C. Jones versus LaRouche - First 5 Ends: Live-Blogging the Saturday Evening draw

What a hokey introduction!

Both teams come into this evening's game with 0-1 records. Colleen Jones lost 7-6 to Kelly Scott; and Marie-France LaRouche lost to Kleibrink. Both skips seem in good spirits at the beginning of the game, despite their first-round losses.

End #1
A lot of imperfect shots as the leads try to get the weight and the ice read more carefully. The thirds struggled with weight, too; Gagnon (3rd for LaRouche) threw a good double, but couldn't keep her shooter in the rings. The skips traded opportunities to hit and roll behind a guard, but couldn't do it. And LaRouche couldn't get her shooter to roll out after a take out and was forced to take one.

LaRouche 1, Jones 0

End #2

TSN was so busy showing updates, we missed the lead stones of this end. It would be nice if they showed the highlighted game in one of the windows and showed their updates in a window.

The seconds have thrown some great stones this end, with a nice come-around by Arsenault for Jones, and a nice double-raise take-out by LeMay for LacRoche. And then after a light shot by Kim Kelly (3rd for Jones), Gagnon had a beautiful raise double take-out, followed by a near miss by Kelly (likely due to Jones' misreading the ice). After Jones was way light on her first draw attempt, LaRouche took tonnes of ice; it wasn't enough, and she was very light. For the hammer, Jones faced two in the rings, with a huge fence out front, and a very difficult raise. Great shot to save one!

LaRouche 1, Jones 1

End #3

Have you noticed that the curlers are increasingly putting some of the lead rocks into the house? Fascinating strategy choices by both the men and the women, despite the 4-rock free-guard rule.

Arsenault missed a come-around and ended up splitting the guard off the centre line; then LeMay also missed a come-around, setting the table for Arsenault to pull off a terrific hit & roll behind the two LaRouche rocks just guarding the rings. LeMay took out one of the guards, and Kelly tried to set up another guard, but it over-curled. Gagnon missed a take-out, rubbing the guard; Kelly put up a long guard on the centre line. Gagnon got around the long guard, but just rubbed on a close guard, missing a take-out. With one in the 4', Jones put up another in front of it in the 8'. There was room for a double, but LaRouche wrecked. Jones put another rock around the centre guard, also in the 8'; LaRouche had the hammer and tried to draw against three, but was so heavy that she gave up a steal of three.

Jones 4, LaRoche 1

End #4

After some lead stones from both teams were left in the rings, LaRoche kept trying to set up a corner guard, and Jones kept peeling it. Finally, LaRoche had Gagnon go after two of Jones' rocks in the rings, and she removed one, pushing the other into 2nd shot position. Jones nose-hit the shot rock, sitting two with her first rock. Gagnon almost froze to a Jones rock and was shot, leaving Jones to try to follow her down (because her shot was behind the t-line). Jones rubbed on a guard, leaving a nose-hit for two. But her shooter rolled just a bit too far, leaving her scoring only one.

Jones 4, LaRouche 2, Jones has the hammer

End #5

Jones sent the lead stone to the button, LR set up a guard and a come-around to the top of the 12. Jones just tapped that rock, leaving it in the top 12, and hers in the top 12, too. LeMay tried to double off Jones rocks, took the one off the 12, but missed the double. Arsenault set up a guard outside the rings. LeMay came around from the other side, and just brushed their rock in the 12', leaving two LR rocks in the top 12. What a great shot by Arsenault, who took out one of the LR rocks and froze her shooter against the Jones rock on the button. A couple more shots by the LR team that just missed, and Jones was sitting three with the hammer. After another miss by LR, Jones sat four, and LaRouche tried to draw around the Jones rocks to sit 2nd. Not a bad shot, but a bit was exposed, and Jones had a chance to kick it out of the rings for 4. Jones made the shot.

Jones 8, LaRouche 2 after 5 ends