Brilliance of Stoughton, Jones lighting up Las Vegas

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This article was published 19/01/2014 (4640 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

LAS VEGAS — Team North America leads Team World 17.5-12.5 at the Orleans Arena heading into today’s final day of competition at the Continental Cup, thanks in part to yet another highlight shot from Jeff Stoughton Saturday night.

Playing Sweden’s Niklas Edin, Stoughton authored a double takeout with the final rock of the fifth end to score a decisive four-ender en route to a 6-2 victory. The Stoughton win was worth one point for the North Americans heading into the final day, when six skins games worth five points each will decide the winner. The first team to 30.5 points wins.

“You throw it, you make it, the crowd goes crazy — it’s just a great feeling. It was something else,” said Stoughton.

In other games Saturday night, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones threw a double takeout with the final rock of her game to defeat Japan’s Satsuki Fujisawa 6-5, bringing the crowd to its feet as Jones pumped her fist.

“You don’t want to let your team down at this thing and we felt like we controlled that whole game so to have given up a steal there would have been really disappointing,” Jones said. “It was pretty exciting to make it. It’s fun. It’s a great atmosphere.”

Today’s skin games will include Jones taking on Sweden’s Margaretha Sigfridsson on the 3 p.m. draw, while Stoughton third Jon Mead and second Reid Carruthers will team up on the same draw with Ottawa’s Rachel Homan and Homan second Alison Kreviazuk in a mixed skins game.

Stoughton and lead Mark Nichols will also play a mixed skins game on the final draw at 8 p.m., teaming up with Homan third Emma Miskew and lead Lisa Weagle.

Team North America leads Team World 5-4 at this event over the years.

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So here’s a very uncomfortable problem — What do you do when you’re a drug-tested athlete on your way to the Winter Olympics and you suddenly develop a very painful tooth infection?

That’s the vexing problem facing Brad Jacobs third — and Winnipeg native — Ryan Fry, who had all four of his wisdom teeth removed recently only to develop a persistent infection.

The right side of Fry’s face has noticeably swelled in the last couple days and he’s been reluctant to take anything in the way of serious painkillers for fear of even inadvertently taking something banned and jeopardizing his Olympic dream.

“It’s in the healing process but the infection keeps coming back,” said Fry. “I’m taking antibiotics — any kind of antibiotics is approved. But anything beyond that, we have a person that we have to talk to and get it approved.

“Advil’s OK, but you can’t really go too much stronger than that. I know there’s some other things you can take too. We’ve got some (Tylenol 3) but I’m a little apprehensive to take anything with codeine in it.

“I’d rather be safe then sorry. Hopefully this will pass soon.”

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While the attention of the curling world has been focussed on Las Vegas this weekend, there was also an important development in Canadian women’s curling on Saturday as the final team was determined for the national Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Montreal, Feb. 1-9.

Allison Ross won her second consecutive Quebec championship, defeating Sherbrooke’s Kim Mastine 7-4 in the provincial final.

Ross curls out of the Glenmore Curling Club in Dollard-des-Ormeaux, which is just west of Montreal, and her victory will please Scotties organizers as it gives them a defacto home team to market as they attempt the difficult task of selling a national curling championship in a city where winter sport revolves around the Montreal Canadiens — and not much else.

Winnipeg’s Chelsea Carey will represent Manitoba in Montreal.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek