'It's anyone's game': Playoff battle ignites on final day of Scotties championship round
SYDNEY, N.S. — The 2019 Scotties Tournament of Hearts has quickly become one of the most dramatic in recent history with all eight teams still in contention as the final day of championship round curling begins Friday.
There has been historic scoring, wild finishes and plenty of surprises throughout the bonspiel. Perhaps one of the biggest surprises to this point has been the play of Saskatchewan's Robyn Silvernagle.
The skip originally from Biggar, Sask., making her Scotties debut, is tied for first place with Ontario and Alberta at 7-2. Rachel Homan and Chelsea Carey have both won the championship in the past but this is uncharted territory for Silvernagle.
"The pressure is off. We're the underdog and we're just going out there and play our game," Silvernagle said. "If we're in the final the pressure will be there but nobody is expecting us to be there."
Silvernagle realizes her team isn't flying under the radar anymore, yet she's remaining calm and collected as the pressure rises and the games increase in importance.
"We just need to keep on winning," she said. "It's that simple. You can't live and die on every single shot at this point but it can come down to that. One miss and you can lose a game."
Perhaps another big surprise has been the play of six-time Scotties champion Jennifer Jones. The team has struggled to find its winning form from one year ago and is in danger of missing the playoffs all together with a 5-4 record.
"We're going to stay out there until people drag us off and tell us we can't curl anymore," Jones said. "I know you're on us because we're not doing well but honestly we haven't been playing that bad. We've had so many close misses. It just seems that's the way the week has gone," Jones said.
Homan eyes 4th title
Homan's Ontario rink has rebounded after a two-game loss day at the Scotties. They won their first four games of the tournament before dropping to 4-2. Since then, Homan rattled off three-straight victories and seems poised to make yet another playoff push at the national championship.
Homan is looking for her fourth Scotties title in the last seven years. But she knows it's not going to be easy. Canada's Olympic representative one year ago is feeling the heat from the rest of the teams across the country this week.
WATCH | Homan holds on in heavyweight tilt against Jones
When asked if the high level of competition is driving Homan to be better, she responded very simply.
"We don't need anymore pushing," Homan said. "We push ourselves really hard but it's great to see Canada's talent is deep. There's a lot of great curling to watch because of it."
Dark horses still in mix
Two names who always seem to find their way into the playoff conversation at the Scotties are Krista McCarville of Northern Ontario and Suzanne Birt of Prince Edward Island.
Both have 6-3 records heading into the final two games.
"The pressure builds and you just hope your team is on the right side of the inch," Birt said.
P.E.I. set a scoring record earlier in the tournament, dispatching New Brunswick 13-12 in the highest-scoring game in Scotties history.
"A lot of great shots being made by both teams and a lot of multiple points being scored. It makes it exciting for fans, apparently," Birt said.
And then there's McCarville, who year after year says her team plays best with their back against the wall. At three losses, they're once again in that territory.
"You need to win every single game at this point," she said. "When you come to an event like this, at the beginning of the week you see a bit of a gap because those elite teams are on the ice more. But now every team has adjusted to the ice and it's anyone's game."
McCarville has been in this position many times before. She made it all the way to the 2016 Scotties final, only to lose to Chelsea Carey. It's familiar and McCarville is embracing the big moment yet again.
"It's curling and you never know. Any team can beat any team here. You never know until you step on the ice," she said.
