REGINA -- Alberta’s Shannon Kleibrink improved to 7-1 here at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Wednesday morning, thumping New Brunswick’s Sylvie Robichaud 9-3.

With seven victories, Alberta has all but locked up at least a playoff tiebreaker game on Friday and can now spend the final two days of the round-robin improving their position.

But Kleibrink said seven isn’t enough for her to relax just yet. “Eight -- we need one more,” Kleibrink said. “We want eight for sure.”

Kleibrink said everything seemed easy Wednesday morning for her team. “The ice was perfect. Everyone’s throwing good. It’s awesome,” Kleibrink said.

Alberta broke open a tight 3-2 game with a three-ender in the sixth and then cruised to victory from there.

The Alberta victory sets up a first-place showdown here on the Wednesday afternoon draw. Kleibrink will play Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh, who is right behind Alberta at 6-1.

In other games, BC’s Allison MacInnes staged a remarkable comeback against Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault. Down 6-1 at the fifth end break, MacInnes scored one in the sixth, stole one in the seventh and then stole five in the eighth when Arsenault -- looking at five New Brunswick rocks when she went to throw her last -- sailed her draw through the house.

Nova Scotia falls to 5-3, BC improves to 4-4.

Meanwhile, Manitoba kept their playoff hopes alive with a dramatic 8-7 win over Newfoundland’s Heather Strong.

Trailing 7-5 in the tenth end, Manitoba skip Jennifer Jones made a raised-double takeout with the final rock of the game to score three and win 8-7. The victory improved Manitoba to 4-4, while Newfoundland -- who came within a second or two of running out of time against Manitoba -- fell to 5-3.

In the only other game on the Wednesday morning draw, PEI’s Suzanne Gaudet scored one in the extra end to squeak out a 9-8 win over Kerry Galusha’s Northwest Territories/Yukon.

In addition to the Alberta-Ontario matchup, the Wednesday afternoon draw will feasture BC against Quebec, Newfoundland versus Saskatchewan and Canada versus Northwest Territories/Yukon.

The Saskatchewan game promises to be emotional, representing skip Michelle Englot’s return to the ice for the first time since attending the funeral of her father, Joe Englot, Tuesday evening.

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