REGINA -- Alberta’s Shannon Kleibrink is one more win away from her first ever Canadian Women’s Curling Championship.

Kleibrink edged Ontario’s Sherry Middaugh 8-7 in an extra end in the page playoff 1 vs 2 game Friday night here at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts to advance straight through to Sunday’s final.

“Being in the final doesn’t mean anything unless you win it,” said Kleibrink, adding however that it does come with one fringe benefit -- a day off on Saturday.

“I need a day off,” Kleibrink said. “I’m almost 40.”

With the loss, Ontario now must play Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones in the semi-final Saturday morning (10:30 a.m. CT, CBC). Jones advanced to the semi-final earlier Friday with a 6-5 win over Quebec in the page playoff 3 vs 4 game.

Middaugh has played in three previous semi-finals as Ontario skip -- and lost all three of them.

But that was then and this is now, Middaugh said Friday night. “I’m certainly a lot more mentally tough than I was a couple of years ago,” said Middaugh.

The difference Friday night was in the battle at third, where Alberta third Amy Nixon shot a blistering 97 percent, compared to 77 percent for Ontario third Kirsten Wall.

Nixon single-handedly turned around the eighth end, making a triple takeout to lie three that Kleibrink said was timed under seven seconds from hogline to hogline.

Nixon said it was the hardest rock she’s ever thrown in competition. “I was thinking now’s the time. I was thinking we needed that pretty bad,” she said.

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