one of her stones at the top of the house was biting the ring. She made the takeout, but a measurement showed the rock was outside the ring. Einarson took the point to lead 8-6 but lost the hammer for the final end.
It was the second time McCarville reached the final in her ninth Scotties appearance. She lost the 2016 championship to Chelsea Carey鈥檚 Alberta rink and finished third in 2010.
鈥淚t鈥檚 disappointing,鈥� said McCarville. 鈥淲e鈥檝e been here before and you don鈥檛 know when you鈥檙e ever going to go back. We work really hard day in and day out. Just coming up a wee bit short is tough.鈥�
McCarville finished the round-robin portion of the tournament third in Pool A with a 5-3 record. She defeated Tracy Fleury鈥檚 Wild Card 1 8-3 in Friday night鈥檚 opening round of the playoffs.
Einarson鈥檚 rink was a perfect 8-0 during the round robin before losing 8-6 to Crawford in Friday鈥檚 playoff. She bounced back to beat Fleury 11-6 Saturday afternoon.
Crawford and her rink of third Sylvie Quillian, second Jill Babin and lead Katie Forward finished the round-robin portion second in Pool A with a 6-3 record.
She advanced to the playoffs for the first time in her 10th Scotties appearance and hoped to be the first New Brunswick rink to reach the final since Heidi Hanlon lost to sa国际传媒鈥檚 Julie Sutton in 1991.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 say we met our expectations,鈥� said Crawford. 鈥淲e did our best and Kerri鈥檚 team played amazing. We had a hard time getting those opportunities for multiple (points). I鈥檓 proud of the team for the way we finished out this week.鈥�
Due to COVID-19 concerns, the round-robin portion of the tournament was held without fans or media in the building. A limited number of volunteers registered for the competition and junior curlers from the area were allowed to attend the playoffs.
Jim Morris, The Canadian Press
