Defending champion Suzanne Birt, playing with a new team this year, has won the first of three section finals in the modified triple knockout Scotties Tournament of Hearts PEI Women’s Curling Championship, beating the Kim Dolan rink 8-5 this morning at the Montague Curling Rink.

PEICurling.com photo: Suzanne Birt

Dolan blanked the first end, and was kept to a single in the second end. Birt responded with singles in the next two ends. The teams then exchanged deuces for the next four ends, to give Birt a 6-5 lead coming home without hammer. She stole a deuce in the final end for the win.

In other games, Sarah Fullerton made a huge comeback against the Tammy Dewar team from the host club, the only non-Charlottetown rink in the six team event, fighting back from a 4-0 deficit after four ends, stealing a deuce in the eighth end to tie the game 5-all. She then stole a triple in nine for an 8-5 win.

Shelly Bradley also had a big lead after 4, ahead by 5 to 1, but Lisa Jackson and her Travelers Canadian Curling Club Championship team came back to tie it at 5-5 after eight, blank the ninth, and steal a single in the 10th for a 6-5 win.

At 2 pm, Dolan takes on Jackson, and Birt plays Fullerton, with the winners advancing to the B section final at 7 pm. Bradley and Dewar take on the losers of this afternoon’s matches at 7 pm, with the losers of those two evening games being eliminated from further competition.

Shaw rink (PEICurling.com file photo)

Meanwhile, the first game in the round robin Future Scotties event was held this morning, with Katelyn Shaw of Charlottetown doubling Cornwall’s Rachel MacLean 8-4. MacLean takes on clubmate Emma Coffin, while Alexis Burris, also from Cornwall, faces Lauren Ferguson and her combined Western, Crapaud, and Silver Fox squad at 2 pm.

End by end results from both the Scotties and the Future Scotties are available at PEICurling.com.