SUMMERSIDE – Krista McCarville’s Olympic dreams are alive and well.
McCarville, third stone Kendra Lilly, second stone Ashley Sippala, lead Sarah Potts and coach Lorraine Lang earned one of two women’s berths in the 2017 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings in Ottawa from Dec. 2 to 10. The Roar of the Rings will determine Canada’s men’s and women’s four-person curling teams for the 2018 Winter Olympics in February.
“We are so excited,” said McCarville, 34. “To come out here and to play well in this great field, it feels really good to get the first spot, and be going to the trials.”
McCarville and her Thunder Bay, Ont., team punched their ticket to the nation’s capital in Saturday night’s draw at the 2017 Home Hardware Road to the Roar Pre-Trials at Eastlink Arena. McCarville defeated Briane Meilleur of Winnipeg 7-5 in the A section final.
“It was a really good game,” assessed McCarville, who won four straight to complete play in Summerside at 6-2 overall. “We have a strategy that we are liking, it’s a little more of an open game plan, and I feel that’s what has been working for our team this year.
“It was a tough battle. Luckily, we were getting twos.”
Three deuces
McCarville counted two points in three separate ends with the hammer while Meilleur used last-rock advantage to record a pair of deuces and a single point
In the semifinals on Saturday afternoon, McCarville counted three deuces in an 8-4 win over Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque while Meilleur defeated Julie Tippin of Woodstock, Ont., 7-5 to reach the A section final. The first- and second-place teams had double life in the playoff round.
McCarville said she told her teammates competing in the Road to the Roar is similar to a Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
“We are in a beautiful arena with the great atmosphere, the great ice and rocks,” said McCarville. “The only thing is it’s a little more laid back.
“There were a couple of days we only had one game where in a Scotties you always have two. Other than that, really, it’s like a national competition you want to win.”
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