Day One Wrap-Up
December 7, 2009
- Article by Brad Norman
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The first day of the Canadian curling Olympic Trials is over. From the men's teams, there were very few surprises. The women, on the other hand, saw upsets in almost every game.
Kevin Martin, one of the favorites at this years trials, started off against the rookie team from Manitoba, skipped by Jason "The Gunner" Gunnlaugson. While everyone is cautious not to count out the 24-year old Gunnlaugson, it's difficult to imagine he could stand up against The Old Bear. But Gunnlaugson gave Martin a good run for his money on Sunday evening. In fact, after six ends, Gunnlaugson held a 4-3 lead over Martin. Martin pulled of a deuce in the sixth, however, and followed it up with a steal of one in the eight. This allowed Martin to coast safely to victory, securing his first win of the event.
Jeff Stoughton and Glenn Howard also put off a good show in the first men's draw. Stoughton closed out the first half of the game well, grabbing three points in the fifth to jump ahead with a 4-2 lead. Howard slowly chipped away at that lead in the second half and ultimately inched ahead with a steal in the tenth end to win the game 5-4.
Kevin Koe started his Olympic dream on the right foot. His team from Alberta put together a solid effort against Pat Simmons, winning the game 8-5.
The last game during this men's draw featuring two more powerhouse teams, Wayne Middaugh and Randy Ferbey. Despite stealing a point in the last end, Middaugh couldn't catch up to Ferbey. The Ferbey-Four won the game 9-7.
On the women's side, there were a few upsets. Sheet 'A' saw Shannon Kleibrink, the 2006 Olympic representative, take on Crystal Webster. Webster pounded Kleibrink, leading 4-1 after seven ends. The final nail in the coffin came in the tenth end, where Webster stole three more points, completing an 8-3 victory.
Jennifer Jones, reigning Tournament of Hearts champion, also faced disappointment on day one. She fell 8-5 to Amber Holland, one of curling's rising stars.
On sheet C, Krista McCarville faced off against Cheryl Bernard. The young McCarville squad was looking good against Bernard early in the game. They held a slight edge heading into the tenth and final end. But it was in that last end where everything came unravelled for McCarville. Bernard capitalized on a string of misses by the McCarville team, scoring a massive five points. This gave Bernard the 11-7 win.
Kelly Scott and Stefanie Lawton were the other two teams on the ice during this draw. With two big names like this going head-to-head, everyone expected a close match. That's exactly what we saw. Both teams poured on the offensive, with each team scoring a few multi-point ends. Lawton, however, couldn't quite keep up with Scott, and lost the game 8-7.
The action from this year's Olympic trials continues on Monday, with the first draw taking place 8:30 local time, 10:30 ET. Follow it all right here at Curling Scoops.
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