Lawton Notches Another Win

After a big 10-4 win this morning over Sherry Middaugh, Stefanie Lawton notched another one against 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts winner Heather Nedohin. Tied 1-1 after four ends, Lawton applied the pressure in five.  Nedohin came up short on her draw on the last rock of the end, and Lawton scored 4 to take a 5-1 lead into the break – and give the hometown Saskatchewan fans something to cheer about.

(Photo CCA/Michael Burns)

Nedohin closed the score to within 2, but with the 2-point lead, Lawton kept the front open and didn’t allow Nedohin to generate any offence, running Nedohin out of rocks for a 7-5 victory. In a game that featured some dramatic doubles and triples, Brad Gushue and Mike McEwen traded singles throughout the first five ends, going to the break tied at 2-2. In the sixth end, Gushue threw a hit and roll to lie one, but the rock was removed on a hogline violation, leaving McEwen an open draw for 3 and a 5-2 lead after six.  Gushue tried to regroup, but McEwen kept the pressure on for the next few ends, shaking after eight on an 8-2 McEwen victory. “You could kind of see the air come out of them,” said McEwen about the hogged rock controversy and the effect of the 3 points on the scoreboard.  “They were forced to play a really tough shot the next end, a shot they wouldn’t have played otherwise.” McEwen, making his fourth appearance at the Canada Cup, was happy to start off with a win. “I don’t know if we’ve ever won our first game,” he said. “That feels good. We know we’re going to have to win four or five games to get into the playoffs. Every game looks like a feature game you could put on TV, so we’ve got to win as many as we can.”

(Photo CCA/Michael Burns)

In other games, Crystal Webster came out swinging after a morning loss against Kaitlyn Lawes, scoring 2 in the first, then stealing the next two ends against 2011 Canada Cup finalist Chelsea Carey. Webster continued the pressure, allowing Carey a deuce in the fifth, but coming back with a single and a steal for a 6-2 score after seven. A hit that just skimmed by the guard allowed Carey to take 2 in the ninth, but it wasn’t enough. The game ended in a 7-4 win for Webster. After winning a close contest over Kevin Martin in the morning draw, John Epping faced 2012 Tim Horton’s Brier finalist Kevin Koe in Draw 2. Trailing 3-2 at the break, Epping came back with a steal before giving up 2 after a big-weight Koe hit in the seventh. Another double in the ninth left Epping a chance to hit and roll out, maintaining hammer for the final end. Leaving rocks in play, Koe almost let Epping back in, but another hit sealed the 5-3 victory. In the other women’s game of Draw 2, Sherry Middaugh won her first, holding off a late charge from Cathy Overton-Clapham for an 8-5 victory. Middaugh came out strong, scoring 3 in the first end and stealing another 3 in the second. With the score 6-2 at the break, Overton-Clapham came back with a steals in the next two ends to close the gap. A draw for two in eight put Middaugh ahead by 4 and Overton-Clapham wasn’t able to catch up. Evening match-ups will see Overton-Clapham vs Jones, Stoughton vs Koe, Martin vs Gushue, Howard vs McEwen, and Nedohin vs Carey. Draw 2 Photos [flickr-gallery mode=”tag” tags=”2012cancupd2″ tag_mode=”all”] httpvh://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YPHwxAEOqy0