What an NCAA rule change might mean for junior hockey in Sask.
Nov 18, 2024
Previously, WHL players were declared ineligible to play NCAA hockey in the U.S.
The first-place finishers in the two round-robin pools at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts are one loss away from elimination after playoff action Friday.
The Wild Card #1 team skipped by Tracy Fleury and the defending Canadian champions led by Kerri Einarson both lost in Draw 21 play at the Canadian women’s curling championship tournament in Thunder Bay, Ont.
Fleury, who posted a 7-1 record to finish atop Pool A, was beaten 8-3 by Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville. Einarson, who was 8-0 in the round-robin to lead Pool B, lost 8-6 to New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford.
McCarville and Crawford will meet in the 1-2 Page playoff game Saturday evening, with the winner advancing to Sunday evening’s final. The loser will fall into Sunday afternoon’s semifinal, where they’ll face the winner of Saturday afternoon’s clash between Fleury and Einarson.
In the first game of the day Friday, Kerry Galusha of the Northwest Territories beat Manitoba’s Mackenzie Zacharias 8-6 in a tiebreaker.
In the first playoff round, Crawford downed Galusha 8-6 and McCarville defeated Nova Scotia’s Christina Black 11-8.
Against Fleury, McCarville stole two in the second end, one in the third, one in the fourth and two in each of the fifth and sixth ends and cruised from there.
Crawford stole one in the first, one in the second and two in the third against Einarson before the two-time defending champion scored three in the fourth and stole one in the fifth to knot the score.
The New Brunswick squad replied with one in the sixth and steals of one in each of the seventh and eighth ends to lead 7-4. Einarson put up a deuce in the ninth, but Crawford scored one in the 10th to seal it.