McFarlane stuns Cameron, sits tied atop pool

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 24/01/2025 (238 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

PILOT MOUND — Considering how Hailey McFarlane’s season began, her week is off to a surprising start.

The Neepawa-based rink, including Brandon’s Janelle Lach at third, Dauphin’s Stacy Sime at second and Saskatchewan native Hallie McCannell at lead, is tied for the lead of Pool A at the RME Women of the Rings heading into the last draw of the first round.

“Our expectation going into it was let’s just have some fun, make some shots and see what happens,” said McFarlane, who was recovering from a C-section when most teams hit the ice in the fall.

And she wasn’t the only one delayed. Lach and Sime are farmers while McCannell competes in rodeos, so they only started practising in late October.

While they haven’t played as many bonspiels as they’d expect and are in their first year as a foursome — Sime joined this season while the other three teamed up in 2023-24 — they’ve figured out a system that works.

McFarlane might actually be the one with the least skipping experience as the other three called the game for junior teams or other rinks over the past few years.

“It definitely helps to have a few members on the team who are good strategists for sure,” McFarlane said.

“With this lineup, I honestly feel like we all know what our roles are, we’re really good at staying in those roles and we’re very good at supporting each other in whatever capacity we need.”

They opened with a 7-5 loss to No. 4-seed Lisa McLeod but bounced back with an 8-7 extra-end win over Rachel Kaatz on Wednesday.

Needing at least one win on Thursday, they got a big one off the bat. The McFarlane downed No. 1 seed Kate Cameron, ranked eighth in the Canadian team ranking system, 9-5 in the morning draw.

McFarlane trailed 4-3 before a massive four points in the eighth end.

“It snuck up on us a bit,” Lach said of the four-ender. “We were making good shots and they just had the odd half-shot here and there. Kate was trying a triple on her last and it ran really straight and all of a sudden we had a hit for four. That was awesome.

“It was a lot of fun, it was a really good game. We really came together well, the four of us … to come out (like that) against the top seed was amazing.”

On paper, their next game against 12th-seed Cheyenne Ehnes should have been easier. But the winless team put up a fight before falling 8-7.

“This playing field is one of the most interesting … there’s obviously the top seeds that have competed more on the tour or slams or whatever but the rest of us, we’re good curlers, we love the game and we come out here and give it our all because it’s a special tournament,” McFarlane said.

McFarlane stole a point in the second end but gave up two in the third to fall back to a 2-2 tie.

The teams traded singles, then facing three and needing a piece of the eight-foot, McFarlane was heavy and gave up a steal of one to trail 4-3 heading to the seventh.

Cue the turning point. It started with Sime throwing a soft hit-and-roll behind a pair of corner guards before Ehnes removed one but knocked the other into the rings.

Ehnes’ third Makenna Hadway flashed on a takeout before Lach stuck hers to lie three. Hadway rebounded with perfect double-takeout, but Lach and McFarlane threw a pair of nice draws behind cover.

When Ehnes pulled the string on her last rock, McFarlane left hers right on the lid to score four and lead 7-4.

Ehnes refused to go away, replying with a routine draw for two in the eighth, then making a perfect draw behind cover and stealing one to tie it 7-7 heading home when McFarlane fanned her a raise takeout. While McFarlane controlled most of the 10th, Ehnes made one more beauty, a raise double to force the Neepawa skip to throw one more rock.

She threw it hard enough — and no more — to tap second shot ahead to secure the win.

“I didn’t throw it very well. My sweepers made that shot for me,” McFarlane said.

“I thought we lost because no one really indicated. I was just defeated and I went down to shake hands and found out we won so it was just a roller coaster of emotions.”

Her sweepers knew they had to work when it left her hand. Even Lach came out and dragged the stone enough to secure the win.

“We all know the feeling of that pressure last shot so we’re all very supportive of each other and try to bring each other up, not tear each other down,” Lach said. “We all know how it feels to make or miss your last shot.”

McFarlane’s big morning game wasn’t the only upset as McLeod fell 10-4 to Kaatz in the same draw.

Kaatz (1-3) was the victim of Cameron’s revenge game, though. The top seed scored three in the opening end and put on an offensive clinic with three deuces en route to a 9-3 rout in six ends.

In the other afternoon game, McLeod topped Sarah-Jane Sass 6-4.

McFarlane and Sass meet today at 9 a.m. McFarlane advances with a win but will fall to a three-way tie for second with a loss since McLeod plays Cameron.

McFarlane said she currently leads the draw-to-the-button tiebreaker, but the win is still important as records carry forward to the three-game championship round, with only three of six teams reaching Sunday’s playoffs.

“It’d be great to be 4-1, make sure we secure a spot in the championship pool, have that confidence going forward,” McFarlane said.

“But I’m going to try to just be shot by shot, end by end because that’s how we play the best.”

» tfriesen@brandonsun.com

» Instagram: @thomasfriesen5