Griffins qualify for playoffs at CCAA nationals after finishing 4-3 in round-robin

Jefferson Hagen / MacEwan Athletics

LEDUC – The myriad scenarios in play during the final round-robin game of the women's curling draw at the Canadian Colleges Athletic Association nationals on Tuesday morning were enough to give a thousand monkeys on a thousand typewriters fits trying to figure it out.

When the dust cleared, though, all the MacEwan Griffins needed to know was they're in the playoffs.

The rink of skip Ashton Simard, third Erin Wells, second Andie Kurjata and lead Sara Fraser is among the final four teams which will battle in the semifinals on Tuesday night at the Leduc Rec Centre (7:30 p.m.).

"We were up in the stands and we just kept refreshing the page to see if we were in," said Griffins third Erin Wells. "But we're happy. Four's still good."

MacEwan finished at 4-3 to claim the No. 4 seed and will meet No. 1 Fanshawe (6-1) in one semifinal, while No. 2 Camosun (5-2) faces No. 3 NAIT (4-3) in the other. The winners will play for gold and the losers go for bronze in Wednesday's final (12 p.m.).

"It means everything," said Simard of getting into the playoffs. "It's what we've been working for all year. It's exciting. We're ready to go."

The craziest outcome on the table prior to Draw 7 was the possibility of a five-way tie for three available playoff positions.

It never came to that, even if the MacEwan Griffins had to survive some drama after losing their final round-robin game. They wound up in a three-way tie for third at 4-3, but joined NAIT in qualifying over Niagara based on the latter losing to both ACAC teams in the preliminary round.

Red Deer College, whom MacEwan beat 8-6 on Monday night, had a chance to join the tiebreaker but lost 13-5 to winless Fleming and were eliminated, while Camosun avoided it altogether, getting to 5-2 with a 14-6 win over Holland.

If you viewed the draw, though, you wouldn't have found MacEwan coach Tom Kitagawa scoreboard watching.

"I don't look at every other scenario," he said. "I look at what do we have to do to get in?"

The Griffins didn't exactly enter the playoffs through Door No. 1. If they had beaten Fanshawe on Tuesday morning, they would have automatically qualified. After they lost 9-5, they were already in based on the RDC loss, but had to sweat it out for another 42 minutes while NAIT took out Niagara in an extra end before it was official.

"The goal is always to make it into playoffs," said Kitagawa. "Like I told the girls this morning – win two games and you've got the gold medal – but you've got to make playoffs first. We won the right game (7-6 over Niagara on Sunday). Let's face it."

So, the Griffins will get the same opponent as they had earlier in the day – the Fanshawe Falcons of London, Ont. – who won the Tuesday morning draw by building an early 4-1 lead and never relinquishing it.

"It was a little back and forth," said Simard. "We missed some key ones and gave them some points. If we tighten that up and we should be good."

MacEwan's best chance came in the ninth end when they were in the process of setting up a potential monster steal, lying three in the house. But Simard's first shot, aimed at being a guard, was too heavy, leading to a double takeout, and she missed her last, too, allowing Fanshawe to score two with a final-shot takeout.

But live and learn. There are lessons to be applied to tonight.

"We just need to watch the ice and how it curls and maybe adjust where we're putting the broom," said Wells of well-played arena ice that flattens in the evenings.

After all, the Griffins have proven they can beat anyone at this bonspiel. They may have qualified fourth into the playoffs, but the stats show they were the best team in the round robin with a tournament-leading 71 per cent shooting average.

"The girls, generally speaking, played very well overall," said Kitagawa. "We were up and down in spots and the unfortunate thing was we sometimes picked the wrong spots to miss."

EXTRA ENDS ... Wells finished the round-robin as the tournament's top third, curling 71 per cent ... Simard tied for the second-best skip (68 per cent) ... Kurjata tied for the second-best second (72 per cent) ... Fraser was third-best among leads who played the position through all seven draws (71 per cent).