Good attack the best defence

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This article was published 01/02/2010 (5968 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. — Team Manitoba skip Jill Thurston isn’t engineering a covert operation here at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The game plan is out there for all to see.

"Attack," the 38-year-old skip explained Sunday, after slamming Shelley Nichols of Newfoundland/Labrador 11-6 at the Canadian women’s curling championship as Manitoba upped its record to 2-1.

Earlier in the day, Thurston beat Nancy McConnery of Nova Scotia 7-3 at the Essar Centre.

"We had a really good day. We started out from the very first end (Sunday) morning and we just attacked everybody," said Thurston.

Perfect, too, on Day 2 of the Scotties was Jennifer Jones and Team Canada.

The Jones foursome posted a pair of victories — a 5-4 win over Andrea Kelly of New Brunswick in the morning and an easy 7-3 win over Saskatchewan’s Amber Holland 7-3 in the afternoon.

Team Canada and Ontario’s Krista McCarville lead the 12-team field at 3-0 and Kathy O’Rourke of Prince Edward Island is 3-1.

Left dazed and confused Saturday night following an ugly loss to Jones, Thurston said a good night’s rest re-energized her and third Kristen Phillips, second Leslie Wilson and lead Raunora Westcott, who came out with guns blazing.

But will that aggressive style of play be effective against the likes of British Columbia’s Kelly Scott and McCarville of the host province, two likely playoff-bound teams Manitoba has yet to face?

"We expect that everybody’s going to make great shots against us and we expect we are going to make great shots," said Thurston. "I don’t think it matters who we play. We’re just going to come in with the same kind of game plan and attack everybody and be ready for every game and see what happens."

The Scotties wraps up Sunday, Feb. 7, with the winners grabbing a spot at the Ford world women’s championship in Swift Current, Sask., March 20-28.

Jones said her team’s performance against Holland was its best here to date.

"I thought this was our best team game by far," the two-time defending Scotties champion said afterward. "We controlled the game, never got ourselves in trouble. And that’s how you want to be."

Holland beat Jones in December to begin the Olympic Trials in Edmonton, the start of a really bad week for the Winnipeg team.

But payback wasn’t a motivating factor Sunday, Jones said.

"Any win’s a big win, and it’s not a cliché," she said. "You want to come out here and play well. Obviously, Amber’s team is a good team. They beat us in the Trials’ opening draw. It was nice to come and play well. I thought we controlled the game. There’s no revenge; it’s just nice to come out with a win instead of losing."

Despite missing the playoffs at the Trials, the Jones foursome of third Cathy Overton-Clapham, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn Askin haven’t exactly shrugged off the rest of the season. They won a star-studded international bonspiel in Switzerland earlier this month that featured all the 2010 Olympic teams.

They’re perfect so far in the Soo, with games against Northwest Territories/Yukon this afternoon and Newfoundland/Labrador tonight.

Jones said this is no time to lose their focus.

"… 3-0 is better than 0-3, but we have a long week and we have to be a little bit sharper," she said. "We did this last year (actually, they won their first five in a row in 2009 in Victoria) and then had to fight through the tie-breaker. It’s nice to get wins early, but it’s important how you’re playing at the end of the week."

Team Manitoba, meanwhile, hooks up with O’Rourke’s red-hot P.E.I. team this afternoon and struggling Saskatchewan (1-2) tonight.

B.C. also notched back-to-back wins Sunday to improve to 2-1.

Scott, a world champion in 2007, drew to the button against a pair of Quebec counters with her last rock to seal the second victory — and then feigned wiping sweat from her brow.

"When you have to hit the pin and you either win the game or lose the game, it’s always nice to come out on the right side of the inch," said the former Winnipegger. "You need a couple of wins under your belt to gain some momentum."

More than $280,000 was raised during the Sandra Schmirler Foundation telethon on Sunday. The foundation was created in January 2001 as a legacy for the three-time world curling champion and Olympic gold medallist. The money goes to neonatal healthcare centres across Canada. Most of the Scotties curlers answered phones, and members of Schmirler’s old Saskatchewan team were there.

 

jason.bell@freepress.mb.ca

2010 Scotties

Standings W L

Jones (Canada) 3 0

McCarville (Ont.) 3 0

O’Rourke (P.E.I.) 3 1

Scott (B.C.) 2 1

Sweeting (Alta.) 2 1 Thurston (Man.) 2 1

Belisle (Que.) 1 2

Nichols (N.L.) 1 2

Holland (Sask.) 1 2

Cormier (NWT/Y) 1 3

Kelly (N.B.) 1 3

McConnery (N.S.) 0 4

Sunday’s results

Draw 3

Jones (Canada) 5 Kelly (N.B.) 4

Sweeting (Alta.) 13 O’Rourke (P.E.I.) 2

Thurston (Man.) 7 McConnery (N.S.) 3

Scott (B.C.) 7 Cormier (N.W.T./Y) 6

Draw 4

Thurston (Man.) 11 Nichols (N.L.) 6

Scott (B.C.) 6 Belisle (Que.) 4

Jones (Can.) 7 Holland (Sask.) 3

McCarville (Ont.) 7 Sweeting (Alta.) 6

Draw 5

McCarville (Ont.) 12 Belisle (Que.) 6

Kelly (N.B.) 10 McConnery (N.S.) 6

O’Rourke (P.E.I.) 10 Courmier (NWT/Y) 7

Holland (Sask.) 8 Nichols (N.L.) 5

 

Manitoba linescores

Draw 3

Canada 000 004 010 X — 5

N.B. 100 010 101 X — 4

 

Manitoba 101 120 20X X — 7

N.S. 010 001 01X X — 3

Draw 4

Manitoba 030 110 402 X –11

N.L 201 001 020 X –6

 

Canada 010 200 202 X — 7

Sask. 001 001 010 X — 3

Draw 6, 9:30 a.m.

Saskatchewan vs. Ontario

Quebec vs. Newfoundland

Draw 7, 2 p.m.

B.C. vs. New Brunswick

Canada vs. NWT/Yukon

Alberta vs. Nova Scotia

Manitoba vs. P.E.I.

Draw 8, 6:30 p.m.

Newfoundland vs. Canada

Alberta vs. Quebec

Manitoba vs. Saskatchewan

B.C. vs. Ontario