Moose Jaw’s Skylar Ackerman and her Team Saskatchewan foursome saw their quest for a Canada Games curling medal come an end on Friday evening as they dropped a 6-3 decision to Nova Scotia in the quarter-final.
Ackerman and her rink of third Madison Johnson, second Chantel Hoag and lead Samantha McLaren had earlier in the day defeated Manitoba’s Hayley Bergman 6-5 to finish the round robin with a 6-4 record, good enough for a tie for fifth place.
That contest saw Ackerman build a 5-1 lead through five ends, only to see Manitoba claw their way back into the game with two in the sixth and a steal of two in the seven to tie things 5-5 coming home. Team Sask was up to the task, though, using the hammer to pick up a pair in the final end.
The quarter-final against Nova Scotia’s Cassidy Currie didn’t go quite as well in the late going. Ackerman scored three in the fifth end to go into the break tied 3-3 but would be unable to build on that momentum, as Currie picked up one in the sixth and followed with a crucial steal of two the next end. Ackerman got one back in the eighth but would fall short in her comeback.
The other quarter-final contest saw Alberta take a 5-4 win over New Brunswick. Nova Scotia goes on to face Ontario in one semifinal, New Brunswick takes on Manitoba in the other. The winners advance to the gold medal game Saturday morning.
