Homan set to face Jones in Meridian Canadian Open women’s final
YORKTON, Sask. — Rachel Homan’s incredible year continues as she reached her fourth consecutive Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling final through four events this season.
Homan and her Ottawa-based team advanced to the Meridian Canadian Open women’s championship game after shutting out Calgary’s Chelsea Carey 6-0 during Saturday night’s semifinals at the Gallagher Centre.
Homan, who shot 93 percent in the game, took two in the first and put on the pressure stealing singles in the second, fourth, fifth and sixth ends.
“Rachel played amazing,” said Team Homan second Joanne Courtney. “I don’t think she had a miss and they weren’t easy shots either so when skipper’s playing like that all you have to do is just sweep them right and support her. It was pretty cool to see Rachel play that well today and really, really great shots she made.”
Homan finished runner-up at the season-opening Tour Challenge and won back-to-back Grand Slam titles at the Masters and National.
Her team reached the Canadian Open final here in Yorkton a year ago, falling to Scotland’s Eve Muirhead for the inaugural title, but things are a lot different this time around with Team Homan on a roll all season long.
“This year’s been totally different from last year just because I’ve been on the team for a year and we’re in our groove now and working towards our goals,” said Courtney, who joined Team Homan at the start of the Olympic cycle in 2014. “We’re just feeling more like a team out there and we’ve been putting together some really good events. Trying to qualify, number one, and then get to the final, number two, and then hopefully put together a good game in the final. Definitely more comfortable on the team this year and we’re just continually trying to get better and working on our weaknesses and it’s been going really well.”
Homan will face reigning Olympic and Canadian champion Jennifer Jones of Winnipeg. Jones denied Muirhead a chance for consecutive Canadian Open titles with a 7-2 victory in the other semifinal. Tied 2-2, Jones stole a point in the fifth to take the lead and swiped two in the sixth and another pair in the seventh to bring out the handshakes.
Toronto’s John Epping and Brad Gushue of St. John’s, N.L., will play in the men’s final.
Watch the women’s final live Sunday on Sportsnet at noon ET / 11 a.m. CT and the men’s final on Sportsnet at 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT.
