THUNDER BAY – Robyn Despins is making a name for herself at the Northern Ontario Women’s Curling Championship.
On Friday, it meant taking down the four-time defending champion, scoring once in the 10th end to edge the previously unbeaten Krista McCarville rink 6-5, a win that left a logjam at the top of the standings, four teams entering the final day of round-robin play with just one loss.
Only three of those teams will advance to the playoffs.
Despins, lead Rebecca Carr, second Samantha Morris and third Nicole Westlund-Stewart, put pressure on McCarville right from the start, and stunned the packed house at Port Arthur Curling Centre with a three-ender in the fifth that put her in front 4-2.
“We definitely were putting them in difficult situations and kind of putting a lot of pressure on Krista to make shots and her whole team to make shots, and we came out on the right side of it,” Despins said.
The win ups Despins’ record to 4-1, with one game remaining on Saturday morning against the team from Timmins, skipped by Lauren Mann, who sits at 3-1 and a date with McCarville to wrap up the round robin on Saturday night.
Emma Artichuk, the Ottawa native skipping a team from Sudbury, is also at 3-1, with games against winless Laura Johnston and Thunder Bay’s Claire Dubinsky, the teenage rink earning its first win of the week on Friday, an 8-6 triumph over Johnston.
It’s going to be a battle, Despins said, adding they’re happy to be where they’re at, at this stage of the event, in contention for a playoff position.
“We have a big game against Mann tomorrow, so we want to come out and play the same way we did today and hopefully take that win home as well,” Despins said.
Try as she might, McCarville and her teammates just couldn’t get their shots down right.
Her draw in the first was long, leading to a steal of one for Despins.
McCarville bounced back with a hit for two in the second, but she couldn’t force her opponent to a single in the third or the fourth and Despins pounced for a big three in the fifth.
“We just couldn’t get anything going and they were playing lights out. We were struggling a little bit with draw weight and struggling getting rocks in the right position. They curled really, really good.”
A win for McCarville, lead Ashley Sippala, second Kendra Lilly and third Andrea Kelly would have clinched a playoff spot.
Now that road just got a lot trickier.
If McCarville beats Mann, she’s in. If not, there’s a chance she’ll be on the outside looking in, depending on how Artichuk finishes.
“It’s definitely really important. There are lots of teams at one loss, so we have to play our best and we have to win that game to secure our spot,” she said. “We have to think about the games we did play really well, think about that and not think about this game.”
McCarville, down 4-2, got one back in the sixth and managed to tie things up in the ninth, with a deuce, but relinquished hammer and her last shot in the 10th did not wind up in shot position, sliding to the back of the house, leading to handshakes.
Dubinsky, eliminated from the playoffs, said it felt great to get a win, to show they can compete at this level, with the national U18 championship up next in Saskatoon.
“We’re the underdogs going into this. Three 17-year-olds, a 15-year-old and pulling out our first Scotties provincials win feels awesome.”
Artichuk, who spent time sightseeing with her teammates thanks to a favourable Friday schedule, said they were relaxed when play began, and cruised to a 9-2 win over Thunder Bay's Ashley Palmer rink.
“We came out strong and pulled off the win,” she said.
“It’s super tight. Thankfully we’ve got a really good draw score so far, so that’s a nice saving grace. But absolutely every win matters.”
Play resumes at 9:30 a.m. on Saturday.
