THUNDER BAY – Trevor Bonot didn’t waste any time putting scores on the board in Wednesday night’s Tbaytel Major League of curling opener.
Bonot, the former Canadian mixed curling champion, scored three in the first end at Port Arthur Curling Club, then followed up with a steal of one in the second, and went on to down former two-time Major League champion Dylan Johnston 7-3.
A warm-up bonspiel last weekend in Minneapolis didn’t hurt Team Bonot’s cause, curling alongside Mike McCarville, Jordan Potts and Kurtis Byrd.
“Coming out tonight we were pretty confident in how we were playing already, so it was just a lot of fun,” said Bonot, who opened up a 7-2 lead with a three-ender in the fourth.
“Dylan’s team, they’re one of the best in town, that’s for sure. To have that kind of start was really important for us. I think we caught onto the ice a little bit quicker than they did and it was so fast tonight. I think that was the big difference in the game, and in that first end.”
Two-time Scotties Tournament of Hearts runner-up Krista McCarville had to sweat things out a little longer than Bonot, whose match ended in the seventh.
Opposing skip Andrew Sinclair was left with a hit-and-stick to force a shot-to-the-button tiebreaker, but McCarville buried her shot-rock stone just enough to make Sinclair’s hammer stone a little tougher shot than he’d have liked. He instead hit-and-rolled out of the rings, giving McCarville a steal of two and a 5-2 triumph.
“We had a few draws that were really good in that end and my shots were a little bit easier, which was nice,” McCarville said. “But it was kind of a defensive game, just getting into the first game at Port Arthur. We haven’t been on this surface yet, so we just thought we wanted to play a little more cleanly.
“So it was a clean game and when you have that chance, being the last end, you have to be a little bit more aggressive. So, that’s kind of what we did and my last one rolled just enough where it was in a spot where (Sinclair) could see about half to three-quarters of it. It was a tough shot.”
The two sides traded singles in the first and second, with McCarville, jumping in front 2-1 in the third, a lead she’d hold until the sixth.
The tightness of the match didn’t come as any surprise, she said.
“This is our most competitive league, so it’s nice to be out playing against these teams. You come out here and you want to win. It’s not like the other leagues, where it’s lots of fun. It’s worth some money,” McCarville said.
In other action, Denis Malette’s squad downed Ben Mikkelsen 7-4, Ron Rosengren upended defending champion Brian Adams Jr. 10-3, Jodi Judd thumped Jackson Dubinsky 9-3, Al Hackner’s team – minus their world-champion skip – beat Gary Weiss 8-2 in five ends, Bryan Burgess outlasted Robyn Despins 6-5 on a draw to the button, and Chris Silver scored four in the eighth to down Zach Warkentin 9-4.
