News Masters

LLOYDMINSTER, Sask. — Casey Scheidegger wasn’t fazed when Val Sweeting scored three points again her team in the opening draw Tuesday at the Masters.

Scheidegger, from Lethbridge, wrecked on a guard with her last rock in the third end allowing the Edmonton native Sweeting, who held the hammer, the opportunity for an easy draw to count three and take a 3-2 lead.

It wasn’t the “three count” to the Battle of Alberta on the border, however, and Scheidegger charged back to win 6-4.

“Threes are just our nemesis this year,” Scheidegger said with a laugh. “I feel like every time we play it’s inevitable, so we’re used to it by now. We just rolled with it and it’s no big deal.

“The good thing is we already had two points so it was only a one-point deficit. It was OK.”

Masters: Scores | Standings | Draw Schedule | TV Schedule

After blanking the first and taking two in the second, Scheidegger pulled back into the lead with another pair in the fourth. Sweeting, who won the Tour Challenge Tier 1 title in September, wrecked both of her skip shots in five on guards to give up a steal of one and jammed with her last in the sixth to hand Scheidegger another point and trail 6-3.

Scheidegger put the pressure on in the seventh to sit a triangle of counters and force Sweeting to make a raised takeout for just a single.

“Val made a great shot there to go to the eighth end and kudos to her,” Scheidegger said. “It was a good test for us because we’ve given up some leads as well in the eighth end. We stayed calm and were able to pull it out today.”

The team of Scheidegger, third Cary-Anne McTaggart, second Jessie Scheidegger and lead Kristie Moore have brought along fifth Susan O’Connor this week. Team Scheidegger is looking a lot like 2010 Olympic silver medallists Team Cheryl Benard with O’Connor having played third on that team and Moore serving as their alternate. Carolyn McRorie, who threw second for Bernard, is also Team Scheidegger’s coach.

“We’re slowly stealing all of Team Bernard’s Olympic team,” Scheidegger said. “Maybe Cheryl will come aboard somehow too. It’s a good fit for our team.”

It’s not the first time O’Connor has played with Scheidegger as she was also their fifth at provincials previously.

“She was just an awesome fit so we really wanted to have her back,” Scheidegger said. “We were so lucky she agreed to come back and play fifth for us.”

Team Scheidegger isn’t the only ones with their fifth player present for the Masters either with several other teams doing so as well as they prepare for December’s Olympic Trials in Ottawa.

“It’s a really, really good opportunity to even get pre-game practise with the fifth and play,” Scheidegger said. “It’s an awesome opportunity to practise that. We wanted Sue to come and we were lucky this event was in Alberta and she’s able to drive here.”

Elsewhere, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones defeated Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., 7-3 in a repeat of the 2013 Olympic Trials final.

Alina Paetz of Switzerland stole two in the extra end to edge Jacqueline Harrison of Mississauga, Ont., 8-6.

Russia’s Anna Sidorova topped American Jamie Sinclair 6-5.

The Masters continues at the Centennial Civic Centre with Draw 2 Tuesday at 8 p.m. MT.

NOTES: The Masters is the second event and first major of the 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season. … Round-robin action runs through to Friday with the quarterfinals and semifinals Saturday and finals set for Sunday. … TV coverage begins Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet and online at Sportsnet NOW (Canada) or gsoc.yaretv.com (international).