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Thunder Bay skips find win column in Nipigon (10 photos)

Krista McCarville, Trevor Bonot and Dylan Johnston all post wins on Day 2 of the Northern Ontario play-downs.

NIPIGON, Ont. – Krista McCarville is in the driver’s seat at the Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

The veteran Thunder Bay skip, already a six-time provincial champion, knocked off Sudbury’s rising Kira Brunton foursome 7-3 on Wednesday to improve to 2-0 after three draws at the five-day event, being contested at the Nipigon Arena.

McCarville opened with two in the first and stole another point in the second to take early control of the match, which ended with handshakes after nine ends.

It’s a great way to start the week, she said.

“We wanted to come out the first couple of games and learn the ice and learn the speed and just feel good on the ice, because you’re always adjusting to different ice surfaces,” said McCarville, seeking to return to the Scotties Tournament of Hearts for the first time since 2017 after losing to Tracy Fleury in last year’s final.

“To come out and have two wins like that, it builds confidence for the next game, for sure.”

McCarville said getting two in the opening end was key to setting the tone for the match against Brunton, who earlier this season captured the StuSells Toronto Tankard.

“I think to get a deuce in the first is always huge. It always makes you feel a bit better, said McCarville, who broke open a 5-2 game with a steal of two in the eighth, when Brunton’s hit and roll didn’t roll, to put the match out of reach.

“You can take a deep breath. But to get a steal like that, always helps as well.”

Brunton was missing third Lyndsey Berlett, who was ill, and had to curl with just three players, meaning they only had one sweeper for the entire match.

It was an equally good morning draw for fellow Thunder Bay skip Dylan Johnston, the 2017 Northern Ontario Men’s Provincial Curling Championship finalist.

Johnson gave up one with the hammer in the first, tied the match with a single in the second, then forced Copper Cliff’s Dustin Montpellier to try a tricky hit and roll facing three on his final shot. Instead he hit and stuck, surrendering a pair to Johnson, who added three more in the seventh and went on to a 7-3 win.

The victory improved his record to 2-0, with plenty of room for improvement, Johnston said.

“It’s a great way to open up. We struggled a little bit so far, so we can always get sharper,” Johnston said. “We’ve been fortunate also.”

Scoring three in the seventh to jump in front 7-2 was key.

“Getting out to a big lead, that allows you to keep the ends clean and not allow them to score a lot of points.”

Trevor Bonot, the other Thunder Bay skip in action on Thursday, made it 3-for-3 for Lakehead-based teams, racing out to a 7-2 lead after three ends and going on to defeat Sudbury’s Robbie Gordon, a former two time Northern Ontario champion, 10-5.

“Last night we struggled a bit off the top, so to crack a three in the first end was big for us today,” said Bonot, a former Canadian mixed champion, who had an open draw for four in the third to score four.

“We had a couple of fortunate misses – unfortunate for the other team, but fortunate for us, and we just capitalized,” Bonot said.

The fourth match of the morning draw, between Thunder Bay skips Jenna Enge and Hailey Beaudry, was postponed because of ice conditions and is expected to be played on Friday.

Johnston (2-0) takes on Thunder Bay’s Mike McCarville (1-1)  in the afternoon draw, while Bonot (1-1) faces Sudbury’s Jordan Chandler (0-2).



Leith Dunick

About the Author: Leith Dunick

A proud Nova Scotian who has called Thunder Bay home since 2002, Leith is Dougall Media's director of news, but still likes to tell your stories too. Wants his Expos back and to see Neil Young at least one more time. Twitter: @LeithDunick
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