Defending Canadian champion Homan clinches second at Canadian Curling Trials

WINNIPEG – Defending Canadian champion Rachel Homan cemented second spot in the women’s standings Thursday at the Canadian Curling Trials with a little help.

Homan defeated Stefanie Lawton 6-5 in the final game of the seven-game round robin.

Then the Ottawa skip avoided being part of a four-way tie for second when Edmonton’s Val Sweeting lost 9-8 in an extra end to Renee Sonnenberg.

That meant Homan, Winnipeg’s Chelsea Carey and Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh all finished with 4-3 records.

However, Homan clinched second and a berth in the semifinal game Friday night due to skill-based rankings that involved draws to the button throughout the week.

Carey and Middaugh will meet in a tiebreaker Friday afternoon for the right to face Homan in the semifinal contest.

Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones had already cemented first in the standings and a bye to the final Saturday night and will watch her competitors battle it out.

Jones defeated Edmonton’s Heather Nedohin 6-5 to finish with a 6-1 record while Nedohin posted a 3-4 mark.

Carey had a chance to grab second outright but lost 7-6 to Middaugh.

Middaugh, who’s competing in her fourth trials, led 5-3 after six ends and stole another point in the seventh.

Carey rebounded with a nose hit for three in the eighth to tie it 6-6 but Middaugh scored one in the 10th for the victory.