News Champions Cup

SHERWOOD PARK, Alta. — Reigning world junior gold medallists Team Fay stole their way to a 5-4 upset victory over Scotties Tournament of Heart winners Team Carey in an extra end during Draw 4 Wednesday afternoon at the Humpty’s Champions Cup.

It was the first game in the Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling for the Chester, N.S., based squad, who are playing with their skip Mary Fay. The 17-year-old Grade 12 student is missing the event to focus on exams for her international baccalaureate program. Third Kristin Clarke has moved up to skip with Sarah Daniels of Delta, B.C., subbing at third. 

Trailing 4-2, Team Fay rallied with a single in the seventh followed by a steal of one in the eighth when Chelsea Carey missed a runback that tied it and forced the extra frame. Carey, from Calgary, had an open draw in the extra but came up short in the house.

Elsewhere, Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones rolled out to a 10-1 rout over Allison Flaxey of Caledon, Ont. It was all Jones as the reigning Olympic gold medallist scored a deuce in the first, held Flaxey to one in the second, added another pair in the third and stole back-to-back three-enders in the fourth and fifth. 

Edmonton’s Val Sweeting hit for three points in the seventh to take the lead and held on for a 7-6 victory over Krista McCarville of Thunder Bay, Ont.

Eve Muirhead of Scotland scored a 7-2 win over Saskatoon’s Stefanie Lawton. It was no hammer, no problem for Muirhead in the first half as the three-time Players’ Championship winner stole pairs of points in the first two ends and swiped singles in three and four to lead 6-0 at the break. Lawton got on the board with a single in the fifth and stole one in the sixth, but shook hands after Muirhead added another point in seven. 

Toronto’s John Epping closed out a 9-4 win in six ends over Saskatoon’s Shaun Meachem in the lone men’s division match on the draw. Meachem scored three in the third for a 3-2 lead, but Epping took over from there. Epping matched with a three-ender of his own in the fourth, held Meachem to a single in the fifth, and scored four in the sixth to add the finishing touch.

NOTES: The Humpty’s Champions Cup is the seventh and final event of the 2015-16 Pinty’s Grand Slam of Curling season and runs through to Sunday at the Sherwood Park Arena Sports Centre. … TV coverage begins Thursday on Sportsnet. … The event is the second of two new tournaments added to the schedule this year along with the Tour Challenge, which kicked off the season in September. … Teams had to win an event over the course of the season in order to qualify for the Humpty’s Champions Cup.