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Barker defeats Ackerman in final of SWCT Players Championship

Plenty of Moose Jaw flavour in title game bodes well for Viterra Scotties beginning Jan. 25
barker-players-championship
Team Barker perform their now-traditional victory leap after winning the Players Championship recently.

To say the least, it was a solid showing for Moose Jaw curling at the Sask Women’s Curling Tour Players Championship this past weekend in Yorkton.

With some of the top teams in the province battling out a week in advance of the Viterra Scotties championship, Moose Jaw’s Penny Barker ended up claiming the title with an 8-7 win over fellow Moose Jaw skip Skylar Ackerman in the title game on Sunday, Jan. 15.

The win marked the third-straight SWCT title for Barker, coming on the heels of their victory in Moose Jaw on the Oct. 28 weekend and at the Regina Highland on the Nov. 25 weekend.

It’s a path that’s similar to what Barker, third Christie Gamble, second Jenna Enge and lead Danielle Sicinski were on last season, when a string of Tour wins carried through the Viterra Scotties and led to their provincial title.

Ackerman has also been on a solid roll much of the season, with her success in the early part of the campaign landing her Saskatoon-based rink enough points to automatically qualify for the Scotties through the Sask Curling Team Ranking System. As one might expect, Barker was the top-ranked team on the Sask CTRS and also earned an automatic berth.

It was a solid run for both teams through the round robin in Yorkton, as Ackerman, Taylor Stremick, Kaylin Skinner and Ashley Thevenot -- subbing for Kya Kennedy -- finished with a 3-1 record. They defeated Regina’s Lorraine Schneider 11-5 in their opener before downing Saskatoon’s Jessica Mitchell 6-4 and dropping their lone preliminary round game 6-4 to Saskatoon’s Nancy Martin. That set up a must-win game against former Moose Jaw curling standout Amber Holland, where Ackerman would take a 7-0 win.

Barker also finished at 3-1, defeating Mitchell 11-1, Schneider 6-2 and Holland 7-2 before falling 6-4 to Martin in their final round robin game.

Barker rebounded with a win over Martin in the semifinal, while Ackerman defeated Regina’s Brooklyn Stevenson to book her spot in the title game.

The two rinks ended up in a back-and-forth battle for the championship, with Ackerman picking up a deuce in the first end and Barker a three-spot in the second, leading to Barker holding a 4-3 lead heading into the fifth end.

There, Ackerman looked to take control of things with a three-ender of her own, but Barker promptly put up a deuce to tie the game 6-6 through six. Barker was able to hold Ackerman to a single point in the seventh and had a draw with backing on her final shot for the win, where she’d make no mistake and take the 8-7 victory.

The two teams now turn their attention to the Viterra Scotties beginning Wednesday, Jan, 25 in Estevan. Ackerman is seeded fourth and faces the winner of Stevenson and former provincial champion Robin Silvernagle in their opener, while top-seeded Barker will take on the winner of Mitchell and Ashley Howard in their first game. 

The double knockout portion of the Scotties runs through Saturday, Jan. 28, with the Page playoffs beginning that evening. The semifinal takes place at 10 a.m. on Sunday, Jan. 29, with the title game at 1 p.m. that same day,

You can follow along with all the scores from the event, including livestreams, at www.saskcurl.ca.

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