Jones gets her mojo back against N.B.

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This article was published 19/02/2015 (4111 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MOOSE JAW, Sask. — Sure, so everyone could see that the good ship Jennifer Jones sprang a leak at the Scotties Wednesday morning, live on national TV.

Still, it didn’t take the Manitoba skip long to bail herself out from the morning wash, and rise to 7-1 on the week.

After suffering her first loss of the round robin Wednesday, Jones came out swinging in the evening match, a 9-6 win over New Brunswick’s Sylvie Robichaud.

The Manitobans pounced quickly, striking for three in the very first end. “She’s baaa-aaaack,” cooed the commentator on TSN.

Well, mostly. It was hardly a perfect game by the Manitoba foursome, which includes third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen. But it was better and more importantly, ensured the morning’s stumble didn’t grow into a slide.

“That’s the key for us, you can’t lose two in a row,” said Jones, moments after running Robichaud out of rocks in the 10th end. “It’s not a very good way to go. So when we lose one, we usually bounce back, it usually kind of gives us a kick in the butt a little bit.”

Jones had struggled with the ice on Wednesday morning, shooting just 69 per cent as she fell 9-6 to Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault. They fell behind early in the game, as the Maritimes veteran picked up a pair of deuces and a single before the fifth-end break.

But the most devastating end came in the eighth, when one of Jones’ shots picked out one of her own rocks, allowing Arsenault to draw for the three-spot and an 8-4 lead. Jones battled back with a deuce in nine to narrow the gap, but a final 10th end takeout by Arsenault sealed her win, and Manitoba’s first loss.

“The ice changed early and then it got better later,” Jones said, after that one. “I don’t know if you guys got colder but it definitely got colder in there. It was a little tough to start with. Unfortunately, we had some opportunities, but we just got fooled on the ice. That’s just the way curling goes.”

Sure, or maybe it was something in the water — because all of the so-called Big Four teams at this year’s Scotties had some tough outings against less-dominant competition Wednesday.

Jones and two-time defending Canadian champion Rachel Homan fell to Arsenault.

In the afternoon draw, Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton found herself embroiled in a late neck-and-neck battle with Newfoundland’s Heather Strong, though the Saskatchewan team curled far better, and wound up winning 4-2.

‘Unfortunately, we had some opportunities but we just got fooled on the ice. That’s just the way curling goes’

— Jennifer Jones

At the same time, Alberta’s Val Sweeting was duking it out with Quebec Scotties rookie Lauren Mann, who had won just one of her nine games coming into their afternoon match.

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Sweeting managed to work out of the jam thanks in part to graceful draw to a crowded button in the seventh end. Mann’s hammer shot didn’t do any damage, and the Albertans picked up a stolen deuce to take a lead. (Another deuce in nine secured the win.)

Later, Sweeting picked off Ontario’s Julie Hastings 8-5, and kept her unbeaten streak alive.

There are just four draws left in the Scotties, and three tilts for Manitoba.

Today, they will play P.E.I. at 9 a.m., and face Northern Ontario’s Tracy Horgan in the afternoon draw. Then, they’ll rest up and prepare to face Sweeting at 9 a.m. Friday morning, in an elite showdown that could have significant playoff seeding implications.

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca

Melissa Martin
Reporter-at-large

Melissa Martin reports and opines for the Winnipeg Free Press.

Every piece of reporting Melissa produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.