® Moose Jaw 2012 Issue 2 – Thursday, November 29, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. Winnipeg winners Winnipeg’s Mike McEwen remains one of four perfect teams after a pair of wins Wednesday at the Capital One Canada Cup. Fellow Winnipeg crews – Jeff Stoughton and Kaitlyn Lawes (inset), (Team Jennifer Jones) are also unbeaten, as is Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton. From the World Financial Group Continental Cup in Penticton to the Scotties in Kingston. From the Tim Hortons Brier in Edmonton to the Ford World Men’s in Victoria. There are curling fans everywhere who would love to have some rocks in their socks! Page 2 Thursday, November 29, 2012 Lawton, Lawes flawless after Day 1 BY LARRY WOOD Morning Cup Editor One’s in and one’s out in terms of Olympic Trials qualifying but both authored double-win records on opening day at the Capital Cup Canada Cup on Wednesday at Mosaic Place. Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton, who has been scratching and clawing her way in the direction of a Trials berth for some years, walloped Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh 10-4 and defending Canadian champion Heather Nedohin of Edmonton 8-5 on back-to-back draws. The Kaitlyn Lawes-skipped Jennifer Jones aggregation, the defending Canada Cup champ from Winnipeg that already has qualified for the Trials, matched that output with a 9-7 conquest of Calgary’s Crystal Webster backed by a 9-6 decision against Winnipeg rival Cathy Overton-Clapham, who just happens to be the vice-skip Lawes replaced a couple of seasons ago. “Somebody’s going to be happy here so why not us?” asked the 32-year-old Lawton. “I think we’re playing well, we’ve won two of the Slams, staying loose, enjoying events like this. That’s where we want to be. It’s good because you have to play against the top teams in Canada every time out. Sherry Anderson (left) and Stefanie Lawton talk strategy Wednesday. “Overall I think we have more confidence this year.” Added veteran vice-skip Sherry Anderson: admitted. “It allows us to work on a few things. The Second Sherri Singler and the skip’s sister, Marliese “Do we expect to be 8-and-0 this week? No. But we only pressure we face is what we put on ourselves. Kasner, round out the home-favoured Saskatchewan expect to play well every game and be in the groove. We’re just trying learn and get better and keep raising foursome of Lawton, a two-time Canada Cup champ. And if you win ‘em, that’s great, like today. bars as best we can.” Teams directed by Nedohin, Webster and Middaugh “We’re up there, we’re throwing them well, we all had Having played the bonspiel circuit this fall without bounced back for subsequent victories to finish the draw weight and that’s the main thing. You get a good skip Jones, the team hardly has missed a beat. day at 1-1. feel the first day and we came out with two wins so “I’ve had a good skip to learn from,: said Lawes. “It’s Nedohin drew a nibble of the four-foot Wednesday there’s nothing better than that.” been a great experience, and I’ve had the best front night to shaded Winnipeg’s Chelsea Carey 9-7. The Lawes crew wasn’t saying as much but, end in the world working for me and throwing in Webster and Middaugh equalized in the afternoon, obviously, they were of a similar mind even if their front of me. That has made my job pretty easy.” the Calgary team 7-4 against Carey and the Coldwater goals may differ slightly. That front end, of course, consists of Jill Officer and crew 8-5 over Overton-Clapham. The latter pair are “We’re in a good spot,” the 23-year-old Lawes Dawn Askin. winless heading into today’s action. 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We had some good shots at the right times.” A year ago, Mike McEwen sauntered into The perennial Manitoba champ would like the Canada Cup at Cranbrook on the nation’s nothing better than to dispense with the hottest win streak and watched his whole suspense regarding the Trials berths. season seemingly trickle away inside of a “You want to get it over with,” he week. admitted. “You don’t want to keep watching So Wednesday’s double on the victory side the points, worrying about getting to the of the ledger at Mosaic Place was a pleasant Brier, and, omigosh, I think it would relax experience for the Winnipeg skip and is unit us and maybe even give us a better chance of B.J. Neufeld, Matt Wozniak and Denni of getting to the Brier.” Neufeld. Stoughton said his team is “going better”. “We feel really rested this week,” said “We felt we were average last year but McEwen. when we looked it over we felt we weren’t “I think this season was much better thought that bad. We have our drive and focus going out and planned than in some other years. right now for this event and I think we’re We’ve come in here dog tired before and just a little more consistent.” played like it, too.” Koe, defending champion Kevin Martin McEwen opened with an 8-2 afternoon of Edmonton and rookie John Epping of thrashing of Brad Gushue’s Newfoundlanders Toronto finished Day One at 1-1 while in a game that blew up when Gushue was Howard and Brad Gushue of St. John’s each flagged for a sixth-end hogline violation lost twice. in a tie situation and the issue petered out Martin topped Gushue 10-7 in the from there. A few hours later, the Manitoban evening after losing 7-6 to Epping on turned up the heat and socked world dawn patrol. Koe defeated Epping 5-3 in champion Glenn Howard of Coldwater, Ont., the afternoon with a deciding deuce in the by a 7-6 count. eighth panel. Keeping pace with McEwen at 2-and-0 was his crosstown Winnipeg nemesis Jeff McEwen and Gushue were embroiled in a thriller until Gushue was called on Stoughton, the 2011 world champion, who whipped Howard 9-5 in the morning and a hogline violation in the sixth and McEwen was afforded a routine draw for a rallied for a 7-5 duke against current CTRS points leader Kevin Koe of Calgary on the tiebreaking three-spot. late shift. “I have to take the blame,” said Gushue. “I don’t know if we’ve ever won our first game here,” McEwen, who has played in “I double-clutched and it cost us three points. That took the wind of our sails. Then four renewals, said earlier. “That feels good. We know we’re going to have to win four we tried a shot for two because we didn’t think one was enough and that didn’t work, or five games to get into the playoffs. Every game looks like a feature game you could either. I just can’t make the kind of mistakes I made there in the sixth end.” put on TV, so we’ve got to win as many as we can. Epping tagged Martin with a four in the third end and Edmonton’s Old Bear failed “It was a good first day. You’re never going to have perfection on the first day. We to fully recover although the issue was stretched to Epping’s final stone. got a big break in the first game.” “Scott (Epping third Bailey) made two beauties to set up that four,” said Martin. Stoughton took his twin successes in stride. “But to come right back with three (in the fourth) would have taken away their “It was a struggle for both sides (in the morning),” he said. “There were some momentum. To get only one, that stung. Obviously we’d like to be playing better.” We don’t hibernate. Discover winter in Saskatchewan and enjoy all the fun this season brings. Get started at TourismSaskatchewan.com. Then show us how great winter in Saskatchewan can be by sharing your pictures and stories on Facebook, Twitter and Pinterest. TourismSaskatchewan.com 1-877-237-2273 Proud sponsors of the 2012 Capital One Canada Cup of Curling. 5836 Can. Cup of Curling ad.indd 1 12-10-23 11:24 AM Page 4 Thursday, November 29, 2012 Taking the ice to The Strip Skips weigh-in on Vegas deal ith Canada Cup skips and other players the U.S. Hopefully work and family to do what we need to do to prepare this week, it’s pretty well unanimous . that would be take for Russia. So you throw in Vegas? I think it’s great! and then some.