THE CANADIAN PRESS
VICTORIA — Alberta skip Cheryl Bernard made enough great shots Saturday morning to win herself a brand new vehicle — then spent the evening spinning her wheels against the defending Canadian and world champion.
Bernard put together an error-riddled performance in her opening match at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts, and Canada’s Jennifer Jones took full advantage en route to a 9-3, six-end victory. The expected duel between two of the tournament’s marquee teams never materialized, with Bernard making a number of uncharacteristic mistakes that left Jones with easy shots for big ends.
The Jones foursome wasn’t at its best, but Jones dominated the skip showdown, finishing at 81 per cent compared to just 52 for Bernard.
"We didn’t adjust to the ice," said Bernard, the 1996 Scotties runner-up. "I’ve got to be able to adjust a little bit better.
"We didn’t have our game that we can normally play out there. You have to have your `A’ game (against Jones), and that wasn’t ours."
Though Jones only had six ends of curling to assess, she was nonetheless satisfied with her team’s performance.
"We missed a couple of shots here and there, but all in all I thought we felt pretty comfortable," said Jones. "We expect that (Alberta will) be there at the end of the week, so that was a great game for us."
Alberta’s first mistake led to a three-point second end for Canada. Bernard missed a wide-open takeout with her final shot, and Jones only had to draw into the rings to score three. Canada added a steal of one in the third when Jones executed a perfect hit-and-roll to the button, and Bernard missed with her raise takeout.
Alberta had a chance to tie the game in the fourth, but Bernard was short on a draw to the four-foot and had to settle for two. Jones extended her lead to 7-3 with three more in the fifth end, playing a simple takeout after Bernard couldn’t bury her final shot behind a guard.
Bernard’s struggles continued after the break, as she drew heavy against two Canada shots to give up another steal and complete the whitewash.
Bernard opened the day on a high, winning the Ford Hot Shots competition — and a two-year lease on a 2009 Ford Flex. Bernard beat Saskatchewan second Sherri Singler 21-16 in the final of the event that awards points for various skill shots, including draws to the button, runbacks and double takeouts.
P.E.I. provided the tournament’s early surprise, opening with a pair of victories. Skip Robyn MacPhee led the Charlottetown foursome to an 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Territories’ Kerry Galusha in afternoon action before routing New Brunswick’s Andrea Kelly 7-1 in an evening game shortened to eight ends.
MacPhee throws skip stones for the P.E.I. rink, while sister Rebecca Lynn MacPhee actually calls the game. The unconventional arrangement has generated plenty of success early on.
"I love to throw the last rock, but I’m glad Rebecca is there to call the game for me," joked MacPhee, whose last major competition as skip was the 1999 Canada Winter Games in Corner Brook, N.L.
"We’re off to a great start so far. We built some confidence the first game, and we hope to keep things rolling."
MacPhee is even with Quebec’s Marie-France Larouche, who beat Kelly 7-5 before downing Galusha 9-6. The Larouche foursome is looking for its first Canadian title following a runner-up finish in 2004 and two other top-four results.
"We played well, but we know we can play better than that," said Larouche. "The first day is a long day, so we’re happy to be 2-0 for sure."
Elsewhere in Draw 2, Nova Scotia’s Nancy McConnery downed Barb Spencer of Manitoba 5-4 in 11 ends after Spencer’s runback with her final shot was heavy.
Earlier Saturday, B.C.’s Marla Mallett stole two points in the 10th end to upend Saskatchewan’s Stefanie Lawton 8-7 in a Draw 1 thriller.
Mallett stormed back from a 7-3 deficit with five points over the final three ends — capped by the critical 10th-end steal, which came after Lawton’s final shot was heavy. Mallett thought the match was over moments earlier, when her final rock slid below the centre line and left Lawton with what appeared to be an easy shot for the victory.
"As soon as I threw it behind the tee line, I figured it was game over," said Mallett, making her third Scotties appearance. "I certainly would have liked to throw my last rock in the (top of the four-foot) and make her shot a little tougher.
"Stefanie throws a nice rock, you have to make sure you’re leaving her hard ones."
The loss was a damaging one for Lawton, the 2008 Canada Cup champion. A national championship would almost certainly earn Lawton’s rink one of three available berths in the Olympic trials in Edmonton in December, and losing a winnable game is not the start she wanted.
"They came on stronger in the last half, and we couldn’t finish up with the shots that we could have made," said Lawton, considered one of the pre-tournament favourites. "(It) just slipped away on us."
The other Draw 1 game saw Ontario’s Krista McCarville rally to beat Heather Strong of Newfoundland and Labrador 9-7. McCarville led for most of the game before Strong scored two in the ninth to take a 7-6 advantage. McCarville countered with three in the 10th to escape with the victory.
"It was getting a little bit scary, but we hung in there," said McCarville, representing Ontario for the third time at a national championship. "We made the shots that really counted."
Notes: Singler was awarded $2,000 for finishing second in the Hot Shots competition, while Quebec’s Nancy Belanger earned $1,000 for third place. … Victoria becomes the 20th city to host a Scotties. Seven cities have hosted the tournament multiple times, with Regina the only city to be awarded three Scotties (1982, 1998, 2008). Sault Ste. Marie, Ont., will host its first Scotties in 2010.