Saskatchewan third Stefanie Lawton calls on her sweepers during a game Sunday at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts. (Andrew Klaver Photography/Curling Canada)

By Britton Gray

Saskatchewan loses to Northern Ontario after tense extra end

Feb 21, 2020 | 10:35 AM

Saskatchewan could’ve used a little less roll and a little more rock Wednesday night.

The team lost 4-3 in an extra end to Northern Ontario on the last night of the round-robin at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts inside Moose Jaw’s Mosaic Place.

It came down to the final rocks for Saskatchewan skip Robyn Silvernagle and Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville in the 11th end.

Silvernagle’s final draw attempt didn’t curl enough and was heavy.

“We were out a little bit wider and so when you have that, it slides a little bit better. We thought it might catch a little more curl and it just ended up sliding a little further than the sweepers had thought,” third Stefanie Lawton said.

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McCarville delivered with her final rock to earn the win, which moved Northern Ontario to 5-2 and into second place in Pool A. Manitoba finished atop the pool at 6-1.

It was a game of inches for Saskatchewan throughout Wednesday’s final draw.

Silvernagle tried to stick a takeout in the fourth end, but it rolled too far to give Northern Ontario a steal of one.

In the fifth, another Silvernagle takeout didn’t stick and rolled far enough to give Saskatchewan just one point instead of two.

Those two points are just some of the opportunities Saskatchewan let get away in the match.

“We had a couple chances for deuces and we were kind of on the wide side of a few shots,” lead Kara Thevenot said. “(There were) just a few things here and there. We were just off a little bit and they just showed up, that’s all.”

The loss dropped the Saskatchewan representatives to 4-3 and into a tiebreaker against Andrea Crawford’s New Brunswick team. That contest is set for Thursday at 8 a.m., with the winner advancing to the playoff round.

In the teams’ meeting on Day 1 of the Scotties, Saskatchewan won 6-4.

“The best part (of the situation) is that we’re not dead. We still have life so now it’s about getting a good rest and worrying about (Thursday’s) game and coming out firing again,” Thevenot said.

Lawton expects a tough game against New Brunswick.

“We know that they’re going to play well; they played very well against us the first game,” Lawton said. “We’ve got stronger and I’m sure that they’ve got stronger. We’re going to come out firing (Thursday).”

Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault is to meet B.C.’s Corryn Brown in another tiebreaker game Thursday morning. Those teams finished tied in Pool B with 4-3 records.

The first draw of the eight-team playoff round begins at 12:30 p.m.