By Shawn Coates (@shawncoates)
Chelsea Carey gives directions as Sherry Middaugh (blue) watches in women’s tie-breaker action at MTS Centre on Friday, December 6, 2013. (SHAWN COATES / CHRISD.CA)
Team Middaugh members Lee Merklinger (left) and Leigh Armstrong discuss strategy on Friday afternoon. (SHAWN COATES / CHRISD.CA)
WINNIPEG — The Fort Rouge CC teams of Mike McEwen and Chelsea Carey bowed out the 2013 Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Olympic curling trials in daytime action Friday at MTS Centre.
McEwen lost 5-4 to Kevin Koe in his final round-robin game. Carey fell 6-3 to Sherry Middaugh in the women’s tie-breaker game.
DRAW 14 — MEN’S SIDE
McEwen needed to win his game against Koe and also have John Morris lose to Kevin Martin in order to force a men’s tie-breaker.
Martin did, in fact, beat Morris by a 7-6 score but McEwen couldn’t keep up his end of the scenario. Koe made a draw on his final throw in the 10th end to earn the win.
Brad Jacobs improved to 7-0 by defeating John Epping 7-4. Jeff Stoughton won his final game by a 9-3 score over Glenn Howard in eight ends.
WOMEN’S TIE-BREAKER
Less than 24 hours after dueling each other, Carey and Middaugh faced each other again, this time in the women’s tie-breaker.
A close, low-scoring affair early on, the teams were knotted at two entering the eighth end. Carey’s team missed a couple of shots that left Middaugh sitting three on Carey’s first shot. Carey made a double takeout but eventually Middaugh hit for two to break the game open.
“It was a pretty good game,” Carey said. “I think I missed one shot. They played extremely well. There’s not a lot you can do about that. We had a couple of misses in eight that got us in trouble and gave them a deuce. They never looked back after that.”
Though obviously disappointed that her road to the Olympics this year came to an end, Carey was proud of her squad.
“We gave ourselves a chance, which we said at the start of the week we wanted to do. Today didn’t go our way. We didn’t play that bad, it just didn’t go our way.”
As she has been all week, Carey was classy in speaking about the trials.
“The event was absolutely spectacular. I have nothing but unbelievable things to say about the people, the venue, the ice… it was wonderful. It was a dream come true to be able to play in it. I wish we could have won that one for the crowd. It was amazing to play in and be part of.”
Middaugh now faces Rachel Homan in the women’s semifinal Friday at 6:30 p.m. The winner will go on to play Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones in the final Saturday night.
