It can be a little tricky to figure out the names and positions for some of the Manitoba players at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
There’s no confusion about their position in the standings.
At 4-0, Manitoba is the only unbeaten team in Pool B at the national women’s curling championship after Beth Peterson posted a 9-2 win over Northern Ontario’s Krista Scharf on Monday afternoon.
“I think they make the big shots when it matters and they’ve figured out how to do that,” said Manitoba coach Jill Officer. “I also think that they’ve figured out how to pick up for each other.
“When there’s maybe a miss, the next person comes along and makes a big one to to bail (them) out if needed. That’s a sign of a great team.”
Peterson, who moved from skip to third last fall, threw 88 per cent. Kelsey Calvert, who now skips and throws fourth, was at 95 per cent.
The foursome, which includes Melissa Gordon-Kurz and Katherine Remillard, kept the Team Peterson name after the back-end position switch, which came after a last-place finish at the Canadian Pre-Trials in late October.
“I brought it up halfway through this year just because I wasn’t feeling great in the (skip) position,” Peterson said. “So it was a team decision for sure, but we’re feeling really comfortable with the positions we’re in (now).”
Calvert previously played under her maiden name of Kelsey Rocque. Peterson’s maiden name is still used even though she goes by her married name of Beth Turnbull off the ice.
The team beat Kate Cameron and Kaitlyn Lawes on the final day of the Manitoba playdowns for the right to wear the buffalo at Paramount Fine Foods Centre.
“We just kept winning and now we’re here and we just kept it that way,” Calvert said of the team name. “It’s not a big deal to me and I don’t think it’s a big deal to Beth. We’re just out there and we’re playing for each other.
“It doesn’t matter what team name we’re under, we want to play well.”
They have done just that over the first four days of round-robin play, outscoring their opponents 36-16.
Facing a tough opponent in Scharf, Peterson made a double-takeout that stuck to help Manitoba score three points for a 5-2 lead in the sixth end. Another three-ender followed in the eighth and the teams shook hands.
Peterson said the early January timing of the provincial playdowns helped the team enter this 10-day event in strong form.
“We went on a roll there in the end, (we) lost two in a row but then won four in a row,” she said. “I think we’re still kind of riding that high, to be honest.”
In the evening session, Lawes (5-0) moved into sole possession of first place in Pool A with a 9-4 win over Canada’s Kerri Einarson. Lawes made a highlight-reel angle-raise double-takeout to score three in the second end and never looked back.
“They’re such a great team, so we knew that any opportunity that we had, we’d have to take advantage,” Lawes said.
Peterson, who lost provincial finals in each of the two previous seasons, made her only previous Scotties appearance in 2021 as a wild-card skip. Calvert debuted as an alternate in 2020 and finished third in 2024 as a second on a wild-card team skipped by Cameron.
“Kelsey just slipped back into that skip position that she used to play and just looked really comfortable with it,” said Officer. “I feel like Beth is very chatty and has a lot of energy and I actually think she’s able to bring that to the entire team now being in that third position.
“I think that’s been a real benefit.”
Lawes is also wearing Manitoba colours as one of three pre-qualified entries. She claimed the final spot in the 18-team field as the highest-ranked team that hadn’t won a provincial/territorial title.
The berth became available when Einarson replaced Rachel Homan as the Canada entry. Homan didn’t return to defend her title as she’s preparing for the upcoming Milan Cortina Olympics.
In the afternoon draw, Nova Scotia’s Christina Black rolled to a 9-1 victory over Mackenzie Mitchell of Newfoundland and Labrador. Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik downed Nunavut’s Julia Weagle 9-2.
Prince Edward Island’s Amanda Power picked up a single point in the 10th end for a 7-6 win over New Brunswick’s Melodie Forsythe.
In the evening, Ontario’s Hailey Armstrong defeated Yukon’s Bayly Scoffin 6-3, B.C.’s Taylor Reese-Hansen topped Nicky Kaufman of the Northwest Territories 9-3 and Quebec’s Jolianne Fortin beat Saskatchewan’s Jolene Campbell 7-2.
Einarson fell to 4-1, ahead of four teams at 2-2. Black was alone in second place in Pool B at 3-1 with Skrlik and Alberta’s Selena Sturmay next at 2-1.
The top three teams in each pool at the end of round-robin play Thursday night will advance to the playoffs. The final is scheduled for Sunday.
The winning team will represent Canada at the world women’s curling championship in March in Calgary.
from Sportsnet.ca
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