Defending champ Einarson shakes off rust at Scotties

Falling behind early was a wake-up call for Kerri Einarson.

The two-time defending champion from Gimli, Man., used a steal of three in the fourth end to take the lead, then grabbed control of the match by scoring four in the sixth for a 12-5, eight-end win over Ontario’s Hollie Duncan at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont., on Saturday.

Einarson, who trailed 2-0 after the opening end, said her team hadn’t played since losing in a tiebreaker during the Olympic curling trails in November. After the lay off, it took her some time to read the ice.

“We were a little rusty,” said the 34-yearold mother of twin daughters. “Both sides [of the ice] were kind of different and we got caught on a couple of paths. Once I woke a little bit, we started catching on to that.”

Facing three Ontario rocks in the second end, Einarson made a takeout for a point, then tied the game when she stole a single in the third after Duncan missed on a hit and roll.

Duncan was light on a draw in the fourth, allowing Einarson to steal three.

“That was the turning point in the game,” said Einarson. “We got the game in our control and kept that pressure on them.”

In a see-saw battle, Quebec’s Laurie StGeorges tied the game with a steal in the 10th, then used another steal in the extra end to defeat Alberta’s Laura Walker 9-8. Walker used a highlight-reel takeout in the eighth to score four points to take an 8-5 lead.

“It was a great game, it was a high-intensity game,” said St-Georges, of Laval, Que., who is making her second Scotties appearance. “It’s actually exciting to have a first win in the books.”

Third Hailey Armstrong said the team has a playbook setting out different situations they could face. Being down a point in the 10th end without the hammer was one of the scenarios.

“It was stuck in our brains what we needed to do,” she said.

In other Pool B matches, Manitoba’s Mackenzie Zacharias edged Mary-Anne Arsenault of B.C. 6-5, while Christina Black of Nova Scotia defeated Kerry Galusha of the N.W.T. 7-5 in nine ends.

The competition to crown the Canadian women’s curling champion is being held at the Fort Williams Gardens. Due to COVID19 concerns the event is being staged in an empty arena without fans or media in the building.

Curling Canada has scrapped plans to offer a modified ticket plan for the final three days of the event, which ends Feb. 6.

“After careful thought and consideration, the risks of opening the venue after establishing protocols were not favourable in keeping all participants safe,” Curling Canada CEO Katherine Henderson said.

The 2021 Scotties was also played in a bubble without fans in Calgary.