Manitoba's Kaitlyn Lawes squeaks into Tournament of Hearts playoffs
Manitoba's Kaitlyn Lawes claimed a Canadian women's curling championship playoff berth with a 6-5 win Thursday over Northern Ontario's Krista McCarville.
Lawes joins Ontario's Rachel Homan, Manitoba's Jennifer Jones, Alberta's Selena Sturmay and defending champion Kerri Einarson in Friday's round of six at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
The last available playoff spot came down to B.C.'s Clancy Grandy (5-2) versus Manitoba's Kate Cameron (4-3) in Thursday evening's draw.
The top three teams in each pool of nine advanced to Friday's playoff round, from which Saturday's four Page playoff teams will be determined.
Lawes was among five teams tied for third in Pool A with 4-4 records. Tiebreaker games were eliminated from the format this year.
Head-to-head results the first metric to solve ties didn't produce a front-runner, so it came down to the lowest cumulative score in the last-stone draws that precede each game.
Sturmay secured first place in Pool A with an 8-5 win over B.C.'s Corryn Brown in the afternoon draw.
The host province and Einarson were tied with 7-1 records. Sturmay earned the higher seed because of a win over Einarson in pool play. Einarson defeated Newfoundland and Labrador 12-4.
Three-time Hearts winner Homan (7-0) clinched Pool B's top seed with a 9-3 win over New Brunswick's Melissa Adams in the morning draw. Six-time champ Jones (6-1) ranked second after a 7-3 win over Ontario's Danielle Inglis.
Cameron kept her playoff hopes alive with a 5-4 win over Nova Scotia's Heather Smith ahead of the evening clash with Clancy.
Curling Canada has changed the men's and women's national championship playoff format for the third time in four years.
The top team in each pool crosses over to face the opposite pool's No. 2, so Homan meets Einarson and Sturmay faces Jones on Friday afternoon. The winners advance to Saturday's Page playoff one-two game.
The losers meet the third-place teams Friday evening with those winners moving onto Saturday's Page three-four game and the losers eliminated.
The winner of the Page one-two banks an express ticket to Sunday's final. The loser must win Sunday's semifinal against the winner of the Page three-four game to earn a rematch for the title.
The winner of Sunday's final represents Canada at the world championship March 16-24 in Sydney, N.S., and earns a return trip to the 2025 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., as defending champion.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 22, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Aviation experts say Russia's air defence fire likely caused Azerbaijan plane crash as nation mourns
Aviation experts said Thursday that Russian air defence fire was likely responsible for the Azerbaijani plane crash the day before that killed 38 people and left all 29 survivors injured.
Police identify victim of Christmas Day homicide in Hintonburg, charge suspect
The Ottawa Police Service says the victim who had been killed on Christmas Day in Hintonburg has been identified.
Teen actor Hudson Meek, who appeared in 'Baby Driver,' dies after falling from moving vehicle
Hudson Meek, the 16-year-old actor who appeared in 'Baby Driver,' died last week after falling from a moving vehicle in Vestavia Hills, Alabama, according to CNN affiliate WVTM.
Pizza deliverer in Florida charged with stabbing pregnant woman at motel after tip dispute
A pizza deliverer in central Florida has been charged with pushing her way into a motel room with an accomplice and stabbing a pregnant woman after a dispute over a tip, authorities said.
Raised in Sask. after his family fled Hungary, this man spent decades spying on communists for the RCMP
As a Communist Party member in Calgary in the early 1940s, Frank Hadesbeck performed clerical work at the party office, printed leaflets and sold books.
Cat food that caused bird-flu death of Oregon pet was distributed in B.C.: officials
Pet food contaminated with bird flu – which killed a house cat in Oregon – was distributed and sold in British Columbia, according to officials south of the border.
Unwanted gift card in your stocking? Don't let it go to waste
Gift cards can be a quick and easy present for those who don't know what to buy and offer the recipient a chance to pick out something nice for themselves, but sometimes they can still miss the mark.
Sinkhole prompts lane closures on Interstate 80 in New Jersey
A sinkhole that opened up Thursday along Interstate 80 in northern New Jersey forced authorities to close the heavily travelled highway's eastbound lanes.
Boxing Day in Canada: Small retailers fear big shopping day won't make up for tough year
It’s one of the busiest shopping days of the year: Boxing Day sees thousands of people head to malls and big box stores to find great deals. But it's not so simple for smaller shops.