Jones steals win from Flaxey at Tour Challenge
REGINA — Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones stole a point in the extra end to edge Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont., 7-6 during Draw 3 action Wednesday at the Tour Challenge Tier 1.
It was the first game for both teams in the first Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling event of the season.
The reigning Olympic champion Jones settled for a single in the first and stole one in the second for a 2-0 lead.
Flaxey then took control with a point in three and back-to-back pairs of steals in four and five to pull ahead 5-2.
Jones scored three in the sixth to knot it up and the teams alternated singles in seven and eight to force the extra.
Flaxey held the hammer in OT, but her last stone didn’t go as planned with Jones sitting shot rock.
Elsewhere, Edmonton’s Val Sweeting scored a deuce in the seventh and stole points in the eighth and extra ends to clip China’s Bingyu Wang 8-7.
Julie Tippin of Woodstock topped Tracy Fleury of Sudbury 6-3 in an all-Ontario battle.
Switzerland’s Alina Paetz beat Sherry Middaugh of Coldwater, Ont., 6-4.
American Heath McCormick opened in the win column with a 6-2 victory over Scotland’s Kyle Smith.
TIER 2
American Jamie Sinclair counted three in the sixth during an 8-5 win over Edmonton’s Kelsey Rocque.
Binia Feltscher of Switzerland stole four in the fifth and toppled Scotland’s Hannah Fleming 8-3.
American Nina Roth doubled up on Calgary’s Nadine Scotland 8-4.
Craig Brown made it 4-for-4 for American teams in the draw scoring three in the fifth and stealing a trio in the sixth during a 7-4 win over Scotland’s Greg Drummond.
Saskatoon’s Josh Heidt defeated Edmonton’s Charley Thomas 5-2.
NOTES
The Tour Challenge is the season-opening event of the 2017-18 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling calendar and runs through to Sunday at the Co-operators Centre at Evraz Place. … TV coverage begins Thursday at 2:30 p.m. ET on Sportsnet. … Winners of the Tier 1 division receive invites to the season-ending Pinty’s GSOC event, the Humpty’s Champions Cup, running April 24-29 in Calgary. … Winners of the Tier 2 division earn berths to the following Pinty’s GSOC event, the Masters, taking place Oct. 24-29 in Lloydminster, Sask.
