The Brier - Draw #6

Unfortunately TSN is highlighting PEI-Saskatchewan. Saskatchewan is a very disappointing 0-3 and PEI is probably not too unhappy to be 2-1. I may not follow this too closely. I had really hoped to see Menard-Stoughton, both at 2-1.
End #1: Fairly open end. PEI, with the hammer, blank the end.
END #2: PEI forced to take one. 1-0 PEI.
Ouch - maybe Menard-Stoughton is not so attractive - Manitoba get 3 in the first end.
End #3: PEI's last rock is a perfect hit and roll behind a guard, and it is shot. There is a Saskatchewan rock in the house, sitting second, but the PEI rock cannot be removed. Saskatchewan draw for one.
END #4: Saskatchewan steal one. I missed how.
END #5: Jordison clears two PEI rocks in his last shot, losing the shooter, and PEI throw through the house. End blanked. 2-1 Saskatchewan at the break.
END #6: PEI get their deuce. 3-2 PEI.
Note that this is the first deuce of the match! Kathy Gauthier understands why PEI is happy keeping the game more open but is baffled that Saskatchewan have not been more aggressive, given their greater experience of this caliber of play.
END #7: A steady exchange of rocks, while PEI has one extra rock sitting in the house - neither team seems to get a roll behind the guard. Jordison's first rock goes a bit deep and is open to a PEI hit. PEI's freeze attempt bumps a bit but it leaves Saskatchewan drawing for one. The draw is long but just counts. 3-3.
END #8: The house was getting complicated, and the PEI second clears it of Saskatchewan rocks, leaving two of their own buried. Delicate shot. A Saskatchewan freeze misses and that rock is removed. Saskatchewan's runback attempt misses, but the guard is removed. PEI put a third rock in the rings - they now have rocks in the front of the 12-foot, and 8-foot behind that, and the back of the 12-foot at about 5 o'clock. Saskatchewan get the triple (Wow!!), leaving the shooter. PEI hit and remove it, the shooter lingering out front. Saskatchewan try to tuck in behind, but wreck on the PEI rock, promoting it into the house. PEI hit and roll, but not into the house. Jordison tries to clear out the PEI rocks, but leaves the rock in thee dge of the house there. PEI have a draw for two - need only get into the rings. And do. 5-3 PEI. PEI were lucky that their rock got pushed into the house.
END #9: Saskatchewan miss a key shot, leaving PEI a rock sitting on the button. Kathy Gauthier had a nice line - "Showing some indecision - that's what we have timeouts for". Truer words were rarely said. PEI really do not want a blanked end. They put up a center-line guard, but it is too deep and leaves their rock open. Jordison's tap-back attempt overcurls. PEI try a freeze, come up short, and occupy the front of the 4-foot. Saskatchewan have a possible double for two, and maybe a milder approach - it is close but it seems they have shot rock. They choose to draw for two. Jordison's draw percentage today is pretty bad. He wrecks on a guard. Saskatchewan take one. PEI go to ten with the hammer and a 5-4 lead.
END #10: Interesting draw. NB win their match over NS so the elder Howard goes to 2-2. Jordison's first rock is a draw to the button, slightly protected by a front guard and a PEI rock in the 8-foot. MacDonald misses his hit. Jordison tosses up a guard. PEI decide to "do no harm" as a primary goal. They miss badly. Steal of one for Saskatchewan. Extra end!
END #11: There is a center guard, nothing in the house. Saskatchewan draw to the front 8-foot behind the guard. PEI clear the guard. Sask put up a guard and PEI clear it. Another guard up. And cleared. And put up again. And cleared. And put up yet again. MacDonald decides to draw with his first rock. He edges the button, is shot, but is somewhat open. But he now knows the path in. Saskatchewan want to close that path with a tap-back on the freshly delivered rock, forcing MacDonald to try the other side of the ice. The shot is dead perfect. MacDonald tries the other side - it goes just a bit too far and Saskatchewan pulls this one off with back to back steals.
Much more exciting than I had expected.
Meanwhile Martin and Stoughton have also won in the draw. And, as mentioned before, the elder Howard.