(By Larry Wood).
It boiled down to an extra 11th end, a last draw shot, a measure and a victory by two centimetres on the gauge. Alberta’s 6-5 sudden-death semi-final decision over Manitoba on Saturday night at the Enmax Centrium denied four-time Scotties Tournament Of Hearts champion Jennifer Jones of a fifth title for the second straight year.
The winning draw proposition was an open in-turn with Manitoba counting and guarded with a bite of the four-foot ring.
“I heard Laine (lead Peters) give the splits and I thought that would be back four-foot. A little heavy. That’s why the girls never laid a broom to it,” said Edmonton skip Heather Nedohin whose rock ground to a halt in the nick of time in that back four-foot.
Heather Nedohin and Team Alberta celebrate winning the Semi Finals at the 2012 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. (Photo by: Andrew Klaver)
“Honestly, from the overhead camera, I didn’t think it was us,” added Nedohin, reflecting what most people viewing the camera shot believed.
“Obviously, from a measure, it was that close,” said Nedohin.
“I didn’t see the umpire point to our rock. I was in Amy’s (alternate player Nixon’s) arms already. Because she didn’t think it was us and I said, ‘Neither do I’. And then she said, ‘Heather, it’s us’. And I just jumped into her arms. And then she said, ‘They’re re-measuring’. And I said, “I can’t handle this.”
Second later . . .
“I’m in shock right now. I’m going to enjoy this. That roar of the crowd was pretty sweet. I’m just so proud of the team. We battled against the No. 1 team in Canada and we played hard and we got it.
The victory moved Alberta (third Beth Iskiw, second Jessica Mair, lead Peters) against Kelowna’s Kelly Scott in today’s 4:30 p.m. Atlantic time Hearts final. The loss for Jones (Kaitlyn Lawes, Jill Officer, Dawn Askin) dropped her team to a bronze-medal match against Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche today at 11:30 a.m Atlantic.
Click for full story and video interviews at the CCA website.