If Robyn Silvernagle had any doubts about whether or not those at Mosaic Place would be in her corner at crunch-time, she found out in her first game of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.
After letting New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford back into the game with a steal of two in the seventh to tie it at 4, the North Battleford skip needed a delicate tap for two to take control again which she executed much to the delight of those in attendance who roared loudly.
It paved the way to running Crawford out of stones in the 10th as Team Saskatchewan started things off with a 6-4 win.
Saskatche”wins”. @TeamSilvernagle. #STOH2020 pic.twitter.com/FCwyRckYng
— Mitchell Blair (@mblairYQR) February 15, 2020
Hearing the crowd when I made that shot in nine and again when I made a runback in 10 to end it, there were goosebumps. “Silvernagle said. “It’s awesome.”
That being said, Silvernagle admitted that host province or not getting that first win was big.
“It’s huge!” Silvernagle exclaimed. “Just get your feet under you, get the nerves out and get playing. Once you do that, you sort of forget about the crowd, get into your groove and get going.”
In other Draw 1 games, Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville beat Team Canada’s Chelsea Carey 8-3 in a rematch of the 2016 championship game. Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault defeated Kerry Galusha of the Territories 8-6,, and B.C’s Corryn Brown won her first ever Scotties contest as she knocked off Suzanne Birt of Prince Edward Island 7-5.
Before the action got underway, the ceremonial first rock was thrown by Jan Betker. Betker, the 3rd on the Sandra Schmirler team, was joined by her teammates Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit with Schmirler’s daughters, Sara and Jenna England in the house awaiting the stone.
With Sandra Schmirler’s daughters in the house, the ceremonial 1st rock of #STOH2020 is thrown by Jan Betker with Joan McCusker and Marcia Gudereit sweeping. pic.twitter.com/Jjo60ZahEv
— Mitchell Blair (@mblairYQR) February 15, 2020
In the second draw Saturday night, the marquee game had Ontario’s Rachel Homan playing Jennifer Jones who is Team Wildcard. Homan beat Jones 9-6. Newfoundland’s Erika Curtis doubled up the Yukon’s Hailey Burnie 6-3, Kerri Einarsson’s Manitoba rink beat Scotties rookie Noemie Verreault of Quebec 9-4 and Nunavut’s Lori Eddy was beaten by Laura Walker of Alberta by a score of 8-3. This is Walker’s first Scotties as well.
On Sunday, Silvernagle will play Carey in the afternoon draw at 1:30 and Eddy in the evening draw at 6:30.