Lokalne Vesti - Vancouver, BC

RED DEER, Alta. - Kelly Scott hasn't had time to lift her head up to see where her team stands at the Canadian women's curling championship. She says that may be a good thing.

The B.C. skip is pre-occupied with juggling her team's changing lineup daily and just trying to win games.

So far, she's been successful at both.

Scott, Manitoba's Jennifer Jones and defending champion Amber Holland are poised to secure playoff berths when the preliminary round concludes Thursday.

The three teams won their sixth games of the round-robin Wednesday. Manitoba was the lone co-leader with a game remaining in the evening draw against Yukon/Northwest Territories.

Scott's long-time teammate Sasha Carter has been in and out of the lineup this week with a stomach ailment that's made the rounds at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts. Holland's second Tammy Schneider played only two ends Wednesday because of illness.

Carter, who is four months pregnant, hasn't been able to shake the bug. She went to hospital Wednesday to have fluids replaced intravenously. Carter played in B.C.'s games Tuesday, but not Monday.

"We haven't had time for watching the leaderboard or seeing who plays who or where we stand," Scott said. "It's just about every game going out and trying to get a win out of it.

"If anything it takes the pressure off. Everything is getting thrown at us this week and we're just trying to balance with it all. The week is actually flying by because every day has a new turn of events, a new lineup, a new whatever."

Scott and Carter won Canadian championships in both 2006 and 2007, plus a world championship in 2007. The skip says Carter will be back in the lineup Thursday if she's able to play.

"It's Sasha's call," Scott said. "Sasha has earned the opportunity to play. Sasha is a fantastic player and if Sasha is able to play, we would love to have her.

"By no means if she says she's ready to play would we deny her that opportunity. We have to really assess how she's doing and she has to assess how she's doing."

Alternate Sherry Fraser played second Monday in Carter's absence, but Scott had Fraser throwing third stones Wednesday.

Since Fraser has the experience of skipping a team at the 2001 Olympic trials, Scott felt the latter was a better formation. Scott didn't want to add more responsibility to Sivertson's plate by moving her to third stones.

"I'm glad to be where we are with this current lineup. If we have to continue this way, I think we'll OK," Scott said.

The skip was awaiting word on Carter's condition Wednesday.

"I thought that sounded really bad, going to the hospital, but apparently the girls say it's like an instant cure, just getting some fluids in your body," Scott said. "Maybe that will help her come around quicker. She was still stick last night though."

After losing back-to-back games in an extra end, Holland's team from Kronau, Sask., thumped Kim Dolan of Prince Edward Island 10-4.

"We were pretty pleased how we executed that game," Holland said. "This is the end of our four in a row so it's going to be nice to have a night off, relax and put our feet up. Our feet are sore."

Her alternate Jolene Campbell was pressed into service once again Wednesday when Schneider fell ill. The second also missed two games earlier in the tournament with a pulled muscle in her knee.

Other teams were showing wear and tear Wednesday. New Brunswick lead Jodie deSolla sat out her team's 6-5 win over Ontario in the morning with a pulled muscle aggravated from sweeping.

Quebec's Marie-France Larouche and New Brunswick's Rebecca Atkinson were both 5-3. Larouche beat Alberta's Heather Nedohin 6-5, dropping the host province to 4-4.

Ontario's Tracy Horgan was 4-5 after a 7-4 victory over Heather Strong of Newfoundland and Labrador. Nova Scotia's Heather Smith-Dacey was 3-5. P.E.I., the Territories and Newfoundland were all 2-6.