The former three-time junior champion is among the eight skips that began play at the 2017 Scotties sa国际传媒 Women鈥檚 Curling Championship on Tuesday night at the Glen Harper Curling Centre at the Duncan Curling Club.
Pewarchuk, with veteran Patti Knezevic at third, Adina Tasaka at second and Rachelle Kallechy at lead, plays out of the Victoria Curling Centre and is one of several teams with Island ties.
鈥淟ooking forward to it. Provincials and playdowns are always my favourite time of the season,鈥� said Pewarchuk, who was married last year and did not compete.
鈥淲e鈥檝e worked hard up to this point, with a new team, and we鈥檝e done a lot of work on building and getting to know each other. I think we鈥檙e ready to put the pieces together and see what happens here.鈥�
Pewarchuk opened the event, which concludes on Sunday afternoon, with a 7-6 loss Tuesday night to Diane Gushulak of the Royal City Club and will face Lindsay Hudyma鈥檚 Mainland rink 鈥� which includes locals Stephanie Jackson-Baier at second and Carley Sandwith at lead 鈥� in Draw 2 at 11 a.m. today.
Nanaimo鈥檚 Kesa Van Osch is also back for her fourth provincial women鈥檚 championship with sister Kalia Van Osch at third, Shawna Jensen at second and Amy Gibson at lead. Van Osch opened with a 10-2 win against Julie Herndier of Cloverdale.
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 really going to be a great week,鈥� said Van Osch, who won the event in 2014 with Jackson-Baier, Jessie Sanderson and Sandwith. 鈥淭here are going to be a lot of great teams here and I really like our chances. We鈥檝e put in a lot of work this season. I think our chances are as good as anyone鈥檚.鈥�
Van Osch, who missed the playoffs last year by a single win, will meet Sarah Wark this morning. Wark moved from the Victoria Curling Centre to Chilliwack this season and was a finalist two years ago when Knezevic won the title.
Defending champion Karla Thompson of Kamloops is back with her rink, while veteran Marla Mallett and her Golden Ears rink is also competing.
Jackson-Baier and her teammates toppled Thompson 8-4 on Tuesday night
鈥淲e鈥檙e looking forward to it,鈥� said Jackson-Baier. 鈥淲e鈥檝e got two girls out of Vancouver and two out of Victoria who have been training hard. We鈥檝e had some ups and downs, after starting real well. We鈥檝e been practising and getting ready for this next step.
鈥淗alf the teams making the playoffs are pretty good odds, so you鈥檙e fighting for that playoff spot and let鈥檚 see what happens,鈥� she added.
Teams will play a round-robin through Friday afternoon before moving into the Page playoff system with the final four games of the event televised on Shaw TV. The Page 1-2 game will be Saturday at 2 p.m. (unless a third tie-breaker pushes it back) followed by Page 3-4 game at 7 p.m. The semifinal broadcasts Sunday at 11 a.m. with the final at 4 p.m.
The winner will advance to the Canadian Scotties, slated for Feb. 18-26 in St. Catharines, Ont.
鈥淚鈥檇 say it鈥檚 a very good field. I think everyone is pretty well matched and I think it鈥檚 pretty well anybody鈥檚 championship,鈥� said Jackson-Baier.
