News Champions Cup

SASKATOON — Jennifer Jones and her Winnipeg-based club jumped into the win column to start their run in the Humpty’s Champions Cup.

Jones, who has won nine Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling titles, scored a 5-4 win over Team Elena Stern of Switzerland during Wednesday’s early afternoon draw at Merlis Belsher Place.

“It’s huge to always come out and win your first game,” Jones said. “It was a tight game, so it’s good to win those ones and having to make a few shots down the stretch.”

Stern (0-2) struck the scoreboard first converting with the hammer for a deuce in the opening frame and remained in control for a bit forcing Jones to just a single in the second.

It looked like Jones was in trouble in the third with Stern threatening to score big. Jones got out of the jam with a pair of sharp draws on her skip stones and managed to steal the tying point as Team Stern fourth Briar Huerlimann misfired her last.

“We made a decent one on my first one and kind of found a way out of that end,” Jones said. “That changed the game a little bit and then we were able to play a little bit more defensive and not take so many chances. It was a big win for us.”

Jones was able to take a 4-2 lead in the fourth when Huerlimann faced a pair on her last and just grazed the shot rock to give up a couple.

Stern settled for a single in six and stole one in seven to make it all square again when Jones missed her last. The no-tick zone rule in place for the event could have made things tricky for Jones.

“I love that rule, so I think it’s great for curling,” Jones said. “We definitely thought about it and wanted to try for the big end in seven and it didn’t work out but I felt great with draw weight so that was a key. I just wanted to make sure that at the end of the day I had the four-foot and I was lucky enough not to have to throw my last one.”

Super spare Lori Olson-Johns, who shot a team-high 94 percent, was able to clear the deck during second stones in the eighth end and Jones didn’t even need to make her last as she already sat shot rock and Huerlimann was unable to outcount it with a draw.

Jones said it’s awesome having Olson-Johns, who previously played for skips Val Sweeting and Laura Walker, filling in this week with Jocelyn Peterman away at the world mixed doubles championship.

“We played against her for so many years and we’re good friends,” Jones said. “She’s a great competitor on the ice and just a great person, so we’re having a lot of laughs. She played awesome and made a great double peel in the last end to save our bacon a little bit.”

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Elsewhere, Toronto’s Team John Epping made short work of Team Yannick Schwaller of Switzerland 8-2 in only five ends to begin their round-robin play. Epping, who shot a perfect 100 percent, got off to a hot start with a three-ender in the first, added a deuce in the third and tacked another trey on the board in the fifth for early handshakes. Schwaller was limited to singles in the two even ends.

Team Brad Jacobs of Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., also had an early afternoon to start the tournament with a 7-1 win over Japan’s Team Yuta Matsumura in six ends. Jacobs scored a deuce in the second and a three-ender in the fifth while stealing two in the sixth. Matsumura (0-2) was held to a lone point in the fourth.

Scotland’s Team Bruce Mouat topped Winnipeg’s Team Reid Carruthers 5-3 and Team Niklas Edin of Sweden held off Scotland’s Team Ross Paterson 5-4 in their first group games.

Round-robin action continues with Draw 4 at 4 p.m. CST.

Broadcast coverage begins Thursday at 2 p.m. ET / Noon CST on Sportsnet with online streaming available via Sportsnet NOW (Canada) and Yare (international).

Notes: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the seventh and final Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event of the season featuring 15 men’s teams and 15 women’s teams who won high-profile events over the course of the season to qualify. … The total purse is $250,000, split evenly between the men’s and women’s divisions, with the winners earning $40,000. … A new rule is being tested at the event where teams cannot perform tick shots on rocks sitting on the centre line during the eighth and extra ends.