The last rock had Team Jones so stressed that they couldn’t watch. Then, when they saw what it had hit, they cried with joy.
Jones faced Team Mitchell in the junior women’s final Jan. 8. In the 10th, Mitchell needed two points to force the match to an extra end.
Jessica Mitchell’s final shot wasn’t able to curl past a guard, giving Mitchell only one point, for a final score of 8-7.
“I definitely couldn’t watch that last shot. I might have had a heart attack. Once [my teammate] said that it was on the guard, I felt a little bit of hope, but you never know on this ice, because it was backing off all week,” said skip Kaitlyn Jones of the win.
Regina-based Team Jones was forced to play an additional tie-breaking match that same morning against Team Wisniewski. Jones had lost to that team only a few days before.
Jones came out the winner after an extra end gave them a 10-9 lead. Their second game of the day didn’t start well, with the score at 3-1 in the fourth end.
“We struggled a little bit in the first half but picked it up in the second half so we were able to come out with that four-ender in the nine, and that really was the turning point for our game,” she said. “We definitely made a couple of mistakes in the tenth end, but it ended up working out.”
Mitchell’s team, another Saskatoon-based group, consisted of Courtney Orsen, Amanda Waterfield and Danielle Waterfield. They won every game except the final. Jones won the provincial final alongside teammates Rayann Zerr, Shantel Hutton and Sara England.
Kleiter takes men’s final
The men’s final was decided halfway through the game on Jan. 8. Kleiter and Stewart traded one-point ends but in the fifth, Kleiter scored a decisive three points for a 6-2 finish.
“It turned out, we made a few shots early that were key, and then a couple misses, and we were able to take advantage of it,” said skip Rylan Kleiter of the fifth end.
The Saskatoon-based team consisted of Joshua Mattern, Matthieu Taillon and Trevor Johnson.
“They’re great for support, shot making, everything,” said Kleiter of the team. “[We’re] best friends, on and off the ice.”
Team Kleiter faced Team Stewart in the final, another Saskatoon product. Jared Latos, Tony Neufeld, Andrew Hodgson and Brayden Stewart lost only two games throughout the tournament.
Meanwhile, Team Kleiter remained undefeated throughout the week.
“It’s kind of a relief for us after losing two years in a row, getting a chance to win,” he said. “We knew we’d prepared well for the event and we were ready for it.”
He said the team’s confidence was boosted after the first win of the tournament.
From Melfort to Victoria
The Jiffy Lube-sponsored provincial championships, which were held in Melfort from Jan. 4 to 8, saw 12 women’s teams and 12 men’s teams compete for the chance to represent Saskatchewan at the Canadian Junior Curling Championships in Victoria, B.C. later this month.
“It’s such an incredible feeling,” said Jones of the upcoming competition. “We’re hoping to at least make the playoff round. We don’t know what’s going to happen, but that’s our goal, to make playoffs at least.”
Kleiter is also looking forward to the event.
“It’s always something special. I’m super excited.”
