CALGARY, Alta. — P.E.I.’s Suzanne Birt rink is back on the winning track at the 2021 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
Birt, third Marie Christianson, second Meaghan Hughes and lead Michelle McQuaid outlasted Newfoundland and Labrador’s Sarah Hill by a 12-8 score in Monday afternoon’s draw at the Canadian women’s curling championship. The 18-team event is taking place at the Markin McPhail Centre at Canadian Olympic Park in Calgary.
P.E.I., which bounced back from an 8-6 loss to Quebec's Laurie St-Georges on Sunday, improved to 3-1 (won-lost) while Newfoundland and Labrador dropped to 2-1. P.E.I. plays just one game on Tuesday against Tracy Fleury’s wild-card team at 9:30 p.m., Atlantic Time. Fleury is not playing this week, and her rink is being skipped this week by Chelsea Carey.
Quick start
P.E.I. scored three-enders in the first and third ends to open up an early 6-1 lead. The teams exchanged single points in the fourth and fifth ends with last-rock advantage, and P.E.I. went into the fifth-end break up 7-2.
Newfoundland and Labrador answered with three in the sixth end to close to within 7-5. P.E.I. countered with a deuce in the seventh end to extend its lead to 9-5, but Newfoundland and Labrador would not go away and came right back with a three-ender in the eighth end to close to within 9-8.
P.E.I., with the hammer, counted three in the ninth end to close out the scoring.
P.E.I. had a team percentage of 78 per cent, and Newfoundland and Labrador curled 68 per cent. Christianson curled a game-high 87 per cent.
