(Photo by Cory Knutt)
Canada’s Team Rachel Homan will go for gold at the Pan Continental Championships after a 6-5 victory over China’s Team Rui Wang at the Gary Moe Auto Group Sportsplex Friday (Nov. 1) morning.
With the win, Homan, vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, alternate Rachel Brown, and national coaches Viktor Kjell and Renee Sonnenberg advance to Saturday’s (Nov. 2) 3 p.m. championship game against South Korea’s Team Eunji Gim.
Homan made a crucial shot in the 10th end against China. Leading 5-3 after a ninth-end deuce, Canada was staring at a game-losing three in the 10th.
Homan came to the rescue, making an outturn freeze — thrown and swept to perfection, and forcing China to make a draw for a game-tying two and give Canada the hammer for the extra end.
“Shot of the week and sweep of the week by Emma, for sure. That takes the cake,” Wilkes said.
Homan added Canada’s front end has been key to the team’s success throughout the week— eight straight wins and counting.
“It was kind of a brand-new line, we don’t throw it the same as China, so we’re throwing two different lines and guessing on the speeds,” said Homan. “We can’t bounce, can’t be wide, or it’s the game. It’s definitely a huge team shot and a great sweep by the front end. They picked up the weight early and got it there. We’re not in the final without the front-end sweeping, that’s for sure. They’re just phenomenal and we’re lucky to have them.”
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Throughout the game, neither team was able to take control.
Canada had a double-takeout to score two in the second end, but Homan’s shooter rolled out leaving a score of one.
Two ends later, Canada would steal a point when China had an open hit to score one and rolled out, leaving Canada with one in the rings.
China would tie it in the fifth with a draw for two. Single points were then traded, sandwiched around a blank, before Canada got its first deuce in the ninth, setting the stage for the 10th end.
In the extra, Homan’s first shot was a double takeout that got two China stones out of dangerous positions and left Canada sitting two biting the button behind a centre guard.
China's last double takeout could only remove one Canadian stone, and Homan didn’t need to throw her last stone.
“We stuck together,” said Homan. “We definitely wanted some shots back, but honestly, we played a really good game. They just played crazy good, so it was just one of our few mistakes here and there were a little bit more evident when they played so well.”
Team Homan is looking to win Canada’s first women’s gold medal at the Pan Continental Championships.
In the men’s competition, Canada’s Team Brad Gushue will play for the bronze medal today (Nov. 1) at 2 p.m. against Team John Shuster of the United States.
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