Last-draw setback

Canada drops final game but still No. 1 heading into BKT World Women’s playoffs

It had to end sooner or later. The smiles, the high fives, the winning steak.

And it did for Team Canada on Friday evening when its 27-game winning streak ended at the 2024 BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship in Sydney, N.S.

The Canadians, skipped by Rachel Homan, fell for the first time this week in the 13-team round-robin at Centre 200, but as far as skip Rachel Homan was concerned, running the table was no big deal.

There are bigger fish to fry.

Homan’s loss in the final round-robin game against Team South Korea (10-2) was hardly painful for Team Canada (11-1), which had already wrapped up the No. 1 spot in the weekend playoffs.

Yes, it would have been nice to defeat a team you might meet in the playoffs, but going unbeaten against the best teams in the world was never going to be an easy task.

Homan says her team will move on after dropping a 6-5, last-rock decision to the Koreans, skipped by Eunji Gim.

“We had a phenomenal week. It took every shot out there to have the record we do,” said Homan, supported by vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, alternate Rachel Brown and coached by Don Bartlett and national coach Viktor Kjell, from the Ottawa Curling Club.

The Canadians earned the first-end hammer and rock choice throughout the playoffs by finishing in first place, but they’ll have to wait until the playoff qualification games are done Saturday to see who they play in the semifinals at 5 p.m. (all times Atlantic).

“Getting hammer and getting colour going into the semis is a great advantage and we worked hard for that,” added Homan.

The first-round qualification playoff matchups were decided after Friday night’s draw, which saw Team Italy (10-2), skipped by Stefania Constantini, post a 10-8 win over skip Miyu Ueno’s Team Japan (3-9).

When the dust had settled, defending champions Team Switzerland (10-2), skipped by Silvana Tirinzoni, finished second, followed by Team Italy, Team South Korea, skip Anna Hasselborg’s Team Sweden (7-5), and Team Denmark (6-6), skipped by Madeleine Dupont.

The Swiss, by finishing second, also go directly to the semifinals.

In the first-round qualification games, Team Italy will meet Team Denmark in the 3 vs. 6 game while Team South Korea clashes with Team Sweden in the 4 vs. 5 game. The winners advance to the semifinals , with the South Korea-Sweden winner playing Canada, and the Italy-Denmark victor matched with Switzerland in the semifinals.

The semifinal winners play in the gold-medal game Sunday at 5 p.m. and the losers play for bronze Sunday at 11 a.m.

In other games in Friday’s closing round-robin draw, Team U.S.A. (6-6), skipped by Tabitha Petersen, posted a 9-3 win over Team New Zealand (1-11), skipped by Jessica Smith, and Team Estonia (2-10), skipped by Liisa Turmann, was an 8-6 winner over skip Marianne Roervik’s Team Norway (4-8).

The Canadians had been on a serious roll that stretched for months. Their last loss was Jan. 17 at the Grand Slam Co-op Canadian Open. Homan then won five straight to win the event, plus 11 at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and came into the worlds with 16 straight wins.

But all good things must end, as Homan acknowledged.

“We knew we were going to lose a game here and it’s a good lessons to take from that game,” said Homan. “Just learn from those misses and tighten things up. It’s good to have some misses and find some areas we can improve upon.”

The Canadians could have been excused for easing up on the gas pedal in the final game, but they didn’t. They matched the Koreans, the No. 3-ranked team in the world, shot for shot, with not much to choose between the two teams.

The game changed, though, when Gim played two great get-out-of-jail shots to save ends in eight and nine with precise freezes when Canada had the house set up for multiple scores.

“She made a lot of save shots so have to give them credit,” said Miskew. “We had a few chances for multiples and she got them out of it.”

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2024 BKT Tires World Women’s Curling Championship are available by CLICKING HERE.

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This story will be available in French as soon as possible at www.curling.ca/2024worldwomen/nouvelles/?lang=fr