Jennifer Jones takes PointsBet curling women's title, downs Scheidegger 7-4
Jennifer Jones won the women's title at the inaugural PointsBet Invitational Sunday with a 7-4 win over Casey Scheidegger in the final.
The victory was worth $50,000 for Jones, Karlee Burgess, Mackenzie Zacharias, Lauren Lenentine and alternate Emily Zacharias at Willie O'Ree Place in Fredericton.
Jones and company strung together four straight wins to claim the title and take home the winner's cheque.
They're a new team this season with 48-year-old Jones, a 2014 Olympic champion and two-time world champion, skipping under-25 teammates, who won Canadian and world junior titles two years ago.
"We felt (chemistry) instantly, and I wasn't sure because they were already an existing team, and I'm just a couple of years older than them, so I wasn't sure how that would all work," joked Jones.
"I honestly feel like it's so easy. They're easy to be around, and I feel like we've just become one united team, which is crazy because it's only September."
Jones was the No. 5 seed taking on No. 6 Scheidegger on Sunday, although Kristie Moore filled in at skip for the absent Scheidegger.
After blanking the first end, Jones scored two in the second and added deuces in the fourth and eighth ends, while holding Moore to single points with hammer.
"They made a lot of great shots and I just didn't finish in a couple of ends, most definitely," Moore said.
"In the past couple of games, I got opportunities later. But Jen just didn't let us get back in there."
Jones is working on a 12-game winning streak with her new team dating back to the Saville Shoot-Out in Edmonton earlier this month.
The team went 8-0 and beat Rachel Homan in the final there.
Jones' vice-skip Zacharias, who throws second stones, says she and her teammates are thriving with Jones calling the shots.
"She's been such a great leader for our team and we're so privileged to have a chance to play with her," Zacharias said.
"We're all just having fun out there as well, which is the icing on top of the cake."
The 23-year-old switched to front end after previously skipping the team.
"I've had a couple of tournaments now to kind of figure it out," Zacharias said. "There wasn't a whole lot that's changed, but sweeping was probably the biggest thing for me.
"I hadn't really swept before, but I'm on a team with some amazing sweepers. They were able to give me some good pointers, and we've had a few people come out and teach me as well."
Sunday's men's final featured an all-Manitoba matchup of Matt Dunstone versus Reid Carruthers.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.