Page playoff victory sends Carey and Team Alberta to Scotties final

SYDNEY, N.S. – Chelsea Carey and Team Alberta are on to the final of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts with a chance for Carey to win a second championship on Sunday. Team Alberta, which finished first in pool play with a 9-2 record, scored four in the seventh end and went on to beat Robyn Silvernagle and Team Saskatchewan 11-7 in the Page playoff 1 vs. 2 game on Saturday night, earning themselves a direct route into the final at Centre 200. The victory for Carey, who won the 2016 title with a different lineup, came despite her shooting just 64 per cent. “That was my worst game of the event so when she gave me one chance at a big end I knew I had to make it because we weren’t setting up a lot of chances to score multiple points because they were playing really well,” she said. Carey, third Sarah Wilkes, second Dana Ferguson, lead Rachel Brown and coach Dan Carey jumped on a couple of erratic Saskatchewan shots to score two in the first end. But Silvernagle, third Stefanie Lawton – the only member of the team on the ice with any prior Scotties experience – second Jessie Hunkin, lead Kara Thevenot, alternate Marliese Kasner and coach Lesley McEwan shook off the jitters and bounced back with three in the second.

Saskatchewan’s Robyn Silvernagle gave up a key four-ender to Alberta during the Page 1 vs. 2 game on Saturday night. (Photo, Curling Canada/Andrew Klaver)

Saskatchewan stole one in the third and Carey had to make a hit-and-stick against three Silvernagle counters to get a single in the fourth before stealing one in five to tie the game. It was a mistake-filled seventh end that turned the game Alberta’s way. Trailing 5-4 Carey jumped on a missed draw by Silvernagle, executing a light tap back to count four. “We got one miss out of her when she went deep (in five) and I made the freeze and we stole,” said Carey. “And we got one (miss in seven) where she didn’t get that draw in there and I was able to make that quiet little tap. “I think those were some of the only shots I made that game, but I made the big ones when they counted, and I guess that’s all that matters.” Silvernagle said she mis-threw her draw and couldn’t communicate with sweepers in time to save it. “I threw it a little bit heavy and just couldn’t get the communication that it was heavy … if it was a foot deeper we have a shot for one so that kind of sucks,” she said. To win the championship Silvernagle will have to beat two of the best teams in Canada. She plays 2017 Scotties champion Rachel Homan and Team Ontario in the semifinal at noon. Homan defeated Krista McCarville and Team Northern Ontario 6-4 in the Page 3 vs. 4 game earlier in the day. The semifinal winner will play Carey in the final at 6 p.m. “Absolutely doable,” Silvernagle said of the task in front of her. “Just a few shots here or there and that game could have been the other way.” Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts are available at www.curling.ca/scoreboard/ TSN and RDS2 (streamed on ESPN3 in the United States) will provide complete coverage of the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule. For ticket information for the 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts, go to www.curling.ca/2019scotties/tickets/ This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2019scotties/category/nouvelles/?lang=fr