Morning Issue 4 – Sunday, January 15, 2012 • An Official Publication of the Canadian Curling Association. It’s crunch time North America 120 Was it the Eve of destruction for Team North America? Eve Muirhead registered a big win over North America’s Amber Holland to help her crew to a big lead head- World 170 ing into Sunday. Glenn Howard kept his team alive with a win over Niklas Edin. All the tickets. All the time. February 18-26, 2012 March 3-11, 2012 March 17-25, 2012 Page 2 Sunday, January 15, 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup • Day 3 Down to the skins of their teeth By Larry Wood Morning Cup editor Thirty-one points. That’s what Team World requires today from the 110 available in the final two skins games that will conclude the World Financial Group Continental Cup at the Langley Events Centre. For a time on Saturday night, it appeared Team North America might be poised for a major comeback in 30-point skins action but only Glenn Howard was able to collect a final winner, leaving the visitors in front 170-120. Team World sends teams skipped by Bingyu Wang of China and Thomas Ulsrud of Norway into the fray today in final matches against Stefanie Lawton and Jeff Stoughton of Canada. “I would say it looks very, very good for us,” said World coach Peja Lindholm of Sweden following the Saturday ac- tion. “It’s going to be important to take every possible point that we can. We know they will have to play the carryover game, the only way to catch up in skins. We will have to be smart and calculate every shot. And we will have to work to keep them from taking chances for carryovers.” Lindholm says he and his captain David Hay of Scotland have every confidence in the Wang and Ulsrud units. “We trust Betty (Wang). We don’t speak Chinese so we just know she’ll go out there and execute. I’m very confident in that team. I’m sure they will give us some points. “If that gets us the win before the men’s game, that would be perfect. Otherwise, we have a very experienced team go- ing out there to close it.” Howard played a final end in which every rock appeared to be in play against Niklas Edin of Sweden but the Canadian veteran executed his last rock, a tight raise tap for a deuce and the final skin in a 25-5 decision. Amber Holland’s Canadian champ appeared to have its game with Euro champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland well in hand, too, but with 22 points available on the last end, Scotland and Team World’s Anna Sloan, third on Eve Muirhead’s crew got a big skins win against Holland rubbed into the open on a last-rock bury leaving Muirhead an open hit for the winning skin and a 26-4 duke. North America’s Amber Holland Saturday. Stoughton, directing Patti Lank, Jon Mead and Mackenzie Lindholm said a team bonding session prior to the start of you. Lank, looked to have control of his mixed skins match until this tournament “really has helped us”. “It turned out we lost another eight points as a team but we his last runback double was off-target leaving Ulsrud (Wang, “We’ve had better preparation here this year,” he said. “We still have a long way to go.” Greg Drummond, Sara Carlsson) with a 15-point skin, its didn’t have a chance before to do that. We’re trying to make Edin only managed one skin in the match but could have first of the match, and a 15-15 saw-off. each one better, not just playing for yourself. It’s a big team turned it around with a 10-point skin on the final end. “It’s always exciting in skins with so many points at stake here.” Brewster led his match with Fenson 10-4 playing the last in the last end,” said four-time world junior champion Muir- In Saturday afternoon singles, which features individual end but the Yanks forced a carryover to a button-draw on head, who will be departing today for Innsbruck to take part players playing six prescribed curling shots, Muirhead, Fenson’s last shot. as a role model in the World Youth Olympics. “One mistake Wang, Anette Norberg and Ulsrud logged victories. Muir- The Bemidji skip then drew the button with his shot but and she wins the game by 22 points. It’s nerve-wracking head defeated Holland 15-11, Wang shaded Lawton 21-20, Brewster following with a button draw that covered the cen- toward the end but that’s why we train so hard. Norberg bested Lank of the U.S. 19-11 and Ulsrud defeated tre measuring-stick pinhole. “I hope Betty can bring it home in the morning before I Howard 17-15. “That was fun,” said Brewster. “I thought he was going to have to leave,” Muirhead added. In other matches, Stoughton outpointed Tom Brewster of cover the hole but he just made the button so he gave us a Stoughton wasn’t nonchalant about the prospect of grind- Scotland 25-16 and Pete Fenson of the U.S. edge Edin 15-14. little out. All I was thinking was ‘don’t be heavy, throw it to ing out a possible comeback in today’s 5 p.m. final. Brewster covered the pinhole with a last-rock draw and my sweepers and give it a chance’. Thankfully I did that.” “Hopefully, Stefanie’s team can close the gap a bit and Sweden’s two-time Olympic gold medallist Norberg and her Norberg and her team erased the sour taste of two team then we’ll see what we have to do in the final,” said the cur- team got untracked to win 20-point skins games Saturday losses on Thursday by taking five skins against Patti Lank of rent Canadian men’s champ. morning. the U.S. Lank, too, had a long chance to square the account “That’s all you want, a chance in the last game. If we have Canada’s Howard, directing Sherry Anderson, Brent Laing with a difficult last shot in the eighth end but it didn’t come off. to run the table we’ll try to run the table but as long as we and Sherri Singler, succeeded in keep the Americans within “I like playing the skins,” said Norberg, “and I think we have a chance, that’s the main thing.” shouting distance, hanging an 18-2 mixed skins beating on played a little better today. Lawton, whose Saskatoon outfit will carry the North Edin and his team of Muirhead, Cristoffer Svae and Qingsh- “It takes a couple of games to get used to the ice — we’re American banner at 10:30 a.m., said she’d rather be playing uang Yue. used to it being much straighter — and you have so few that sitting on the bench. “The skins seemed to work for us,” said Howard, a veteran games here, when you’re just getting stated it’s over.” “I like playing the game,” she said. “I find it much more of the format. “I have to commend the two Sherry(i)s, they The Cup debate concludes Sunday with women’s 55-point nerve-wracking on the bench so I know our girls are going to played great. That was a well-curled skins game — pretty skins (Stefanie Lawton of Canada vs. Bingyu Wang of be ready to play hard. We’ll just have to try to keep our team darn close to as good as it gets. I thought we had Niklas in China) at 10:30 a.m. and 55-point men’s skins (Jeff Stough- in it.” trouble every end and, ironically enough, if he sticks his last angle raise we go to a draw-to-the-button. But that’s skins for ton of Canada vs. Thomas Ulsrud of Norway) at 5 p.m. Jeff Stoughton will skip North On deck . America in the big 55 point Sunday’s Matches skins game Draw 10 Draw 11 Sunday after- 10:30 am 5:00 pm noon. ‘C’ Final Women’s Skins Game – 55 points ‘C’ Final Men’s Skins Game – 55 points avail- available Sheet B Women’s World (Bingyu able Sheet B Men’s World (Thomas Ulsrud) vs Wang) vs North America (Stefanie Lawton) North America (Jeff Stoughton) 7:45 pm Closing Ceremonies 8:30 pm Champions Reception 2012 World Financial Group Continental Cup of Curling - Morning Cup Page 3 So where do we go from here? unny thing about the World Financial Group’s Conti- nental Cup competition. After seven go-rounds, and an eighth about to be ushered into curling’s library of history,F the jury is still out — way, way out — on the sport’s answer to golf’s immensely popular Ryder Cup concept. The competitors, of course, have been loud advocates of the event from Round One. Everyone from Kevin Martin and Jennifer Jones and Glenn Howard and Amber Holland, Peja Lindholm to Anette Norberg to Thomas Ulsrud, have revelled in the fun, and relished the feelings and the camaraderie that goes with this team-full-of-teams event. You won’t, in fact, find a curler who has participated here who wouldn’t be clamouring to get back. To a man and a woman, they love it. LARRY WOOD The people at the World Financial Group like it, too.