VICTORIA, February 25, 2009 (CCA)— Prince Edward Island’s Rebecca Jean MacPhee stayed in playoff contention with a Wednesday morning victory at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women’s curling championship.
MacPhee’s team from Charlottetown — sister Robyn plays third and throws last rock, second Shelley Muzika and lead Tammi Lowther — scored a pair of three-enders, including a stolen three in the fifth end, in a 9-2 win over Manitoba’s Barb Spencer.
With the Draw 12 win, P.E.I. improved to 5-3, while Manitoba was all but eliminated from the playoff picture with a sixth loss in eight games.
It’s MacPhee’s sixth trip to the Hearts, and her comfort level at the championship has helped this week.
“Once you’ve been here a few times, you know what to expect with the ice, the crowds, the ceremonies. You just have to play one game at a time,” said MacPhee. “We knew it was a great field coming in, there was so much experience with all the teams, and I think it’s showing in the standings now that everyone is fairly even here.”
In other Draw 12 play, Team Canada’s Jennifer Jones snapped a two-game losing streak by hammering Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche 10-3. Canada scored five deuces, including steals in the fourth and seventh ends, to improve to 6-2, tied for first place with 6-1 Marla Mallett of B.C., who had a bye Wednesday morning. Quebec dropped to 5-3 with the loss.
“It was a must-win for us; we knew we had to win that game,” said Jones. “We had a couple of heartbreakers yesterday, and we knew we had to bear down today.”
Also getting back to the win column after a pair of losses on Tuesday was Alberta’s Cheryl Bernard, who made a runback takeout to score four in the first end, setting the tone for an 11-4 triumph over Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick. With the win, Alberta moved to 5-3, tied for third place with P.E.I. and Quebec. New Brunswick’s record fell to 3-5.
In the other morning game, Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories/Yukon, fresh off her stunning win over Team Canada on Tuesday night, won her second straight game, doubling Nancy McConnery of Nova Scotia 6-3. The Territories got to 3-5 while the Bluenosers lost for the seventh time in eight games.
B.C., Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton (4-3), Newfoundland/Labrador’s Heather Strong (3-4) and Ontario’s Krista McCarville (3-4) all had byes in Draw 12.
Play at the Scotties continues on Wednesday, with draws slated for 5 p.m. (all times Eastern) and 11 p.m. on TSN. As well, archived footage from earlier draws is available from TSN.ca. P.E.I. plays Ontario’s Krista McCarville rink in the later draw.