2010 Scott Tournament of Hearts - Conclusion

PEI leads 6-4 with the hammer going into the last three ends, and they are out-curling CAN 83% to 72%. The really big difference (in contrast to the Page 1-2 playoff) is that Carmody is out-curling Jones 89% to 71%.

End #8: CAN has two centre guards, one really long. PEI has two in the top of the rings. CAN nudges a PEI rock next to the other and rolls to the edge of the house. PEI removes the long guard. Nice tap-back by Jill Officer, who has struggled with draw weight today. PEI removes the tight guard, so we're left only with rocks in the rings. CathyO puts up a centre guard, which is peeled by PEI. CAthyO draws to the back 4 and is shot. Ramsay tries a double, but gets only one CAN rock, opening up the rings a bit, though. So Jones puts up a guard. Carmody tried to tap back the CAN shot rock, but just moved it over behind cover a bit more. Jones makes a beauty draw around the guards to sit just past the t-line biting the button, sitting 2. The pressure is on Carmody to make a really good tap, but it went too far. Steal of one for CAN.
PEI 6, CAN 5 and PEI still has the hammer.

End #9: Well I really didn't expect CAN to bounce back at all, and now they're almost back in it. If they can force PEI to take one this end, they'll be down two with the hammer coming home.

After the standard opening, Officer wrecks on a guard and drifts to the back 12'. PEI peels the long guard. Officer crashed again, setting up two corner guards. PEI hits and sticks on the CAN guard at the back of the house. CathyO doubles off the two PEI stones at the top of the house. Ramsay pushes the CAN rock back, where it jams at the back of the house. Now CAN can try to force PEI to take one. CathyO draws to the right side of the rings. Ramsay doesn't get as much roll as she wanted after her hit but lies one. Near nose hit by Jones to stick as shot. Carmody looked a little shaky in the hack, hits and is wide open. Jones has a hit and roll to make PEI draw for one. Let's see if that's what happens. Nose hit. Now PEI can't nose hit and score, so PEI must draw, but she's way light and give up a steal of two! What a switcheroo!
CAN 7, PEI 6

Last End??? Who'd a thunk CAN would be ahead going into the 10th end? I know they have great skills, but PEI seemed to be rolling. Now PEI has the hammer and must score 2 to win.

CAN puts a rock in the rings and a tight guard. PEI has a long corner guard. Then Affleck taps the CAN rock back and sits on the button. Officer hits and rolls, just a bit shy of being behind cover. O'Rourke ticked the shot rock rather than move it. Another guard by CAN. Run-back by PEI essentially removes a CAN guard. CathyO puts up another guard, leaving a small port for Ramsay to try to fit through to remove CAN shot rock. She did it and rolled a couple of inches. CathyO will try to follow her down, does, but the shooter rolls to the side 12. Ramsay draws to the button. What a time for Ramsay to pull through with two really good shots!!

PEI has shot rock on the button behind a long-ish CAN guard. Jones tries to follow Ramsay down but is just a tad light. So PEI takes a time out with a rock on the button; CAN has rocks biting the top 4, full side 8, and full side 12. Even if PEI is forced to take one this end, the advantage swings to CAN, who would have the hammer in an extra end.

I'm not sure I agree with the PEI choice to draw to the edge of the four, but if they make this shot, they'll be sitting two. They hit the red in the 8, but don't get a roll, so they're sitting 1-3. Now CAN calls time out and is discussing a possible double or hit and tap. huh? Their rock, which is 2nd shot, is fully buried, so a tap will be really tough. Meanwhile a draw through the port would be tough, too. After another time-out, they decide on the tap, hoping it will maybe become shot or at worst block the paths to the button for PEI.

Meanwhile, Carmody admits to being pretty nervous.

Well the tap didn't get the rock to shot, but it'll make it VERY hard for PEI to get two. Whoa, are they talking about trying a double to win? It's a risky shot, but it probably beats taking one this end and trying to steal in an extra end. I'm not sure it's there, and they risk moving their own shot rock. Probably worth the chance at this stage.

What a miss by Carmody! A complete flash, giving PEI one, so we'll have an extra end.
CAN 7, PEI 7

2010 Scott Tournament of Hearts - Final, Part II

PEI is out-curling CAN 78% to 76% (not a big difference). The lowest percentage so far is Cathy OC at 59% (some of which is due to a pick in the first end). The skips are both curling at 84%.

End #5: CAN opens having Askin (CAN lead) put one on the top 8. Affleck (lead, PEI) answers with a corner guard that drifts very tight to the rings. Askin puts her 2nd rock top 12. Affleck tried a double, removed one, and drifted toward the corner guard. Officer over-curled and nudged the pei rock behind cover. PEI splits the rings in the back 8. Officer tries an impossible double and rolls to the button. Nose hit on that stone by O'Rourke. It strikes me that a nose hit is almost never good except for the hammer. Cathy OC returns the favour with a nose hit. Ramsay hits and rolls away from the other PEI rock in the rings. Nose hit by Cathy OC. Hit and roll even farther away by Ramsay. Jones hits and rolls a foot, wide open. Nose hit by Carmody to lie two. Jones would like a hit and long roll to corner freeze on the other PEI rock. About an eighth of an inch thick and rolled past the PEI rock. Linda says Jones and CathyO were calling different shots, one a freeze and one a double. Carmody draws for 2.
PEI 4, CAN 3. and at this stage do you think either of these teams can win gold at the Worlds?

Note to CCA and CurlCast: it is REALLY, REALLY annoying to have a bunch of crowd noise coming through my speakers when all I'm trying to do is look at curling percentages!

End #6: Speaking of curling percentages, PEI is out-curling CAN at every position through the first half of the game. Overall 81% - 75%. That's odd: TSN says the curling percentages are 80% - 76%.
PEI puts two in the rings, CAN a corner guard. But then Jones asks Askin to double off the PEI rocks, but she gets only one. Miss by Officer, leaves PEI well set, but O'Rourke is light. Officer doubles the guards. Centre guard by Ramsay, protecting the PEI rock that's biting the button. CathyO is thin, loses her shooter but doesn't quite remove the PEI stone. Ramsay draws too deep, leaving PEI with two in the back 12. Cathy O draws to the back 8 (too deep). Beautiful draw/freeze by Carmody bumped a bit but completely buried. Jones is wide with her freeze attempt and PEI is still shot. Another beauty draw by Carmody to bite the button, just clearing the guard. Jones has to draw to the button with some backing to salvage one, but despite the backing, she is light, giving up a steal of two.
PEI 6, CAN 3

End #7 The PEI rink has made me eat my words before, and it looks as if they might again. If they were to curl this well (especially Carmody) in the worlds, they'd have a good chance of medaling. But they still have to win this one to get to the worlds. So far, Jones seems perplexed. So does CathyO.

Once again a tonne of PEI rocks in the rings and failure by CAN even to establish guards.

... a tonne of personal stuff interrupted. But it sure looks as if PEI is dominating this end. Jones overcurls slightly and over-rolls with her first shot, leaving PEI sitting 2. Carmody's draw to the top 8 is a bit light, but PEI is still sitting 3. Jones has the hammer but must settle for a draw for one.
PEI 6, CAN 4

2010 Scott Tournament of Hearts - Final, Part I

End #1: PEI has a bunch of guards as the skips ready to throw their rocks. Carmody (skip for PEI) tries for a double but removes only one. Jones (skip for Team Canada) hits and sticks when she wanted to roll behind a guard. Carmody gets the double on the second try. Team Canada has a draw to touch the 8' for one or a double attempt for a blank. Oops. She hit shot rock, but may not be shot herself. Had to measure twice, and Team Canada got one. Perhaps from now on, the umpires could be asked to keep their heads out of the camera line?
CAN 1, PEI 0

End #2: omg, the vices curled 38% and 13% in the first end! Nice freeze by O'Rourke (2nd, PEI) to a CAN stone at the back of the house. Exchanged hits on rock at top 8'. Cathy Overton-Clapham [henceforth OC] smashes out a couple, followed by Ramsay clearing all but one from the rings. Exchange hits on rock at top 12'. Hit and roll by Jones. The end is set up for a blank by PEI. Hit and roll by Carmody. Hit and stick by CAN. Hit and roll out by Carmody to get the blank.
CAN 1, PEI 0

End #3: PEI has a corner guard, CAN has a centre guard and a stone in the top 8', uncovered. O'Rourke hits and rolls beyond the corner guard in the side of the 12'. Officer (CAN 2nd) hit it, but rolled out. O'Rourke tries to draw around the corner guard but is partly open. Cathy OC wrecks on the guard, drifting to the other side. Ramsay tries to draw behind a guard but is wide open. Cathy OC tried to hit-and-roll, but is also wide open. Ramsay also hits and sticks. So Jones tries a hit and roll on the other PEI rock (which is shot rock), but rolls too far to be open and sits second shot. Carmody draws to the back 8'. At best a difficult double for CAN, so they opt to try a hit and roll (and not the freeze!). But Jones hit and rolled out, leaving a draw for 2 for PEI. Clearly Carmody has found her draw weight on this ice!
PEI 2, CAN 1

End #4: The curling percentages are pretty even for the two teams, and the thirds are both up over 50% now 8-)

Does it seem to you that the PEI rink is big favourites of the TSN crew? Or maybe they're just enamoured of the new bunch.

Two corner guards by CAN, a PEI rock in the top 8, and centre guard by PEI. Nice draw around a guard by O'Rourke, Officer runs a guard back to remove one of the PEI stones in the house. O'Rourke misses a run-back but removes the guard. Perfect opportunity for CAN to hit and roll behind a couple of corners, but Officer (CAN 2nd) flopped a bit the wrong way, leaving a thin double for Ramsay. She's wide, gets one, and is open for Cathy OC to try the hit and roll, but she rolled out. Ray and Linda think the line call is bad on many of these missed shots.

Nose hit by Ramsay on the remaining CAN rock in the rings, for PEI to lie one. Nose hit on that rock by Cathy OC, still open. Nose hit by Carmody leaves a biter. Beauty hit and roll by Jones behind the two guards. Carmody's draw is a bit deep and open, but it is lying shot, so Jones must tap it back to score two.
CAN 3, PEI 2

2010 Scott Tournament of Hearts - Final

From what we've seen, it certainly looks as if these are the two teams that belong in finals. PEI has looked very good (aside from a couple of early stumbles that misled me), and Team Canada has had only one really bad day, being solid otherwise.

Their earlier meeting was close. Carmody, the skip for PEI barely missed a number of shots.... shots that she seemed to make much more readily in the semi-final against Ontario. Today's final could be a challenge for both teams.