Alberta moves into Scotties Championship Pool with unblemished record

SYDNEY, N.S. – Chelsea Carey took the first big step towards a second Scotties Tournament of Hearts championship Tuesday, posting two wins to remain unbeaten and secure a berth in the Championship Pool for Team Alberta. Carey and her Calgary-based teammates, third Sarah Wilkes, second Dana Ferguson, lead Rachel Brown and coach Dan Carey, ran their record to 6-0 with an impressive 5-3 win over 2017 champion Rachel Homan and Team Ontario (4-2, Ottawa) in the evening draw. The only unbeaten team left, a relaxed Team Alberta scored two in the second end and three in the sixth to take control of the game. “We put ourselves in a good position, where that game there was no pressure on us … so it was easy to stay loose,” said Carey. “If we lose it’s no big deal.” The key, she said, was to not over-think things. “You’ve got to stay out of your head, just keep doing what you’ve been doing to get you there,” she said. “You don’t want to start tightening up or trying any harder. We’re in a good spot, but it’s early, Tuesday round-robin. If you think about the full round-robin we used to play we’re just halfway through it.” Homan, the 2017 Scotties champion, third Emma Miskew, second Joanne Courtney, lead Lisa Weagle, alternate Cheryl Kreviazuk and coach Marcel Rocque had impressive statistics with all four players shooting above 80 per cent. The team average of 84 was better than Alberta’s 81. Three other teams in Pool A that needed wins Tuesday evening to remain in the chase for Championship Pool berths all came through. Tracy Fleury of Manitoba (4-2, East. St. Paul) scored threes in the third and seventh ends to beat Jenine Bodner of Team Nunavut (1-5, Iqaluit) 12-2. “We made a lot of shots tonight, another opportunity to catch on to the ice and focus on precision,” Fleury said of her game. “Considering our (0-2) start we’re thrilled to be at 4-2.” Krista McCarville and Team Northern Ontario (4-2, Thunder Bay) scored deuces in three ends to beat Jill Brothers and Team Nova Scotia (1-5, Halifax) 9-5, and Sarah Wark’s Team British Columbia (4-2, Abbotsford) took three in the eighth to get past Gabrielle Lavoie of Team Quebec (0-6, Saint-Romuald) 7-6. The 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts continues with draws today at 9:30 a.m., 2:30 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. (all times AST). 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