News Masters

We’re sticking with the 2014 event for this week’s Masters Monday rewind as we now shift over to the women’s division final.

Team Val Sweeting of Edmonton had a breakout season in 2013-14 by making the Canadian Olympic Trials and finishing runner-up at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Most teams shuffled their lineups during the summer preparing for the new Olympic cycle and Team Sweeting was no exception as they lost third Joanne Courtney, who joined Ottawa’s Team Rachel Homan to play second.

Sweeting added Andrea Crawford but on the eve of the Masters, the seven-time New Brunswick provincial champion parted ways with the team and their chances of winning the event were now in doubt. Cathy Overton-Clapham joined the “tripod” of Sweeting, second Dana Ferguson and lead Rachel Brown and provided the super spare spark needed.

Team Sweeting charged through the round robin posting a 3-1 record to qualify, defeated Team Alina Paetz of Switzerland 5-2 in the quarterfinals, and edged two-time Masters champions Team Homan 4-3 to reach the final against Team Margaretha Sigfridsson of Sweden.

Team Sigfridsson, the Sochi Winter Olympics silver medallists, scored two in the seventh end to tie it 4-4. The pressure was on Sweeting with her last rock in the final end as she faced three counters and was down to just 15 seconds left on the clock. Sweeting made the perfect throw to tap out Sigfridsson’s shot stone to win 5-4 and secure her first career Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling title.

The Masters victory helped propel Team Sweeting through the season after they picked up Lori Olson-Johns as their permanent third. Sweeting captured the Canada Cup of Curling, won the Alberta provincials again, and claimed another silver medal at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Back to the Masters, it was the first time Sweeting had made it to the final at a Pinty’s GSOC event — or even the semifinals — and having a championship now on their resume helped cement their spot as regular contenders in the series.

Keep it here at thegrandslamofcurling.com every Monday for more amazing moments leading up to the 2015 Masters, running Oct. 27 to Nov. 1 at the Rath Eastlink Community Centre in Truro, N.S.