Dolan in Scotties final

SUMMERSIDE -- One finalist has been determined for the P.E.I. Scotties Tournament of Hearts at the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club.
Kim Dolan's Charlottetown Curling Club rink beat clubmate Suzanne Birt 10-7 in the one vs. two Page playoff game Sunday night to earn a berth in tonight's P.E.I. women's curling championship final at 7.
Birt will face Robyn MacPhee of Charlottetown in this afternoon's semifinal at 2. MacPhee beat Cornwall's Donna Butler 9-2 in a sudden-death playoff game Sunday night between the third- and fourth-place teams.
"When we started out the weekend, we mainly wanted to get to the one-two game," said Dolan. "Now we won that and going onto the final is very pleasing to everyone."
Dolan got there with a come-from-behind effort after Birt scored three with the hammer in the second end to jump out in front 3-0. But Dolan and her rink of third stone Kathy O'Rourke, second stone Nancy Cameron and lead Trish Affleck didn't panic.
"It speaks of experience," said Dolan with a smile. "We've all been around the block a few times and we just help one another out."
Dolan got a deuce back in the third and Birt took a 4-3 lead into the fifth-end break.
Dolan then stole two in the sixth end to take her first lead, 5-4, and stole three more in the seventh to go up 8-4 after Birt wrecked on a guard.
"I think that had to do with the ice conditions and a couple of tracks were a little bit challenging," said Dolan. "Down the slide path was one speed and out on the wings was a different speed.
"The port (for Birt in the seventh) was a hard port to go through, there's no question. It was a small hole."
Birt drew to the eight-foot for three in the ninth to get within 8-7. She was lying shot rock in the four-foot in the 10th end, but Dolan executed a perfect hit-and-stick for a deuce on her hammer shot.

Early lead
MacPhee took a 2-0 lead with in the second end and after the teams exchanged singles she stole two in the fifth end for a 5-1 lead at the halfway mark. After Butler score a single point in the sixth, MacPhee generated a triple in the seventh and stole a single in the eighth before Butler shook hands.
"We played really well out there tonight," said MacPhee. "They struggled a little bit with the ice and we took advantage where we could."
The winning rink will represent P.E.I. at the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Victoria, B.C., Feb. 21-March 1.

jpsports@journalpioneer.com