The secret to curling success lies in the HeartStop Lounge. Just ask Stefanie Lawton and the team from Saskatchewan. After starting the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Canadian women's championship with three straight losses, the Lawton crew spent Sunday night having a little R&R.
Yesterday, they were back on the winning side at Save-on-Foods Memorial Centre, where Jennifer Jones and Team Canada finished Day 3 as the only undefeated squad, with five wins and no losses. With her last rock, Jones buried a rock on the button to steal a 6-5 victory over Krista McCarville of Ontario.
"We sat with some family, did a little dancing, and it loosened us up," said Lawton, who downed Nancy McConnery of Nova Scotia in the late draw, following a 12-11 victory over P.E.I.'s Rebecca Jean MacPhee in the morning.
"I think we're just getting a better feel for the ice, and it's just gradually coming together," Lawton said. "We're just making every rock do something."
Lawton is a fan favourite, next to Team B.C., skipped by Vancouver's Marla Mallett, who suffered her first loss in five games last night, falling 4-3 to Alberta's Cheryl Bernard.
Mallett needed a piece of the button for the win in a game that featured five blank ends, but came up short.
"It was a little bit farther out ... we just couldn't carry it," Mallett said.
After eight draws, all 12 teams have won at least one game at the Scotties, as the great divide approaches between those who have, and don't have, a chance to make the playoffs.
"We're just going to take it one game at a time," said Manitoba's Barb Spencer, who won her first two games yesterday, after three losses.
Spencer defeated Heather Strong of Newfoundland/Labrador 8-3 last night, after Strong missed a triple takeout for the win the 10th end. Earlier Manitoba held off a strong comeback to edge Kerry Galusha, of the Northwest Territories/Yukon, 9-8. Galusha stole her first win by a 9-8 score over Strong in the morning.
Quebec's Marie-France Larouche had the night off, but Quebec had an unlucky slide yesterday, losing two one-point games, after being undefeated.
Larouche lost 7-6 to B.C.'s Mallett, then fell 8-7 in an extra end to Bernard. Against Alberta, Larouche felt her team wasn't throwing as well as the previous days, although having a rock pick up debris in the 10th end and having Bernard bury one of those wick-wick-wicks didn't help.
"Their skip was a little bit lucky," Larouche said. "We're not lucky, but if you play better, the luck is on your side."
For Bernard, the win was their third in a row, after opening with a loss.
"We're still guessing a bit on the ice, but that felt good," Bernard said. "I'm still kind of trying to figure out where to put the broom, but the guys are believing."
Also in the afternoon draw, MacPhee downed Nova Scotia 8-6, and Team Canada had their first close game of the competition, a 5-3 decision over Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick. Jones wasn't impressed with the style of play by Kelly.
"We tried to put rocks in play, but they played very defensive," Jones said. "I find it a little bit boring when there aren't many rocks in play."
In the standings, Team Canada is on top at 5-0; B.C. and Alberta are next at 4-1, then it's P.E.I. and Quebec at 3-2, Ontario, New Brunswick, Saskatchewan and Manitoba are in a four-way tie at 2-3.
and Newfoundland/Labrador, Nova Scotia, and Northwest Territories/Yukon are 1-4.
IN THE HOUSE
- TODAY
Draw 9, 8:30 a.m.
Canada vs. Saskatchewan
Manitoba vs. B.C.
Alberta vs. Newfoundland
Nova Scotia vs. Ontario
Draw 10, 1 p.m.
Newfoundland vs. P.E.I.
Ontario vs. Quebec
Saskatchewan vs. Yukon/NWT
B.C. vs. New Brunswick
Draw 11, 6:30 p.m.
Quebec vs. Nova Scotia
P.E.I. vs. Alberta
New Brunswick vs. Manitoba
Yukon/NWT vs. Canada
