History made at PointsBet!

Calgary’s Team Skrlik sets PointsBet Invitational Record as lowest-ever seed to qualify for Final

What started as a star-studded field of 16 women’s teams at the 2024 PointsBet Invitational has been whittled down to two as Final 4 action took place Saturday afternoon at the WinSport Event Centre in Calgary.

And along with it, a little bit of history was written.

No. 10 seed Team Kayla Skrlik enjoyed some home cooking as she and her Calgary-based squadron of third Margot Flemming, second Ashton Skrlik, lead/vice-skip Geri-Lynn Ramsay, alternate Crystal Webster and coach Shannon Kleibrink defeated sixth-seeded Team Kate Cameron (St-Adolphe, Man.), 10-4.

The win cements Team Skrlik the as lowest-ever seed to make a final in PointsBet Invitational history dating back to 2022.

“That feels great,” said Skrlik of the historic victory. “We knew going in that it was going to be a battle right to the final and I’m glad we could pull it off.”

Both Skrlik and Cameron spent six ends trading singles before Skrlik’s salvo in the seventh found purchase for a score of three for a 6-3 lead.

It proved to be the difference maker as Team Skrlik would eventually coast to the victory in nine ends.

“It was super important,” said Skrlik of the seventh-end score of three. “Even for momentum, I felt like we were going back and forth, up and down. There were a couple of steals that hit us hard, and then hit Kate hard, so it was nice to just get some momentum back and make Kate work for it a little bit more.”

Skrlik will have her hands full in the final (set for 10 a.m. MT on Sunday) as she lines up to face reigning PointsBet Invitational and World Women’s curling champion Team Rachel Homan (Ottawa) after Homan dispatched Team Kaitlyn Lawes (Winnipeg) 10-5 in the other Final 4 match.

The top-seeded Team Homan, rounded out by vice-skip Tracy Fleury, second Emma Miskew, lead Sarah Wilkes, alternate Rachelle Brown and coach Brendan Bottcher, leapt out to an early 3-0 lead in the second end after Homan mad an intricate angle-runback for a score of three.

Team Lawes, who trailed 5-1 after four ends, would scrap back with a clutch steal of two points in the seventh end, tying the match at 5-5.

“Sometimes that happens,” said Miskew of the Lawes steal. “It’s early in the year and the ice was a little faster than what we were thinking it was. So, we just wanted to get back to our process. One shot at a time. We were playing well and it was a little bit of an unexpected result and then moved on from it.”

And move on, they did. Team Homan would score a quiet deuce in the eighth, then forced Team Lawes, the No. 4 seed, into a Hail Mary shot to tie the game in the 10th, but Lawes’ final offering ran straight missed the target.

Miskew said she was glad to avoid a draw to the button tiebreaker.

“It’s a little different with no extra end. You play a whole 10-end game just to throw a cold draw to the button to win or lose the game is a little scary. It was nice to pull that one out.”

Homan can write a little bit of history of her own as a No. 1 seed has never won a PointsBet Invitational crown, and along with it, a total $ 50,000 top prize, but will have to vanquish Skrlik in the final first.

“We’ve played them a few times in the last couple years,” said Miskew of Team Skrlik. “They’re a great team and we know it’s going to be a battle, so we’ll have to be sharp.”

The 2024 PointsBet Invitational continues Saturday with the men’s Final 4 at 8 p.m. MT.

Live scoring, standings and statistics for the 2024 PointsBet Invitational are available by CLICKING HERE.

TSN and RDS will provide coverage of the 2024 PointsBet Invitational. CLICK HERE for the complete schedule.

For ticket information for the 2024 PointsBet Invitational, go to www.curling.ca/2024pointsbetinvitational/tickets/.

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