Penny Barker and her Moose Jaw Curling Centre rink will have plenty of work to do if they’re to repeat as Viterra Scotties provincial women’s champions.
Barker and her rink of third Christie Gamble, second Jenna Enge and lead Danielle Sicinski dropped their first two games at the tournament in Estevan and as a result will have to win six straight to return to the national Scotties.
Barker dropped her opener on Thursday morning 8-7 to Regina Highland’s Ashley Howard, with Howard putting up four in the fifth end to take a 6-2 lead before holding on for the one-point win.
That loss sent Barker to the first round of ‘B’ side play, where Regina Highland’s Brooklyn Stevenson -- with Sask curling legend Michelle Englot at second -- took a 6-2 lead into the seventh end and would end up with a 7-5 win.
Barker now faces Howard in the first round of elimination games during the 7:30 p.m. draw Thursday.
Skylar Ackerman and her Saskatoon Sutherland foursome ran into former provincial Scotties champions in both of her first two games, losing the first and winning the second.
Ackerman, third Kya Kennedy, second Taylor Stremick and lead Kaylin Skinner faced North Battleford’s Robyn Silvernagle in their opener and dropped a 9-4 decision. Silvernagle, of course, is the 2020 Viterra Scotties champion and represented Saskatchewan at the national Scotties in Moose Jaw.
Things went far better for Ackerman against Cindy Ricci, who as Cindy Street won the provincial Scotties out of the Hillcrest Sports Centre back in 1999. It wasn’t an easy win by any stretch of the imagination, as Ricci scored one in the ninth and stole another in the 10th to tie the game 7-7 and force an extra end. There, Ackerman would use the hammer to pick up a pair and take the 9-7 win.
Ackerman faces Stevenson in the 3 p.m. draw Friday.
Kronau’s Amber Holland, third Kim Schneider, second Karlee Kendel and lead Deb Lozinski had a tough game in their opener, falling 10-3 to Saskatoon Nutana’s Sherry Anderson. Holland rebounded to defeat Saskatoon Sutherland’s Jessica Mitchell in her first ‘B’ side game, but lost her second-round contest 10-3 to Silvernagle on Friday morning to drop the ‘C’ side.
There, she’ll take on a familiar face in Ricci. The duo won a Canadian junior championship together in 1992 and were inducted into the Moose Jaw and District Sports Hall of Fame this past fall. They’re also on the ice during the 7:30 p.m. draw Friday.
Anderson -- the five-time reigning Canadian senior women’s champion -- and former teammate Nancy Martin play for the ‘A’ side championship and the first Page Playoff qualifying spot during Friday’s afternoon draw.
The Page playoffs 1-2 and 3-4 games are set for 7:30 p.m. Saturday, followed by the semifinal at 10 a.m. Sunday and championship game at 3 p.m. Sunday.
You can follow along with all the results, including live streaming throughout the week, at www.saskcurl.ca.
