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
Young people 'tortured' if stolen vehicle operations fail, Montreal police tell MPs
One day after a Montreal police officer fired gunshots at a suspect in a stolen vehicle, senior officers were telling parliamentarians that organized crime groups are recruiting people as young as 15 in the city to steal cars so that they can be shipped overseas.
'It was joy': Trapped B.C. orca calf eats seal meat, putting rescue on hold
A rescue operation for an orca calf trapped in a remote tidal lagoon off Vancouver Island has been put on hold after it started eating seal meat thrown in the water for what is believed to be the first time.
Man sets self on fire outside New York court where Trump trial underway
A man set himself on fire on Friday outside the New York courthouse where Donald Trump's historic hush-money trial was taking place as jury selection wrapped up, but officials said he did not appear to have been targeting Trump.
Sask. father found guilty of withholding daughter to prevent her from getting COVID-19 vaccine
Michael Gordon Jackson, a Saskatchewan man accused of abducting his daughter to prevent her from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, has been found guilty for contravention of a custody order.
Mandisa, Grammy award-winning 'American Idol' alum, dead at 47
Soulful gospel artist Mandisa, a Grammy-winning singer who got her start as a contestant on 'American Idol' in 2006, has died, according to a statement on her verified social media. She was 47.
She set out to find a husband in a year. Then she matched with a guy on a dating app on the other side of the world
Scottish comedian Samantha Hannah was working on a comedy show about finding a husband when Toby Hunter came into her life. What happened next surprised them both.
B.C. judge orders shared dog custody for exes who both 'clearly love Stella'
In a first-of-its-kind ruling, a B.C. judge has awarded a former couple joint custody of their dog.
Saskatoon police to search landfill for remains of woman missing since 2020
Saskatoon police say they will begin searching the city’s landfill for the remains of Mackenzie Lee Trottier, who has been missing for more than three years.
Shivering for health: The myths and truths of ice baths explained
In a climate of social media-endorsed wellness rituals, plunging into cold water has promised to aid muscle recovery, enhance mental health and support immune system function. But the evidence of such benefits sits on thin ice, according to researchers.