MONTREAL -- Rachel Homan started defence of her Scotties Tournament of Hearts title in style. Frank Fabra Jersey . Homan and her Team Canada (1-0) rink from Ottawa scored four in the eighth end for an 8-3 victory over Manitobas Chelsea Carey (0-1) on Saturday night at the Maurice Richard Arena. "The team played really well in front of me," said Homan, the winner last year in Kingston, Ont. "It was a tough battle. It was 4-3 and then one big end kind of ended it. My team just really had it today." It was a nervy but successful start for Val Sweetings Alberta rink. The Sweeting team (2-0) with lead Rachel Pidherny, second Dana Ferguson and third Joanne Courtney scored three points in the ninth end for a comeback 7-5 victory over 20-year-old newcomer Sarah Koltun (0-1) of the Yukon and Northwest Territories in the opening draw. In the evening, Sweeting took the early lead, wasted it, and then scored two in an extra end for an 8-6 win over 22-year-old Kesa van Osch of British Columbia (1-1). Heather Strong (2-0) of Newfoundland used the shot of the day to edge the home team, Quebecs Allison Ross (0-2), 5-4 with a raised angle takeout on the final shot. Stefanie Lawton (1-0) of Saskatchewan downed Allison Flaxeys Ontario rink (0-1) 8-6. Koltun looked ready for an upset when she stole a point for a 4-1 lead in the fifth end to throw a scare into 26-year-old Sweeting, a youngster herself in only her second Scotties. "They were outplaying us for sure," said Sweeting. "We set up some good ends and she made some good draws to save them, but we stayed patient and had an opportunity in the ninth and took advantage. "Im happy to get out of that one with a win, but we definitely have to sharpen up. We knew we couldnt take them lightly. Its their first time here and they have nothing to lose." A miss by Koltun with her first stone in the ninth set up the decisive steal by Alberta. Sweetings rink kept the house clear in the 10th and left no chance for the Whitehorse skip to force an extra end. Koltun is the youngest skip ever to play in the Scotties and is the first to skip at the Canadian junior and Scotties championships in the same year. She went 5-4 at the juniors two weeks ago in Liverpool, N.S. with two of her three teammates at the Scotties. She skipped a record seven times at national junior championships and is considered among the rising talents in the sport. But she may have let one get away in her debut. "We were in control at the beginning and it was just that one bad end, but its our first game at our first Scotties so well take what we can from it," said Koltun. "We are happy to be here, but we want to contend and be competitive and I think we showed that in this first game by putting up a really strong fight." Quebecs Allison Ross had a disappointing start as she failed to score until she picked up one point in the eighth end. After scoring, Ross conceded a 6-1 victory to New Brunswicks Andrea Crawford. The Quebec side from Montreal curled only 64 per cent as a group, lowest of the day. She found her draw weight in her evening match against Strong, which had the crowd of 1,825 roaring, but fell short when the Newfoundland skip pulled off her winning takeout. "I was reading the ice better," said Ross. "Its a disappointing loss, but Heather made an amazing shot. You want to leave the other team a hard shot, and she made it." Strong had won the Hot Shots competition -- a pre-tournament skills exhibition -- on Saturday morning and it may have helped her against Quebec. "A lot of the (Hot Shots) are indicative of what you face in game, so I referred back to that a lot," she said. "I felt good when I threw it, but I was coming off missing the one right before it, so I was a little torn. "We were exhausted. It was late back home. There were the opening ceremonies, we were in the Hot Shots right through. It was a long day, so to pull off that second win was awesome." Strong had won her first match as she took a 6-2 lead after six ends, then had to hold off a charge from Nova Scotias Heather Smith (0-1) for an 8-5 victory. Van Osch needed an extra end to defeat Kim Dolans Prince Edward Island rink 7-4. The 22-year-old from Victoria admitted to feeling nervous in her debut match, but settled down as it went on against the veteran Dolan, who is in her 10th Scotties. Van Osch said she hasnt set any goals for the tournament. "Were a first-year team," she said. "It was a bonus just to make it to the Scotties this year. Were taking things as they come, game by game." There are three draws scheduled for Sunday, including Team Canada against both Ontario and Quebec. 23:04ET 01-02-14 Yerry Mina Jersey . The teams were scoreless for most of the first two periods before Canada scored three times in a span of less than four minutes. Sarah Potomak opened the scoring on the power play. Mateus Uribe Jersey .Y. - Geno Smith still thinks of himself as the New York Jets starting quarterback. http://www.soccercolombia.us/Abel-Aguilar-Copa-America-Jersey/ . - Connor McDavid scored twice and added two assists as the Erie Otters beat the Sarnia Sting 7-3 on Saturday night in Ontario Hockey League action.Columbus, OH (SportsNetwork.com) - A couple of teams coming off disappointing outcomes in their respective Big Ten Conference openers get together on Saturday afternoon, as the Illinois Fighting Illini come calling on the 20th- ranked Ohio State Buckeyes. Illinois dropped a 73-65 overtime decision at Michigan on Tuesday to fall to 10-4 overall and 0-1 in conference. The loss snapped what had been a three- game win streak for the Illini, who had lost two in a row prior to formidable foes in Villanova and Oregon. The teams other setback came against Miami- Florida, with all four losses coming during the month of December. Illinois is 0-2 in true road games. Ohio State had a modest two-game win streak come to an end with Tuesdays 71-65 home loss to Iowa. The setback dropped the Buckeyes to 11-3 overall, and it was their first loss in 12 home games this season. OSUs other defeats came at Louisville (64-55) and versus North Carolina in Chicago (82-74). Although Illinois owns a 101-68 lead in the all-time series, Ohio State has won 14 of the 19 meetings since Thad Matta took over as head coach. The Buckeyes have won nine of the last 11 games, and the last five in Columbus. Illinois let a double-digit lead in the second half slip away, as it fell in overtime to Michigan in the Big Ten opener for both clubs earlier this week. Malcolm Hill scored 19 points to lead the Fighting Illini, which made good on only 41.4 percent of its total shots, which included a 6-of-15 effort from 3- point range. Conversely, the Wolverines knocked down 10 treys, but shot just 40.9 percent from the floor overall. Rayvonte Rice grabbed 11 rebounds for Illinois, which committed a dozen turnovers, while Michigan was guuilty of only five. Radamel Falcao Colombia Jersey. Rice has been one of the top performers in the Big Ten this season, as he averages 17.0 points, 6.9 rebounds and 1.9 steals per game. Hill (13.4 ppg, 5.8 rpg) is the only other double-digit scorer for Illinois, which generates 78.1 ppg in hitting 37.8 percent of its long-range launches. The teams defensive effort yields only 63.1 ppg, with foes shooting just 38.9 percent from the floor overall, including a 31.1 percent effort from long distance. The Illini own a +4.3 turnover differential (9.9 to 14.2 tpg). Sam Thompson scored 17 points, DAngelo Russell added 13 and Marc Loving 10, but those efforts went for naught as Ohio State fell in its league lid lifter to Iowa earlier in the week. The Buckeyes were outshot in the game, .460 to .421, and they converted only 6-of-25 3-point tries (.250) while being outscored at the free-throw line, 17-11. They were also beaten on the boards, 37-29. They were guilty of only nine turnovers, while the Hawkeyes gave up the basketball 14 times. Russell continues to spearhead Ohio States offensive attack, as he is averaging 17.4 ppg to go with 4.6 rpg and 5.2 apg. Loving is a 54.9 percent shooter from 3-point range who nets 12.2 ppg, while Sam Thompson contributes 10.2 points and 4.2 caroms per contest. Shannon Scott dishes out 7.6 apg to serves as one of the top playmakers in the country. As a team, the Buckeyes are putting up 83.9 ppg while permitting only 59.4 ppg, giving them a massive 24.5 scoring margin. They are also on the plus-side of the ledger in terms of rebounding (+4.9) and turnover margin (+6.3), the latter coming as a result of OSU goading the opposition into nearly 18 miscues per outing. Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Wholesale Black NFL Jerseys Wholesale NFL Gear Wholesale Stitched Jerseys Wholesale NFL Womens Jerseys Cheap NFL Black Jerseys Jerseys NFL China ' ' '