For the second straight day there was an amazing comeback at the 2024 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. After the Northwest Territories came back from a seven-point deficit on Tuesday to beat Ontario 10-9, Alberta came back from a 6-1 deficit to beat Northern Ontario 10-9 in 11 ends.
A reason why Alberta mounted the comeback is because they were aggressive, and put a lot of rocks in play. Alberta skip Selena Sturmay stole one point in the eighth end and three points in the ninth end. Sturmay explains why the comeback occurred.
“Yeah, we ended up swapping around a couple of rocks,” explained Sturmay, who had a straighter rock in the early ends that lacked curl. She stated that not all the rocks are the same, “and it is tough to get a read when every rock is doing something different.”
Team Alberta was also the first team at the 2024 Scotties to make the playoffs. Sturmay was just pleased Alberta was able to “grind it out” and stated their playoff berth was “amazing.”
Three other teams have joined Alberta (6-1) in the playoffs. They are Canada (6-1), Ontario’s Rachel Homan (6-0), and Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones (5-1). In Pool A, Northern Ontario controls their own destiny and makes the playoffs with a win over Manitoba’s Kaitlyn Lawes. British Columbia’s Corryn Brown makes the playoffs if British Columbia beats Alberta and if Northern Ontario loses. If Northern Ontario and British Columbia lose, there could be a five-way tie if Quebec beats Prince Edward Island. If there is a five-way tie, they go head-to-head among the five teams as the tiebreaker. In the games played among the five teams, Northern Ontario is 2-2, Manitoba is 2-2, Saskatchewan is 2-2, Quebec is 2-2, and British Columbia is 2-2. Under a five-way tie scenario, Lawes advances based on the last stone draw.
In Pool B, it is a lot easier to understand. One playoff spot is available. If British Columbia’s Clancy Grandy beats Manitoba’s Kate Cameron, they are in. However they could be eliminated if Cameron wins twice today.