Jones readies for local Grand Slam in grand style

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This article was published 28/10/2014 (4007 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

As a key Grand Slam curling event kicks off today, Winnipeg’s own Jennifer Jones is riding a big win right into the Selkirk tournament.

The Jones foursome clinched victory in the Canad Inns Women’s Classic in Portage la Prairie Monday night, orchestrating a huge comeback to triumph 9-4 over Granite Curling Club’s Jill Thurston. The Thurston rink held a 4-2 lead after five ends, but Jones, third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen grabbed a deuce in the sixth end, stole two in the seventh and stole three more in the eighth to take the final.

Now, they’ll face some of their toughest competition since capturing gold in Sochi earlier this year. The Masters, which opens today and runs through Sunday at the Selkirk Recreational Complex, features a veritable who’s who of the finest curlers in the world.

On the women’s side, that means skips including 2013 world champion Eve Muirhead of Scotland, 2014 Olympic silver medallist Margaretha Sigfridsson, and 2013 Manitoba provincial champion Chelsea Carey, who launched a new rink in Alberta this year. The men’s side includes the elite Winnipeg teams of Jeff Stoughton and Mike McEwen, as well as 2014 Olympic gold medallist Brad Jacobs, 2013 world champions Niklas Edin of Sweden, and reigning world champion Thomas Ulsrud and company.

Details, including schedules and ticket information, are available at thegrandslamofcurling.com.

 

Golden wrestler honoured

AFTER battling back from injury, University of Winnipeg wrestler Cean Bod-oy made a big return to the mat to earn the title of Wesmen male athlete of the week.

Bod-oy threw down a 4-0 record at the University of Calgary Dinos Invitational tournament last weekend, a perfect march to the gold medal in his 54-kilogram weight class. It was his first tournament since enduring reconstructive shoulder surgery and well over a year of rehab.

On the women’s side, basketball guard Samantha Donald, a first-year recruit from Australia, made a big impact at the University of Manitoba Invitational Tournament, where she potted 33 points in three games, to go with 13 rebounds, nine assists and seven steals. The Wesmen won all three of their matches.

 

MJHL sniper top player

NEEPAWA Natives playmaker Drake Lindsay kept his scoring prowess going last week, en route to being named the MJHL’s player of the week.

Lindsay, 19, notched three goals and added four assists in four games last week to lead all MJHL scorers for that seven-day span. In total, Lindsay has 17 points through 15 games, leading his team in scoring.

Runners-up were Steinbach Pistons forward Colin Baudry, 20, and Winkler Flyers goalie Dasan Sydora, 20.

 

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca