Patti Knezevic found her way back into the win column Friday in Coquitlam.
But the damage had already been done before she took to the ice to play Amy Gibson of New Westminster at the Scotties B.C. women's curling championship.
Knezevic, the defending B.C. women's curling champion and her Prince George Golf and Curling Club rink scored a 9-4 victory over Gibson, but with consecutive losses leading up the seventh draw, they've been eliminated from title contention.
An 8-6 loss Friday morning to Kelly Scott of Kelowna sealed Knezevic's fate. In that game, Knezevic tied it 6-6 with one in the 10th and Scott came back to score two in the extra end.
Knezevic and her team of third Kristen Pilote, second Jen Rusnell and Rhonda Camozzi finished seventh with a record of 2-5. Scott went on to defeat Karla Thompson of Kamloops to clinch first place in the round-robin standings at 6-1, while the Thompson rink placed second at 5-2. They will meet today at 11 a.m. in the first-versus-second Page playoffs. The winner advances to Sunday's 4 p.m. final.
In today's other playoff at 6:30 p.m., third-place Diane Gushulak of New Westminster (4-3) takes on fourth-place Sarah Wark of Victoria (4-3). The winner of that game plays the loser of the Scott-Thompson game Sunday at 11 a.m., for the right to advance to the final.
In other Draw 7 results Friday afternoon, Gushulak beat Amanda Russet of Kamloops 6-5, and Wark defeated Kesa Van Osch of Nanaimo 10-4. In the morning Draw 6, Wark topped Russett 11-3, Van Osch stopped Gushulak 9-3, and Gibson took out Thompson 11-7.
The B.C. champion advances to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts three-team pre-qualifying round against the champions of Nunavut and Northwest Territories, Feb. 18-20 in Grande Prairie, Alta. The Scotties tournament will be played in Grande Prairie, Feb. 20-28.
