THUNDER BAY – The Page 1-2 Playoff at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts will be battle of curling heavyweights.
Defending champion Rachel Homan knocked off Nova Scotia’s Christian Black 10-5 in Friday afternoon’s Page 1-2 qualifier, and four-time champion Kerri Einarson snagged the other spot in the 1-2 game, downing Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik 7-4.
Einarson and Homan laid claim to six of the last eight national women’s curling championships, including five in a row.
Einarson, who hails from Manitoba, won four straight titles, from 2020 to 2023, including the 2022 event, also staged at Fort William Gardens. Homan won last year and also captured the trophy in 2013, 2014 and 2017.
Nova Scotia, whose team includes Thunder Bay’s Karlee Everist, and Alberta get a second life in the 3-4 Page qualifier on Friday night.
Black will play B.C’s Corryn Brown, while Skrlik tangles with Ontario’s Danielle Inglis.
Einarson was methodical in her dismantling of Skrlik, finishing a full end ahead of the other patch, played two sheets over.
“We were just flying out there putting the broom down and playing with pace and I think that really helps,” Einarson said.
The Manitoba skip, lead Krysten Karwacki, second Karlee Burgess and third Val Sweeting, scored a pair in the second, but were locked in a 4-3 contest until the ninth, when Einarson was left with a draw for three, all but putting the game out of reach.
“In nine they guarded, and I was like we may as well go for it, let’s go for a couple here. They were left with a very difficult shot on her first and on her last. We just decided to change gears,” Einarson said.
The trick to beating Homan, something Einarson has done this season, is straightforward.
“You’ve got to play well. It looks like they’re struggling a little bit tonight, so maybe we can take advantage of that,” Einarson said.
Homan, who struggled with the Sheet A ice, said getting into the 1-2 game was the goal all along.
“It’s nice to have that second life,” said Homan, who led 7-5 with hammer heading into the 10th and peeled away a pair of Nova Scotia stones with her final shot to extend her winning margin.
“I feel like we’ve played well enough to not have to play a sudden-death game for an extra life. It’s exciting to win that game. Black played really strong, and I wouldn’t be surprised to if we see them again,” Homan said.
The winner of the 1-2 Page Playoff advances directly into Sunday’s final, while the loser has another chance in Sunday’s semifinal round.
It was the third time this week that Nova Scotia lost on Sheet A, accounting for all three losses suffered by the team.
Black said they’ve already put the defeat behind them.
“That’s fine. We knew we had a goal today to win one game today. Whether it be this one or the next one, all we have to do is win one game, so we’ll just go out there and get the next one,” she said.
Skrlik, the Alberta champion, is in the same boat.
They took a gamble in the ninth and came up on the wrong side of the score sheet.
“We wanted to steal in nine and I missed both my in-turns a little bit wide and a little tight and I gave them three. Yeah, a heartbreaker,” Skrlik said.
The good news is they have another chance.
“Honestly, we played great. Kerri just played a little bit better,” she said. “I think we just keep it the same, continue doing what we’ve been doing, clean up that ninth end and we’ve got a really tight game to the finish, which is all we can hope for in playoffs.”
The 3-4 qualifier goes at 7 p.m.
