Players’ Championship Live: Sweeting meets Englot
TORONTO — Val Sweeting is the first past the post and into the playoffs at the WestJet Players’ Championship.
The Edmonton native climbed to a 3-0 record to qualify at the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling major with a 7-4 win Thursday morning over Michelle Englot’s Winnipeg team.
“We’re feeling pretty good out there,” Sweeting said. “We’re just trying to figure out the ice and get comfortable. The girls are playing great. I think our communication is really good and that’s what’s helping us out there, so we just want to keep that going.”
Sweeting opened with hammer and tapped for two points in the first. She looked to put the pressure on in the second to force, but flashed her last and Englot eased her last in for a deuce to tie it.
The two-time Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling champ Sweeting drew for two in the third to pull back ahead and stole a couple in five to hold a 6-2 lead. Sweeting fell into trouble in six and made a triple to limit the damage as Englot hit and stayed for another pair.
Facing two counters in seven, Sweeting hit and stuck for the game’s first single. Englot had the hammer coming home, but ran out of rocks as Sweeting just needed to make an open hit with her last.
Sweeting credits the five-rock rule (teams must wait until five rocks have been played before they can eliminate stones sitting in the free-guard zone) for keeping things tight down to the wire.
“The five-rock rule is so exciting. We love playing it because it makes you stay in it,” Sweeting said. “You can’t just run the rocks up and down the sheet. It forces a little bit different strategy, but we love it.”
Englot, who won silver at the Scotties, fell to a 0-3 record and needs to win out as four losses is an automatic elimination.
Sweeting topped Englot in the Tour Challenge final in November.
WestJet Players’ Championship: Tickets | Scores | Standings | Schedule | TV Schedule
Elsewhere, Sweden’s Anna Hasselborg got into the win column with a 5-2 victory over Scotland’s Eve Muirhead. Both teams now hold 1-2 records. Muirhead has won the Players’ Championship title three times in the past four years at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre.
Jennifer Jones scored two in the eighth and final end to lift her Winnipeg team to a 6-5 win against Tracy Fleury of Sudbury, Ont. Jones and Fleury are each at 2-1.
Switzerland’s Peter de Cruz is on the board after defeating Toronto’s John Epping 7-4. De Cruz (1-2) stole singles in six and seven and two in eight. Epping (0-3) needs to win out from here as four losses means automatic elimination.
Round-robin action at the WestJet Players’ Championship continues Thursday at Noon ET with TV coverage on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and gsoc.yaretv.com (international).
NOTES: The WestJet Players’ Championship is the fourth major and sixth event of the 2016-17 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at Ryerson’s Mattamy Athletic Centre. … The Rogers Grand Slam Cup will be awarded to the overall season champions following the conclusion of the WestJet Players’ Championship. … Winners of the WestJet Players’ Championship will earn berths to the Humpty’s Champions Cup running April 25-30 in Calgary.
