By Matthew Abrey

Special to the Western ÑÇÖÞÌìÌÃ

Jennifer Jones rubs her leg before releasing a difficult shot to let her daughter at home know she’s thinking about her — a gesture she used often Sunday evening.

But despite the challenge, Team Manitoba’s skip defeated fellow Manitoban and Team Wild Card skip Kerri Einarson 8-6 for her sixth Scotties Tournament of Hearts win, tying Colleen Jones for a record.

Jennifer Jones jumped out to an early 1-0 lead in the first end, but Einarson bounced right back in the second. The Wild Card skip had a chance to lay three with her hammer shot, but her draw attempt sailed right through the rings. She still managed to keep two in the end, taking a 2-1 lead.

In the third, Jones attempted to lay two with her hammer shot in the third, taking her chances with a double takeout. The shot was a little off-line, however, and Jones only managed to lay one to tie it up at two-apiece.

With Jones sitting one in the fourth and no chance for Einarson to take out the shot stone with her final rock of the end, Einarson curled around the high-sitting guard to lay one and go ahead 3-2 heading into the fifth.

In the fifth, Jones was looking for the blank, and attempted another double takeout to clear Einarson’s two rocks out of the rings and keep the hammer for the sixth. Jones was once again a little off-line, and one of Einarson’s rocks remained in the rings for a steal of one.

Einarson, with her last rock of the sixth end, attempted a runback using her own guard to make Jones’ hammer shot just a little more difficult, but the shot was just barely off the mark, leaving Jones with shot stone. Jones would make a simple shot to clear Einarson’s remaining red stone and take two to tie it up at 4-4.

Jones made it difficult in the seventh, but Einarson still managed to lay her hammer stone on top of Jones’ shot stone to prevent a steal and get ahead 5-4.

The eighth end featured a particularly jam-packed house. Although Jones was already sitting one before her hammer shot, she opted to tap a high-sitting rock for a chain-reaction of runbacks, which allowed her to lay two, and take a narrow 6-5 lead heading into the ninth.

With Jones laying 3 rocks closest to the button before Einarson’s hammer shot, Einarson was forced to make a tight draw to the button to prevent a steal, and tie it up at 6-6, giving Jones the ever-important hammer in the tenth end.

And important it was.

The Team Manitoba skip managed to lay two in the final end to capture the 8-6 victory, and her sixth Scotties title.