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Almost a miracle shot for Englot
It had the potential to be one of the best shots at a Scotties in a very long time. In Draw Seven at the Enmax Centrium on Monday afternoon, Saskatchewan’s Michelle Englot looked to be in complete control against P.E.I. when she took a four-spot to go up 7-4 with three ends to play.
But veteran skip Kim Dolan turned the tables on the flatlanders by scoring one, stealing two, then junking up the front of the rings so badly that Englot was faced with a circus upweight shot through a double-port for a carom-kill to outcount a P.E.I. stone sitting on the button.
Two out of three wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t good enough as Englot’s shooter spun a little too far.
The final was 8-7.
“I thought once through the hole, we couldn’t hit the first one too thick, it just overcurled on us a bit” said a disappointed Englot.
“They made a lot of great shots; that’s what happens when you’re down lots in a game. You put lots of rocks in play and they definitely put the pressure on us.
“We made the mistake of not peeling the guard in the ninth end. It’s frustrating to have total control and then give it up,” she said.(Continued Below…)
Draw 7 Photos
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The loss dropped Saskatchewan to 2-2. Dolan, meanwhile, raised her record to 2-3, and was ecstatic with the win. “That was quite a comeback,” said Dolan. “Give up a four in seven, but the team made the shots and that’s what it’s all about, eight-nine-and ten.” As for the key shot by Englot, she admitted it was that close, but also knew there would always be some kind of shot available. “This ice is so hard to put on the perfect guard and, of course, to get to the centre. She was going to have either the soft shot or she was going to have that double. You can’t guard against everything.” Englot will face Ontario’s Tracy Horgan in Draw Eight later today, while the Islanders have the night off. Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones raised her record to 3-1 with an 8-5 win over Heather Strong’s Newfoundlanders, now 1-4. Jones’ crew looked to be in control of the game at the midway mark, up 5-3 with hammer. But between blanks and singles, the win wasn’t assured until Jones made a tidy shot to get her deuce in the ninth to go up 8-5 before running her opponent out of rocks. “We said we didn’t want two losses in a row, and I think we played better today as a team so I’m happy with that,” said Jones. “It was nice having the evening off and the morning off so we came back a little more rested today and played better.” This sets up a clash of second-placers, and a rematch of last year’s Scotties final — Jones versus Canada’s Amber Holland, also 3-1. Jones downplayed the big game with Holland saying she doesn’t look ahead in the draw. “The only reason I knew that was next was because it came up on the big screen,” she said with a laugh. Heather Smith-Dacey’s Nova Scotians have been a story this week, but for all the wrong reasons. Coming in as a team expected to challenge, she started the Scotties with three straight defeats before getting it back on the rails against Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche.(Continued Below…) Draw 7 Media Scrum
The game was a tight one at 5-4 going into the eighth end before the Nova Scotians scored a deuce, then stole three when Larouche’s attempted takeout spun out of the rings. Smith-Dacey, now 1-3, is on the ice again later today against the only undefeated team remaining in the field — B.C.’s Kelly Scott (4-0). B.C. third Sasha Carter missed the morning draw due to illness, and her status for the later tilt remained uncertain. Elsewhere, New Brunswick evened its record at 2-2, beating the Territories 8-6 on the game’s final brick. New Brunswick third (throwing last rock) Andrea Kelly made a great hit for three in the eighth.But Polar skip Kerry Galusha made a fine shot of her own for a deuce in the ninth to make it a one-point affair. Galusha chased the steal but left New Brunswick a routine shot for the win. “We’re happy it went our way in the end,” said skip Rebecca Atkinson. “We made a lot of half-shots but we’re fortunate it worked out and we’re happy with that.” The loss dropped the Territories to 2-3. They have the night off. New Brunswick takes to the ice later against Alberta’s Heather Nedohin, also 2-2. A disappointed Galusha says at the end of the week, if things don’t work out, the loss they be one her team must look back upon. “We knew it was a big game, a win to go 3-2 into hump day, so we’re very disappointed,” she said. “Right from the get-go we weren’t very sharp, but as the game went on we got better. But I missed my last shot in eight and gave her an out. We should have left it higher but we swept it and gave her that chance. But that’s hindsight. What can you do?”
Michelle Englot calls to her sweepers during Draw 7 of the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. (Photo by: Andrew Klaver)
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The loss dropped Saskatchewan to 2-2. Dolan, meanwhile, raised her record to 2-3, and was ecstatic with the win. “That was quite a comeback,” said Dolan. “Give up a four in seven, but the team made the shots and that’s what it’s all about, eight-nine-and ten.” As for the key shot by Englot, she admitted it was that close, but also knew there would always be some kind of shot available. “This ice is so hard to put on the perfect guard and, of course, to get to the centre. She was going to have either the soft shot or she was going to have that double. You can’t guard against everything.” Englot will face Ontario’s Tracy Horgan in Draw Eight later today, while the Islanders have the night off. Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones raised her record to 3-1 with an 8-5 win over Heather Strong’s Newfoundlanders, now 1-4. Jones’ crew looked to be in control of the game at the midway mark, up 5-3 with hammer. But between blanks and singles, the win wasn’t assured until Jones made a tidy shot to get her deuce in the ninth to go up 8-5 before running her opponent out of rocks. “We said we didn’t want two losses in a row, and I think we played better today as a team so I’m happy with that,” said Jones. “It was nice having the evening off and the morning off so we came back a little more rested today and played better.” This sets up a clash of second-placers, and a rematch of last year’s Scotties final — Jones versus Canada’s Amber Holland, also 3-1. Jones downplayed the big game with Holland saying she doesn’t look ahead in the draw. “The only reason I knew that was next was because it came up on the big screen,” she said with a laugh. Heather Smith-Dacey’s Nova Scotians have been a story this week, but for all the wrong reasons. Coming in as a team expected to challenge, she started the Scotties with three straight defeats before getting it back on the rails against Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche.(Continued Below…) Draw 7 Media Scrum
The game was a tight one at 5-4 going into the eighth end before the Nova Scotians scored a deuce, then stole three when Larouche’s attempted takeout spun out of the rings. Smith-Dacey, now 1-3, is on the ice again later today against the only undefeated team remaining in the field — B.C.’s Kelly Scott (4-0). B.C. third Sasha Carter missed the morning draw due to illness, and her status for the later tilt remained uncertain. Elsewhere, New Brunswick evened its record at 2-2, beating the Territories 8-6 on the game’s final brick. New Brunswick third (throwing last rock) Andrea Kelly made a great hit for three in the eighth.But Polar skip Kerry Galusha made a fine shot of her own for a deuce in the ninth to make it a one-point affair. Galusha chased the steal but left New Brunswick a routine shot for the win. “We’re happy it went our way in the end,” said skip Rebecca Atkinson. “We made a lot of half-shots but we’re fortunate it worked out and we’re happy with that.” The loss dropped the Territories to 2-3. They have the night off. New Brunswick takes to the ice later against Alberta’s Heather Nedohin, also 2-2. A disappointed Galusha says at the end of the week, if things don’t work out, the loss they be one her team must look back upon. “We knew it was a big game, a win to go 3-2 into hump day, so we’re very disappointed,” she said. “Right from the get-go we weren’t very sharp, but as the game went on we got better. But I missed my last shot in eight and gave her an out. We should have left it higher but we swept it and gave her that chance. But that’s hindsight. What can you do?”