Team St-Georges support systems strong as Quebec remains in playoff hunt

KAMLOOPS, B.C. – Emily Riley is feeling the support as her Quebec foursome are taking strides to reach the playoffs at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time in more than a decade.

“We’re really understanding the ice, so we feel confident when we’re throwing, and I think we’ve all just figured out our throws,” Riley told TSN.ca Wednesday morning after a win over Prince Edward Island at the Canadian women’s curling championship. “I feel like we can go get another few good wins here.”

After an opening draw loss to Canada’s Team Kerri Einarson, Team Quebec – featuring skip Laurie St-Georges, third Riley, second Alanna Routledge and lead Kelly Middaugh – have reeled off wins in five of their last six games, including wins over Prince Edward Island and British Columbia on Wednesday, to sit with a 5-2 record in Pool A.

Quebec will wrap up pool play Thursday against Nova Scotia’s Team Christina Black.

"The confidence right now is on the top," St-Georges told TSN.ca. "I'm so proud of my team. I'm a bit emotional because the whole year we struggled a little bit, but this week everything is coming together." 

Riley, a 25-year-old mental performance consultant, has been all smiles during the past couple days, not only because of the team’s strong play on the ice, but because of who’s in the stands.

Upon his arrival to Kamloops, Riley’s father, Larry, needed to spend a few days in hospital after getting sick. 

After receiving medical clearance from doctors, Larry was in attendance at Sandman Centre Tuesday evening to watch Quebec’s upset win over Wild Card 1’s Team Kaitlyn Lawes, the fourth-ranked team in the nation.

Riley said her teammates were a huge factor in supporting her – both on and off the ice – during a stressful time throughout the first few days of the tournament.

“It was on my mind. Some things are bigger than curling so if was definitely taking up a lot of my headspace. I wasn’t really sleeping much, but my teammates have been so supportive and really helping me kind of keep my head on the game,” explained Riley. “There was nothing I could do when I was out there, so may as well focus on curling.”

Riley and St-Georges are making their third straight appearance at nationals together after winning the provincial title for the very first time last month. Team St-Georges were selected by Curling Quebec to represent the province at the past two Scotties after playdowns were axed because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“When you’re selected for two years like for your first and second Scotties you kind of feel the pressure to perform at the Scotties,” St-Georges said earlier this week. “So, it kind of felt different. We have no pressure at all. We deserve to be here.”

Team St-Georges went 6-6 at the 2021 Scotties inside the Calgary bubble and 3-5 last year in Thunder Bay.

The last time the bilingual province made the playoffs at the Tournament of Hearts was in 2012 with Quebec great Marie-France Larouche leading the way.

"We know we can belong with those [playoff] teams and have a good fight with those teams," said St-Georges. "It would mean a lot. All the efforts, time, money and everything.

"I love curling and I put so much time into it, so it's like a reward at the end. It just feels nice that it's worth a couple of wins."

Riley, who won the Canadian Mixed Curling Championship earlier this season with St-Georges, says her skipper brings that calm demeanour and relaxed attitude which puts everyone at ease on the ice.

“Laurie is the kind of person that the more pressure she has, the bigger of shot she makes. So, that’s always taking pressure off the team in the sense that every time anyone misses a shot, we all know Laurie is going to come up clutch at the end,” Riley explained. “That’s one of her great strengths and she puts a lot of confidence in the team and thrives as the pressure builds.”

Riley seems confident her father will be able to attend the rest of Quebec’s games this week.

“My dad is like my guy so it meant a lot to see him feeling better. His doctor was even here to catch the game tonight, so I got to meet him,” Riley said Tuesday. “He’s a super nice man and he has been in such good hands, it’s just awesome to see.”

The top three rinks from each pool advance to the playoffs.

“He seems to be our lucky charm, right now,” Riley said of her father.