Queen of curling grabs 5th Scotties

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This article was published 22/02/2015 (4080 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Of all the things they’ve done together, and all they’ve won, Jennifer Jones had one last golden gift to give to third Kaitlyn Lawes.

On the nation’s greatest curling stage of all, she did it. They did it. Jones, Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen: They are all Canadian champions now.

The Manitoban foursome emerged victorious in the final of the Scotties Tournament of Hearts Sunday night, scraping out a 6-5 win over Alberta’s Val Sweeting on a final 10th-end draw. Now, they will prepare to represent Canada in Sapporo, Japan, at the world championships next month.

It was the fifth such championship for Jones, but her first since 2010 and the first for Lawes.

“I’m just so proud of the team to bounce back after such an amazing season last year, and win my first Scotties,” Lawes said. “The Scotties is very, very special, and it’s always been a dream of mine. I’m just so proud of the girls for hanging in there to the bitter end.”

Once the win was secure, the skip lifted her third in an ecstatic embrace.

“I’m absolutely thrilled,” Jones said, seconds after shaking hands. “(Lawes) has been a huge part of our team… it was a little close for comfort, but we managed to pull it off in the end.”

It wasn’t their best game, Jones acknowledged. Sweeting’s foursome took the pressure to them, curled better, and left everything on the ice.

So what was the difference, the lesson to take away from the game? How about: Never count Jennifer Jones out, even when her rink is playing down.

Two shots from her all but sealed this one, playing ninth without the hammer, two stunning strikes slung one after the other. Each of Jones’ shots was surgical, one chipping out Sweeting’s shot rock but no other — and leaving Alberta only a draw for one, a tie game coming home, and the hammer in Jones’ hand.

“The second one, I knew I threw quite straight, and I was a little bit nervous halfway down,” Jones said of those two shots, which cleared her path to the win. “But I managed to make it, and tied up coming home is all you want.”

There wasn’t much Sweeting could have done differently. All game the skip, lead Rachelle Brown, second Dana Ferguson and third Lori Olson-Johns played strong. While Manitoba struggled with some of their hits, the Albertans played consistently through all 10 ends. They shot 88 per cent, against Manitoba’s 82; while Lawes shot 78 per cent and Officer 79, their Albertan counterparts put up a brilliant 91 and 90, respectively.

“I’m really proud of the girls, it was a really great game,” Sweeting said, standing tall after her second consecutive finals loss.

“I’m just so proud of this team… There weren’t too many opportunities we had that we didn’t take.”

The final was patient and measured, anxiously close and clever, and if either team had won it, it would have been deserved.

It’s maybe too easy to say it played out like a game of chess.

From above the ice, the image that came to mind was more of a tense and choreographed dance, a duel of savvy skips and delicate hands. For every graceful draw one side made (and there were many), the other found a touch to match.

There were hits, and perfect sits, but also a few big gaffes. In the first end, Sweeting let fly a draw like velveteen, curling smooth to nuzzle the button. A steal scenario, possibly, but Jones replied with a pretty tap-back to land the opening deuce.

From there, it was a game of trades. In the second end, despite one attempt at a double takeout from Lawes and two from Jones, the Manitobans couldn’t manage to kill two Alberta rocks at once. That struggle opened the window for Sweeting, and she pushed a deuce of her own through it with her final stone.

After a blank third end, the teams swapped singles the rest of the way, their scoring chances hemmed in by various whiffs and some smart defensive play.

Earlier in the afternoon, Rachel Homan’s Team Canada rink earned the Scotties’ third-place medal, with a 7-5 win over Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton in the bronze-medal game.

 

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca