SCOTTIES: Kaitlyn Jones upsets Fleury to start 2-0

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This article was published 16/12/2021 (1375 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CARBERRY — The early returns are positive for Kaitlyn Jones’ slightly tinkered lineup.

Jones, who throws fourth stones while Abby Ackland calls the game, is 2-0 after Wednesday’s action in the Asham Black Group at the 2022 Manitoba Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Carberry.

The Assiniboine Memorial rink, which also features Robyn Njegovan at second and Sara Oliver at lead, earned the most notable win of the day at the Carberry Plains Community Centre as they upset tournament favourite Tracy Fleury of the East St. Paul Curling Club 8-7.

“The new lineup is something we’re still getting used to but I think we’re getting better in every game we play,” Jones said. “We’ve built some positive momentum lately and I think if we keep playing like we are, we can be successful.”

“We’re definitely feeding off each other out there and we’re really supporting each other as we get used to our new roles,” Ackland added. “It’s all about team dynamics and they are very good for us right now.”

The turning point in the afternoon matchup came in the fourth end, when Jones submitted an early contender for shot of the week.

Down 3-1 and facing two Fleury stones in the four-foot, the 2018 Canadian and World Junior champion made a runback takeout to score three points and move her team into the lead.

“I had a very similar shot in another end that I just missed on the high side,” Jones said. “We adjusted the ice accordingly and we called it really well.

“When we made the shot, we all knew that we were right in it with them. That really helped build our confidence for the rest of the game.”

The two sides traded points until the ninth, when Fleury’s takeout attempt rolled too far and she gave up a steal of one.

Fleury, who started off the provincial playdowns with a 10-2 triumph over Shae Bevan’s St. Vital rink in the morning draw, was left with a tough takeout attempt on her last in the tenth and only picked up a single point.

The Jones rink opened up play Wednesday morning with a come-from-behind 7-5 triumph over Jennifer Clark-Rouire’s team from Miami.

After falling behind 4-2 after five ends, Jones tied things up at five in the eighth and completed the comeback with a steal of two in the tenth.

“We were a little bit fortunate there at the end, but we started to read the ice well as the game went on and we played to our strengths, which we carried over into the game against Tracy,” Ackland said.

Sharing the top spot in the pool with Jones is Kristy Watling, who also curls out of the Assiniboine Memorial.

They opened up their schedule with an 8-5 triumph over Meghan Walter’s East St. Paul squad and followed that up with an 11-3 rout over Bevan (0-2), which was rounded out by a six-ender in the seventh frame.

Walter, who won the Manitoba junior title earlier this year and features Dauphin’s Lane Prokopowich at third, improved to 1-1 with an 8-6 victory over Clark-Rouire (0-2) in the afternoon draw.

Over in the Asham Express Red Group, Mackenzie Zacharias’ second-ranked rink from Altona escaped an upset bid from the Neepawa Curling Club’s Terry Ursel with an 8-6 victory.

“Terry made some fantastic shots and her team was playing really well,” Zacharias said. “Our team grinded that one out and it was nice to get that first win under our belts.”

Beth Peterson’s rink from the Assiniboine Memorial lived up their high ranking as the third overall seed, cruising to a 9-4 win over Alyssa Calvert’s Carberry squad in their pool opener.

After shaking off some early end jitters, Peterson moved out in front 4-2 by stealing a pair in the fifth end.

She extended her lead with a three-ender in the seventh and rounded out the contest with two points in the ninth, much to the chagrin of those in attendance.

“We kind of expected everyone to be cheering against us,” Peterson joked. “It reminded me of what it was like in 2019 when he had to play against Kerri Einarson in Gimli.

“I think we’re pretty used to being in that scenario, but it’s just nice to have fans out there again.”

While the loss was a disappointing one for the Calvert rink, third Stacey Fordyce felt that the team could take a lot away from their opener.

“I thought we came out of the gates strong and put a lot of pressure on one of the top seeds in our pool,” Fordyce said.

“There’s always things we can improve on but I think we are looking to communicate better as we go forward. We need to make sure that we’re all talking and helping each other out about the weight and the different spots out on the ice rather than just relying on Alyssa.”

The other 12:30 p.m. contest saw Darcy Robertson steal an 8-6 extra end win away from Kristy McDonald.

Robertson (2-0) also stole her way to a 7-6 win over Zacharias (1-1) in the night draw, while McDonald (1-1) edged Calvert (0-2) in a 5-4 contest and Peterson (2-0) defeated Ursel (0-2) by a score of 9-6.

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