Renee Sonnenberg of Grande Prairie said a few weeks ago that her team has always played well on arena ice because it’s super quick with lots of movement.
So far, that trend has held up in the Capital One Road to the Roar Olympic curling pre-trials at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium.
Sonnenberg downed Laura Crocker of the Saville Centre 9-4 on Wednesday night for her second straight win, breaking open a close 4-4 game after seven ends by scoring a single point in eight and then stealing another point in nine and three more in 10.
With the victory, Sonnenberg, a 42-year-old teacher who took time off to prepare for the 12-team triple-knockout competition, and her rink of Lawnie MacDonald, Mary-Anne McTaggart and Rona Pasika advances to the A Event final against 2007 world curling champion Kelly Scott of Kelowna, B.C., at Thursday noon MST.
The winner moves directly into the Page Playoff A-B game on Saturday night, where it will be one win from advancing to the Tim Hortons Roar of the Rings Olympic trials Dec. 1-9 at Winnipeg.
Scott scored a narrow 6-5 decision over Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont., in the other A Event semifinal after blowing a 5-2 lead after seven ends.
Crocker and her young team of Erin Carmody, Rebecca Pattison and Jen Gates drops into the B Event quarter-finals against Cathy Auld of Mississauga, Ont., at Thursday noon while Val Sweeting and her Saville Centre team of Joanne Courtney, Dana Ferguson and Rachelle Pidherny takes on McCarville in the 7 a.m. draw Thursday. Sweeting split her first two games on Tuesday, before getting a day off Wednesday.
In the other B Event quarter-final, Shannon Kleibrink of Calgary plays Tracy Horgan of Sudbury, Ont.
In the men’s A Event semifinals, John Morris and his new rink from Vernon/Kelowna, B.C., overcame a 5-3 deficit after five ends by scoring seven answered points over the next four ends for a 10-5 victory over Greg Balsdon of Elgin, Ont., and 2006 Olympic gold medallist Brad Gushue of St. John’s, NL, romped to an easy 10-4 triumph
over Jake Higgs of Glencoe, Ont.
