Spencer outdraws Holland in Draw Two action

Stolen deuces in the first and fifth ends propelled Winnipeg’s Barb Spencer to an 8-5 win over Regina’s Amber Holland in the opening women’s draw at the Capital One Road to the Roar Pre-Trials, presented by Monsanto. Spencer, backed up by Katie Spencer, Jenna Loder, Raunora Westcott, and coach Ron Westcott, stole one more in the third end to take an early 3-0 lead that she would never surrender.
Barb Spencer (Photo A Sharp Eye Photography)

Barb Spencer (Photo A Sharp Eye Photography)

The Capital One Road to the Roar will decide the final two men’s and women’s entries into the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Canadian Curling Trials, presented by Monsanto, Dec. 1-8 at the MTS Centre in Winnipeg. Holland, looking for her fourth trip to the Canadian Curling Trials, fell behind 6-1 at one point before getting to within two thanks to a stolen deuce in the seventh end. But Spencer got the deuce back in the eighth to seal the victory. “It’s tough ice to draw on because it curls so much, so you have to be pretty consistent,” said Spencer afterwards. “Amber Holland’s a great shooter. Even being up 6-2, we knew that anything can happen on this ice, and Amber can make a lot of great shots, and she did in that game. Fortunately we were able to come out on top this time.” In other action, Kelly Scott of Kelowna, B.C., took two in the 10th end for a 6-5 win over Cathy Auld of Mississauga, Ont. The Ontario team led 3-1 at the break after forcing back-to-back steals. A finesse tap by Scott for two points tied it up in the sixth, and a steal in seven brought her within one point. In the 10th, with the four-foot full of rocks, Scott was able to protect two shot stones for the 6-5 win. In a close, see-saw match, two young teams with no Canadian Curling Trials experience – Edmonton’s Val Sweeting and Tracy Horgan of Sudbury, Ont. – kept lots of rocks in play. It was Horgan who made the most of them with an 8-3 win thanks largely to a stolen three in the eighth end when Sweeting’s final shot slid through the house. In the draw’s final game, Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., drew for a single in the 11th end for a dramatic 9-8 victory over Calgary’s Crystal Webster. The teams trade stunning three-enders in the ninth and 10th ends to set up the extra. The Capital One Road to the Roar continues on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. (EST). Playoff draws will be broadcast on Saturday and Sunday by TSN/RDS, the official broadcast partner of the Season of Champions. Live scoring, statistics and updated draw brackets are available at https://www.curling.ca/scoreboard/ The French version of this story will be available at https://www.curling.ca/2013roadtotheroar-fr/ as soon as possible. To purchase tickets to the 2013 Capital One Road to the Roar, presented by Monsanto, go to https://www.curling.ca/2013roadtotheroar-en/tickets/ For ticket information about the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings, presented by Monsanto, go to https://www.curling.ca/2013roaroftherings-en/tickets/