Canada got off to a quick 5-1 lead over Team USA but the underdog Americans led by Jamie Sinclair battled back to tie it in nine and Canada scored two in the final end to win 9-7 at the 2018 Ford World Women’s Curling Championship semi-final which wrapped up tonight in North Bay.
Unlike many of the games earlier in the week when Canada went 12-0 in round robin, this one Canada broke out early but struggled late to beat a determined American team.
“It is always hard to get an early lead because then you have to defend it for a long time and we know that it is really tough to do that but I liked how we played,” said Canada Skip Jennifer Jones.
“I thought we were playing well and they made a couple good deuces and a good steal in nine.”
USA Skip Jamie Sinclair, whose team rocked the Koreans with a seven-ender to make it to tonight’s semi-final, was pleased with the comeback.
“It wasn’t the start we had hoped for but it was one heck of a game, heck of a battle and give credit to the girls for hanging in there and never giving up,” said Sinclair about her team which was the sixth seed in the playoff round.
Jones admitted she missed a few draws where the team guessed wrong. She knows they cannot guess wrong against Anna Hasselborg and the 2018 gold medalists form PyeongChang.
“We know Hasselborg will be tough and we will have to be at our best to beat them,” said Jones who will face the Swedes at 3 p.m. Sunday afternoon.
For the Jones rink, Sunday’s game will be the last with Jill Officer and the Manitoba based rink. In fact, it was 10 years ago that Jones won gold at the worlds on home soil.
“Just the opportunity to play for a gold medal at a world championship is something any athlete dreams of and we are just thrilled to be able to do it in front of this amazing crowd here in North Bay with it being Jill’s last one with us I think is really special that we are in that game and all I can say is we will guarantee we will give it our all and leave it all on the ice,” said Jones, who defeated Sweden 8-4 in round robin play Wednesday night.
See also: Jones beats Sinclair to reach final at women's world curling championship
Canada opened with three in the first and two more in the third to build up an early 5-1 lead after only three ends.
Canada took one in the fifth to take a 6-2 lead.
The Americans got back into the game in the sixth when they scored two which made it 6-4.
In the seventh end Canada again struggling as Jones missed an opportunity to score a deuce as she came up short on her last rock and took one which made it 7-4.
USA continued to build momentum and creep back into the game with Sinclair getting a draw for a deuce in the eighth to make 7-6 Canada.
The Sinclair rink came back again with a steal of one as Team Canada struggled with their execution. Jones looked to remove a USA stone near the button to score two but her rock rolled out and Sinclair scored the single to even the game at 7-7 after nine.
That gave Canada hammer in 10. In the final end, Canada was able to clear out the American guards and had a hit and stick for two to win 9-7.
Attendance for tonight's semi-final was 3797 and the 50/50 went for $12,847.
