(CCA) A matter of 13 months ago, Rachel Homan was skipping her Ottawa team to a 13-0 record at the Canadian junior women’s curling championship. On Sunday night at the Civic Centre, the 21-year-old Homan gave an indication she’s aiming for a repeat in decidedly different company — the Scotties Tournament Of Hearts.
Representing Ontario, Homan and her team of Emily Miskew, Alison Krevaziuk and Lisa Weagle bounced 2006 Olympic bronze-medallist Shannon Kleibrink of Calgary 10-7 with a last-rock double-kill to extend Ontario’s winning streak to three games.
Rachel Homan (Photo by: Andrew Klaver)
The win sustained Ontario’s position neck-and-neck with Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland who directed a 10-6 conquest of home-province favourite Suzanne Birt of Charlottetown.
Holland earlier erased defending champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg from the unbeaten ranks with a 9-3 whipping.
“It was great, nerve-wracking, but I think everybody must have loved the game,” said the 21-year-old Homan afterward. “It was a battle. And it was good to finally get a win against her (Kleibrink). But one shot in that game could have gone either way.”
The deadly-serious Homan actually controlled it, though, with Kleibrink’s Calgary team chased to stay even throughout.
“My heart rate’s always right up there,” said Homan. “But I don’t think it affects my game. For sure, I’m dead serious out there. But I’m smiling now.”
How about another 13-0 run?
“Going 13-0 was tough in Juniors but it would be a lot tougher here,” she said. “I’m not sure we’re going to get to that level and I’m not sure you really need to go 13-0. We just want to win the big games, build up to the playoffs.
“I think we have the skill and the dedication and we’ve put in the work, and I think we could be there at the end but we have to play our game and take it one at a time for sure.”
Kleibrink (2-1) was undeterred by the tight setback.
“We’re not feeling too badly about that except we have to figure out the ice a little better tomorrow,” she said.
“I’ve never been in an arena that’s so hot. I had to take the shirt off underneath and I was sweating like I was playing racquetball. The ice is really patchy so it’s a guessing game if you have to draw the button. It’s very heavy.”
Holland, meanwhile, overcame an 0-2 start with a deuce in the third, a steal of one in the fourth, another deuce in the sixth and a crushing five-spot in the eighth end.
“Three-and-O?” she repeated the query. “It’s definitely a good place to be. We wanted to get on the roll early and it’s always good when you’re racking up the Ws.
“This is a really feeling good. It feels like a sort of relaxed intensity. You’re out there playing the game, not working the game, if you know what I mean.”
Joining Kleibrink at 2-1 heading into a three-draw Monday were the defender Jones and British Columbia’s Kelly Scott, a former two-time Scotties champion.
Nova Scotia (Heather Smith-Dacey) and New Brunswick (Andrea Kelly) were 2-2 after Sunday night wins.
Nova Scotia routed Kerry Galusha’s Territories team from Yellowknife 8-2 and New Brunswick walloped Manitoba’s Cathy Overton-Clapham 9-3.
Newfoundland, P.E.I. and Quebec were 1-2, Manitoba 1-3 and the Territories 0-4.