MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Protective of their curl-life balance, Krista McCarville and her Northern Ontario team build their season around peaking for the national championship.
The Fort William Curling Club foursome from Thunder Bay, Ont., doesn’t play in as many World Curling Tour events as the big names in women’s curling do.
It doesn’t seem to hurt their performance at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
McCarville skipped Northern Ontario to the playoffs for the fourth time in her career.
A 6-5 win over Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt on Friday secured the fourth and final playoff berth for McCarville.
Northern Ontario joins Ontario’s Rachel Homan, Manitoba’s Kerri Einarson and the Jennifer Jones wild-card team in Saturday’s Page playoff in Moose Jaw, Sask.
Trailing three coming home with last-rock advantage, Birt attempted a hit for three and possibly four for the win, but counted two.
“We always seem to make it really exciting at the end,” McCarville observed. “Maybe a few more wrinkles on my face and some more grey hair. What else can I ask for?”
Page seedings were still in play heading into the championship round’s finale Friday evening.
Jones (9-1) was assured a top-two finish. Homan (9-1) and Einarson (8-2) were jockeying to join her.
McCarville (7-3) will be the fourth seed.
The rest of the field fell out of contention with five or more losses.
The top two seeds meet Saturday evening with the winner advancing directly to Sunday’s final.
The loser drops to Sunday’s semifinal to face the winner of Saturday afternoon’s playoff between the third and fourth seeds.
Homan faced Einarson and Jones met McCarville on Friday evening.
McCarville came through the three-four game to reach the 2016 final in Grande Prairie, Alta.
She fell 7-6 to Alberta’s Chelsea Carey. Her teams lost out in the three-four game in 2017 and 2019.
McCarville, who is coached by three-time Canadian men’s champion Rick Lang, is ranked 28th in Canada.
Because her team doesn’t travel to many events, it doesn’t rack up ranking points.
Their presence in Pool A in Moose Jaw contributed to it’s “pool of death” label, however.
“Basically at any Scotties that Krista McCarville is in, whatever pool she’s in is going to be the harder one,” Carey said. “She’s ranked really low, but she’s really good and we all know that.”
McCarville is a teacher, third Kendra Lilly works in financial services, second Ashley Sippala is a lab technician and lead Jen Gates is a communications manager at a country club.
Both McCarville and Sippala have children.
“Right from the time we really started getting more competitive, we said ‘you know what? Curling’s not number one in our lives. We love curling and it’s a passion. All of us want to do it, but it’s not our number one,'” McCarville said.
“We might not ‘spiel as much, but we practise really hard at home. To come out here and be able to contend it is exciting.
“Just coming to the event, we’re fresh and excited and ready. If we travelled a lot, maybe we wouldn’t feel that way.”
Carey will not defend her Canadian title this year. She dropped to six losses falling 9-2 to B.C.’s Corryn Brown.
“Disappointing,” the Calgary skip said. “We just couldn’t quite get it together. We showed flashes of it in a couple games, but couldn’t produce as consistently as we needed to.”
Saskatchewan’s Robyn Silvernagle needed a win and a McCarville loss to keep her playoff hopes alive and got neither.
The host province lost 9-4 to Homan.
“Today we were just a little fooled on the ice,” Silvernagle said. “We’re disappointed we’re not going on into the playoffs, but we attained some of our goals this week as well.”
Jones defeated Einarson 12-7 in a rematch of the Manitoba women’s final.
The two teams tied in the pre-game draw the button to determine who had hammer to start the game. Jones claimed hammer on a second try.
The six-time Canadian champion promptly scored four with it in the first end and another quadruple in the third.
The 16-team Hearts field was divided into two pools, with the top four in each carrying their records with them into the championship round.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 21, 2020.
Vancouver Canucks winger Dakota Joshua is set to make his season debut Thursday after missing time for cancer treatment.
Head coach Rick Tocchet says Joshua will slot into the lineup Thursday when Vancouver (8-3-3) hosts the New York Islanders.
The 28-year-old from Dearborn, Mich., was diagnosed with testicular cancer this summer and underwent surgery in early September.
He spoke earlier this month about his recovery, saying it had been “very hard to go through” and that he was thankful for support from his friends, family, teammates and fans.
“That was a scary time but I am very thankful and just happy to be in this position still and be able to go out there and play,,” Joshua said following Thursday’s morning skate.
The cancer diagnosis followed a career season where Joshua contributed 18 goals and 14 assists across 63 regular-season games, then added four goals and four assists in the playoffs.
Now, he’s ready to focus on contributing again.
“I expect to be good, I don’t expect a grace period. I’ve been putting the work in so I expect to come out there and make an impact as soon as possible,” he said.
“I don’t know if it’s going to be perfect right from the get-go, but it’s about putting your best foot forward and working your way to a point of perfection.”
The six-foot-three, 206-pound Joshua signed a four-year, US$13-million contract extension at the end of June.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 14, 2024.
TORONTO – Reigning PWHL MVP and scoring champ Natalie Spooner will miss the start of the regular season for the Toronto Sceptres, general manager Gina Kingsbury announced Tuesday on the first day of training camp.
The 33-year-old Spooner had knee surgery on her left anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) after she was checked into the boards by Minnesota’s Grace Zumwinkle in Game 3 of their best-of-five semifinal series on May 13.
She had a goal and an assist in three playoff games but did not finish the series. Toronto was up 2-1 in the semifinal at that time and eventually fell 3-2 in the series.
Spooner led the PWHL with 27 points in 24 games. Her 20 goals, including five game-winners, were nine more than the closest skater.
Kingsbury said there is no timeline, as the team wants the Toronto native at 100 per cent, but added that “she is doing really well” in her recovery.
The Sceptres open the PWHL season on Nov. 30 when they host the Boston Fleet.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 12, 2024.
LAHORE, Pakistan (AP) — A top official of the Pakistan Cricket Board declined Friday to confirm media reports that India has decided against playing any games in host Pakistan during next year’s Champions Trophy.
“My view is if there’s any problems, they (India) should tell us in writing,” PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi told reporters in Lahore. “I’ll share that with the media as well as with the government as soon as I get such a letter.”
Indian media reported Friday that the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) has communicated its concerns to all the Champions Trophy stakeholders, including the PCB, over the Feb. 19-March 9 tournament and would not play in arch-rival Pakistan.
The Times of India said that “Dubai is a strong candidate to host the fixtures involving the Men in Blue” for the 50-over tournament.
Such a solution would see Pakistan having to travel to a neutral venue to play India in a group match, with another potential meeting later in the tournament if both teams advanced from their group. The final is scheduled for March 9 in Pakistan with the specific venue not yet decided.
“Our stance is clear,” Naqvi said. “They need to give us in writing any objections they may have. Until now, no discussion of the hybrid model has happened, nor are we prepared to accept one.”
Political tensions have stopped bilateral cricket between the two nations since 2008 and they have competed in only multi-nation tournaments, including ICC World Cups.
“Cricket should be free of politics,” Naqvi said. “Any sport should not be entangled with politics. Our preparations for the Champions Trophy will continue unabated, and this will be a successful event.”
The PCB has already spent millions of dollars on the upgrade of stadiums in Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi which are due to host 15 Champions Trophy games. Naqvi hoped all the three stadiums will be ready over the next two months.
“Almost every country wants the Champions Trophy to be played here (in Pakistan),” Naqvi said. “I don’t think anyone should make this a political matter, and I don’t expect they will. I expect the tournament will be held at the home of the official hosts.”
Eight countries – Pakistan, India, Bangladesh, England, Australia, South Africa, New Zealand and Afghanistan – are due to compete in the tournament, the schedule of which is yet to be announced by the International Cricket Council.
“Normally the ICC announces the schedule of any major tournament 100 days before the event, and I hope they will announce it very soon,” Naqvi said.
