THURSDAY EYE-OPENER

Manitoba’s Jennifer Jones was due for a clunker. It finally happened Wednesday morning at the Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

Jones shot just 69 per cent and made some uncharacteristic errors in a 9-6 loss to Nova Scotia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault at Mosaic Place. It was her first defeat of the competition and ended a run of 23 straight round-robin victories at this event.

Alberta’s Val Sweeting is the lone unbeaten rink at 8-0 after 13 draws of play. She beat Quebec’s Lauren Mann 8-6 and Ontario’s Julie Hastings 8-5.

Jones, the reigning Olympic champion, is in second place at 7-1 after bouncing back with a 9-7 win against New Brunswick’s Sylvie Robichaud in the evening draw.

Saskatchewan’s Stephanie Lawton held off Heather Strong of Newfoundland and Labrador 4-2 but fell to Northern Ontario’s Tracy Horgan 6-1 in evening play. Lawton and Horgan sit in a tie for fourth spot at 5-3 while Strong is seventh at 3-6.

Prince Edward Island’s Suzanne Birt and Ontario’s Hastings are tied for fifth at 4-4. Robichaud is currently in eighth position at 2-6 while B.C.’s Patti Knezevic and Quebec’s Mann are at the bottom of the standings at 1-8.

The top four teams will make the playoffs.

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Former Regina Pats defenceman Martin Marincin scored in the 12th round of a scoreless shootout as the Edmonton Oilers edged the struggling Boston Bruins 4-3. Nail Yakupov, Ryan Nugent-Hopkins and Teddy Purcell scored in regulation for the Oilers, who ended a 13-game losing streak against Boston that extended back to 2001. The Bruins have now lost five games in a row and are in danger of slipping out of the Eastern Conference playoff picture.

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Mikko Koivu scored in overtime to give the Minnesota Wild a 3-2 victory over the Calgary Flames. Alone in the slot, Koivu took a pass from Charlie Coyle and moved in on Jonas Hiller. Koivu put a shot over the goalie’s shoulder for his ninth goal this season.

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Andrew Hammond certainly made a statement in his first NHL start. He made 42 saves and led the Ottawa Senators to a 4-2 win over the Montreal Canadiens. Hammond was called into action Monday to replace starter Robin Lehner, who was hurt in the second period against Carolina. With Craig Anderson already out with a hand injury, Hammond got the nod tonight.

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Steven Stamkos capped Tampa Bay’s four-goal second period with his 31st of the season, and the Lighting stormed past the Anaheim Ducks 4-1. Ben Bishop made 24 saves for the Lightning, who overtook Anaheim and the New York Islanders by a point in the overall standings and tied Montreal and St. Louis for second behind Nashville.

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Sources say that the Timberwolves have had exploratory discussions with the Brooklyn Nets about possibly bringing back Kevin Garnett to Minnesota. The Wolves and Nets started discussing the possibility in earnest one day before the NBA’s trade deadline. Garnett spent his first 12 years in Minnesota before being traded to Boston, where he won a championship.

(CP)