'We're resilient': Nova Scotia's Black digs deep again, earns Scotties semifinal berth

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It’s been far from smooth sailing for Christina Black and her rink-mates from the Halifax Curling Club at the 2025 Scott Tournament of Hearts.

There have been tricky spots with tough manoeuvring needed to find passage through to the final day of the Canadian women’s curling championship.

Yet here are the Nova Scotia champions, just two wins away from reeling in the victory of their lifetimes in Thunder Bay, Ont.

“We’re resilient,” Black, the 37-year-old skip of a team made up of third Jillian Brothers, second Jennifer Baxter, lead Karlee Everist and alternate Marlee Powers, told reporters.

“We don’t give up and we support each other the whole time — no matter what’s going on,” continued Black. “We’ve won a couple games like that where maybe we had to steal the win or come from behind. So we know we can win multiple ways.

“We don’t quit. We’re Nova Scotian. We don’t quit.”

That was evident — again — in the late stages of Saturday’s 3-v-4 Page playoff triumph over Alberta’s Kayla Skrlik at Fort Williams Gardens.

After surrendering a count of three in the eighth end to fall behind 6-5, they scrapped back for three themselves in the ninth and held Alberta to just one in the final frame to pull off the win in the elimination affair.

A gritty bunch, right down to the last rock.

“If you’ve seen our linescores this week, it’s never in the bag in either direction,” Nova Scotia head coach Stuart MacLean told reporters. “We had a tough break on Christina’s first rock in eight — it picked. And that gave them the opportunity, and then we didn’t make the double.

“I felt the whole game that we were in control,” Black said. “And then in eight, my first rock picked, and it was like, ‘Awww, c’mon … are things turning (against us) right now?’ And then I missed my last one — thought I had it out of my hand but wrecked and gave up the three.

“So I said, ‘Alright, guys … we’ve been in this position before. We were down one in eight a bunch of games this week. Like, we can still come back and win.

“And then in nine, Jill made and incredible draw. I’m just so proud of us to pull out a three. So it’s alright, let’s just stay calm and make eight good shots in the 10th.”

They did just that, securing another key win during what’s been a season of adversity for the Halifax crew.

And they faced another hurdle ahead of Saturday’s game.

Second Baxter began the game but exited after two ends due to a “family emergency,” said MacLean, pushing alternate Powers into action. While it was a last-minute switch, it helped that the Halifax crew has rotated between Baxter and Powers all season.

“We just developed a five-person team not realizing we would need it,” MacLean said. “Under the circumstances, it was a fairly seamless transition. They’re all used to playing with each other. And they had a little extra motivation (Saturday).

“We’ve had adversity with scheduling and stuff this year before,” continued the coach. “We’ve managed to pull it out against another adversity.

“And hopefully we’ll carry on doing that.”

They’ll need whatever they can muster in a bid to win their first national title.

With the win, Nova Scotia moves on to play four-time national champ Kerri Einarson from Manitoba in Sunday’s semifinal (1 p.m. ET, TSN. Einarson lost 8-4 late Saturday to Canada’s Rachel Homan and her superstar Ottawa rink, after watching the defending champion skip use brilliant shots in the sixth and ninth ends of the 1-v-2 Page playoff game.

The final is slated for later Sunday (7 p.m. ET, TSN) between the winners of the semi and Homan, who has won 21 straight Scotties games and is threatening to tie her own all-time-best run of 22 consecutive wins set from 2013-15.

Meanwhile, it’s Black’s second semi appearance at a Scotties — the same for Baxter if she plays. Both were members of Mary-Anne Arsenault’s Nova Scotia bronze-medal rink back in 2018 in Penticton, B.C.

“I think they’ll come out strong,” MacLean said.

“Just keep playing the way we’re playing,” added Black. “If we can keep making shots like that and feeling that good, we’ll definitely be in the game.

“So anything can happen.”

SKRLIK’S CREW ’SO CLOSE’

The Alberta skip held her head high after Saturday’s close loss.

She was her usually bubbly self despite the decision that eliminated her Calgary side of third Margot Flemming, second Ashton Skrlik, lead Geri-Lynn Ramsay, alternate Crystal Rumberg and coach Shannon Kleibrink.

“It was so close,” skip Skrlik, with a smile, told reporters of her last rock, which needed to take out three Nova Scotia stones to earn a deuce and force an extra end. “We didn’t know if it was there. Hopefully, it was close — I don’t really know.

“It was a game of (being on) the wrong side of the inch,” continued Skrlik. “We were just so so close on everything. I’m so proud of my team. They hung with it the whole time. We were at a disadvantage all the way until the eighth end and then cracked a three, and unfortunately gave it right on back.

“Man, I would’ve loved that draw (with her second-last rock) in the ninth again.”

Indeed, that shot proved to be crucial in the decision, as the 27-year-old skip from the Garrison Curling Club — who executed some highlight shots all week — was just a touch heavy.

“But honestly, it was such a close game,” Skrlik said. “I’m so so so proud of the team for making it to the 3-v-4 game, as well. We had a lot riding on qualifying for that game and the fact that the girls were so calm and collected and rose to the occasion (in Friday night’s win) was just outstanding.

“And (Saturday), we were in it right until the last shot, which is something to be proud of in our first Page playoff at the Scotties.”

The Alberta champs, too, faced adversity throughout the week.

Just as was the case at provincials, they fought illness — with Ramsay missing the first game and Flemming playing sick later during the 10-day event.

“Just growing and learning from the experiences,” added Skrlik. “I think we’re in an Olympic trials spot. We have so much to learn from this event — our draws to the pin all the way right to the Page playoff has been fantastic. I don’t think you can learn how to play those games unless you’re in them. So just to win when we had to was just phenomenal for this team.”

tsaelhof@postmedia.com

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