The Kevin Koe and Jennifer Jones rinks left Banff’s curling club at the Fenlands Rec Centre, $75,500 and $53,000 richer, respectively, after winning the Pinty’s All-Star Curling Skin Games finals, Sunday (Feb. 5).
The Kevin Koe and Jennifer Jones rinks left Banff’s curling club at the Fenlands Rec Centre, $75,500 and $53,000 richer, respectively, after winning the Pinty’s All-Star Curling Skin Games finals, Sunday (Feb. 5).
On the men’s side of the $200,000 event, Calgary’s Koe downed The Soo’s Brad Jacobs rink, $57,000 to zero and for the women, Winnipeg’s Jones defeated Edmonton’s Val Sweeting, $41,000 to $16,000.
In the men’s final, Koe’s rink steadily built up a lead of $10,000 to zero by the fifth end, took another $10,000 in the sixth and, after carryovers in the seventh and eighth, it came down to a draw to the button for a final $37,000 and victory.
Jacobs threw first and drew to the back of the button, but Koe was flawless in covering the pin for the win.
After the game, Koe said it was the best skins game he’s competed in. “It was an unbelievable event to play in and we played well tonight. It feels good to beat a team like Brad’s.”
Koe was joined by third Marc Kennedy, second Brent Laing and lead Ben Hebert, while the Jacobs crew was rounded out by third Ryan Fry, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harnden.
Koe’s next big event is the national championship, the Brier, where they will be Team Canada based on their 2016 win at the event. Jacobs still has to go through Ontario playdowns in a bid to return to the Brier.
The Sunday morning women’s final was a replay of the 2016 event, featuring Winnipeg’s Jennifer Jones and Edmonton’s Val Sweeting.
Jones, the 2014 Olympic gold medallist, defeated Sweeting $41,000 to $16,000 on the strength of making an eighth end hit hammer shot through a port to remove Sweeting’s shot rock.
After the game, Jones commented on her final shot and her rink’s Banff experience. “I thought it was full on the rock, but then it started coming off, but thanks to the sweepers they got it there.
“And the hospitality; Banff you’re amazing, and the sponsors and TSN, it’s the best event to play.”
Sweeting and her crew (third Lori Olson-Johns, second Dana Ferguson and lead Rachelle Brown) started strong, with Sweeting playing a long runback in the first end for a skin. Sweeting took the second $2,000 end as well, to take a $4,000 to 0 lead.
Jones, though, with third Kaitlyn Lawes, second Jill Officer and lead Dawn McEwen, showed why they are Manitoba, Canadian, world champions and Olympians by taking the third end for $3,000 to close the gap.
The teams traded skins and Sweeting made a tough draw to the four-foot in the seventh to take a $16,000 to $13,000 lead and it all came down to the eighth and final end.
In the eighth, with a whopping $28,000 available, with Jones having hammer, despite ticking a rock out front, she played a hit on Sweeting’s shot rock for the takeout and the victory.
Both Jones and Sweeting lost in their respective provincial playdowns, so money won in the Pinty’s Skins Game may have softened the blow.
