P.E.I.’s Birt team splits first two games at the Scotties; Lenentine, Manitoba win opener (SaltWire)

THUNDER BAY, Ont. — The Suzanne Birt rink split its first two games at the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts.

After defeating Nunavut’s Brigitte MacPhail 12-2 in eight ends on Jan. 28, the P.E.I. representative at the Canadian women’s curling championship dropped an 8-5 decision to Northern Ontario’s Krista McCarville on Jan. 29.

Birt returns to action at 3 pm Sunday against Tracy Fleury’s wild-card team.

P.E.I. skip Suzanne Birt releases a shot during the 2022 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Thunder Bay, Ont. This year marks the 13th time Birt has skipped P.E.I. at the Canadian women’s curling championship.

Birt, third stone Marie Christianson, second stone Meaghan Hughes, lead Michelle McQuaid and fifth player and coach Kathy O’Rourke play two games at the Fort William Gardens on Jan. 31. They face New Brunswick’s Andrea Crawford (2-0) at 10 a.m., Atlantic Time, and Saskatchewan’s Penny Barker (0-1) at 3 p.m.

Lauren Lenentine of New Haven, P.E.I., plays the lead position for Manitoba’s Mackenzie Zacharias rink. Team Manitoba scored a single point in the 10th end with last-rock advantage to win its first game 6-5 against British Columbia’s Mary-Anne Arsenault on Jan. 29.

Manitoba played the Yukon’s Hailey Birney rink in the late draw Jan. 30. On Jan. 31, Manitoba faces Ontario’s Hollie Duncan at 3 p.m.

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