SUMMERSIDE – A berth in the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings is on the line Saturday night.
Briane Meilleur of Winnipeg will take Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., at the 2017 Home Hardware Road to the Roar at Eastlink Arena, with the winner securing one of two women’s spots in the Canadian Olympic curling trials in Ottawa from Dec. 2 to 10. That game is part of the 7 p.m. draw. The other women’s qualifier will be determined in Sunday’s 2 p.m. draw.
A steal of three in the sixth end keyed Meilleur’s 7-5 win over Julie Tippin of Woodstock, Ont., in one of two women’s A section semifinals on Saturday afternoon. McCarville, who counted three deuces with last rock, doubled Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque 8-4.
Since those four teams finished first or second in their respective pools after round-robin play, they receive double life in the playoff round.
Two elimination games are also on tap at 7 p.m., with Rocque taking on Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., and Tippin facing Nadine Scotland of Calgary.
Middaugh prevailed 6-5 over Kerri Einarson of East St. Paul, Man., in a tiebreaker on Saturday morning.
Scotland’s road to the playoffs included a pair of tiebreaker wins – 9-5 over Theresa Breen of Halifax in a game that started on Friday at 11:30 p.m., and Scotland drew to the button to edge Shannon Birchard of Winnipeg 5-4 in an early-afternoon tiebreaker Saturday to gain the final playoff spot in the women’s Pool A.
Men
The men’s A section final will feature Brendan Bottcher of Edmonton taking on John Morris of Vernon, B.C., on Sunday at 9 a.m.
In the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, Bottcher scored four in the fifth end to erase a 1-0 lead on his way to a 6-2 decision over Glenn Howard of Etobicoke, Ont., and Morris prevailed 4-2 over Edmonton’s Charley Thomas.
Also on Saturday afternoon, Greg Balsdon of Kingston, Ont., defeated Dayna Deruelle of Brampton, Ont., 6-4 in the final men’s tiebreaker.
In other action Saturday at 7:30 p.m., Howard will take on Jason Gunnlaugson of Winnipeg in an elimination game. Gunnlaugson defeated Halifax’s Jamie Murphy 6-4 in a tiebreaker Saturday morning.
Balsdon will take on Thomas on Saturday at 8:30 p.m.
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