(Posted 2:30 a.m., Feb. 9)
Orléans skip comes up short in bid for Canadian Junior title
By Fred Sherwin
Orléans Online

As the saying goes, "That which doesn't kill you, only makes you stronger." Orléans skip Rachel Homan is hoping that losing to Manitoba in the final of the Canadian Junior Curling Championship on Sunday will help make her team stronger as they strive to qualify for the Olympic Trials next fall.

Homan and teammates Emma Miskew, Alison Kreviazuk and Lynn Kreviazuk were in tough against a very focused Manitoba rink skipped by Kaitlyn Lawes who were looking to defend the title they won last year.

After blanking the first two ends with the hammer, Homan was forced to take a point in the third after Lawes made a great freeze on her last shot. The Manitoba skip then blanked the fourth end after she and Homan traded a pair of difficult double takeouts.

Lawes had to settle for a point in the fifth, as did Homan in the sixth when her draw for two racked on the guard.

With Ontario up 2-1, Manitoba managed to score two in the seventh when Homan's last shot was too heavy, leaving Lawes with a wide open draw to the four foot.

In the pivotal eighth end, Homan attempted a difficult double on her last rock to try and score a deuce, but when her shooter hit the top rock a hair too thick she ended up allowing Lawes to steal a point and take a commanding two point lead with two ends still to play.

In the ninth end, Homan got her deuce to tie the game, but Lawes had the hammer coming home. When Homan hit and rolled out of the house with her last rock in the 10th, the championshop went to Manitoba for the second year in row.

It was a disappointing loss for Team Ontario, who by their own admission played didn't have their A-game going. The foursome shot 75 per cent as a group compared to 82 per cent for Manitoba and Homan was outshot at the skip position 63 per cent to 72.

"We struggled today. We didn't play our best, for sure," said Homan who still has one year of eligibility left at the junior level. "It wasn't our day, I guess. We tried to mix it up (early) but we didn't have our guard weight."

The Ontario rink will have plenty of time to lick their wounds before heading off to the Grey Power Players Championship from April 14-19.

(This story was made possible thanks to the generous support of our local business partners.)

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